US State Department Official to Travel to Vietnam

US State Department Official to Travel to Vietnam

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick will arrive in Vietnam this week to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. 

The US official will travel to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as part of a 10-day Southeast Asian tour that also includes Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. During his visit to the region Mr. Zoellick is expected to discuss economic, political and security issues.

Details of the 10^th anniversary commemoration - which comes one week after Vietnam celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War - were not available.

Vietnam and the US officially announced normalization of relations on July 11, 1995.

The Vietnamese Government is preparing for a historic trip of Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to the US in June to mark 10 years since the two countries resumed diplomatic ties. It is the first visit by a Vietnamese top leader to the US in 30 years. 

In November 2000, Bill Clinton became the first US President to visit Vietnam as his term was nearing to an end.

The two countries in 2001 struck a landmark bilateral trade agreement (BTA), allowing their two-way trade to increase from US$1.4 billion in that year to nearly US$6 billion in 2004.

Thanhniennews.com