Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reaffirmed that the US is one of the leading partners of Vietnam that the country wants further multisectoral cooperation.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper in Hanoi on Mar 30. Photos: VGP

PM Chinh told US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper at the meeting in Hanoi on March 30 when the two sides agreed to boost the Comprehensive Partnership based on the spirit of mutual respect and trust.  

Other issues on discussion include trade and investment, post-pandemic cooperation, climate adaptation, education, healthcare, defense-security, war legacies, cooperation in ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific, freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, rule-based order, and solving disputes based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

In terms of trade, both countries are delighted with the two-way value of US$110 billion in 2021. Meanwhile, climate adaptation becomes the strategic sector of cooperation. As such, the coming US investment will be poured into climate adaptation projects in Vietnam, according to Ambassador Marc Knapper.    

He pledged more support in infrastructure, green growth, manpower training, and digital transformation to assist Vietnam’s recovery plans toward sustainable development.

Regarding the US pandemic support, Chinh thanked the US government for life-saving Covid-19 supplies worth millions of dollars and more than 30 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

At the meeting, Chinh highly appreciated the US efforts in solving wartime consequences, saying it’s a highlight in Vietnam-US relations.  

The PM and the ambassador at the meeting.

Marc Knapper began his term in Vietnam in late 2021. This is the first meeting between him and the Vietnamese PM. The ambassador has held different meetings with Vietnam’s cabinet members, including Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade, Health, among others.

In the meeting with Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on March 29, Marc Knapper suggested bilateral dialogues on health while the Vietnamese health official called for more US investment in the pharmaceutical industry, medical equipment, and treatment.

In the messages delivered at the beginning of his term, Marc Knapper set out his plan to develop the US-Vietnam relationship across four areas with security the priority together with trade and investment, war legacy and humanitarian issues, and people-to-people ties.

The two sides discuss a wide range of issues.