3:26:37 PM | 7/8/2005
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Van Bang paid a visit to the US from March 31-April 7 to boost the two countries' bilateral co-operation approaching the 10th anniversary of the normalization of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties.
Mr. Bang was the first ambassador of Vietnam to visit the US since the two nations established diplomatic relations in July 1995 after the Vietnam War.
While staying in the US, the Vietnamese diplomat had working sessions with officials from the State Department, the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Transportation, the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US Agency for International Development, and a number of companies and non-governmental organizations.
The deputy minister also met with Senator John McCain, Congressman Lane Evans who is co-chairmen of the US-Vietnam Parliamentarians Friendship Group, and other senior figures from the US Congress.
During these meetings Bang and the host compared notes on issues of common concern. They also discussed measures to enhance and expand cooperative ties between the two countries, which were normalized 10 years ago.
The two sides agreed to further promote economic and commercial cooperation while expanding their ties to cover transport, agriculture, education and training. They also wanted more meetings to occur between the two countries' ministries and localities.
The US officials pledged to support Vietnam's entry into the World Trade Organization.
On July 11, 1995, President Clinton and Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet announced the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam. The two countries exchanged ambassadors in May 1997: Mr. Le Van Bang became Vietnamese Ambassador to the US and Mr. Douglas Peterson as US ambassador to Vietnam.
Vietnam and the US in 2001 struck a landmark bilateral trade agreement (BTA), allowing two-way trade between the two countries. Their two-way trade saw a very impressive increase to nearly US$6 billion last year, up from US$1.4 billion in 2001.
Youth, VNA
Vietnamese
