US Deputy Secretary of State to pay a visit to Vietnam today

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman speaks on the situation in Afghanistan at the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S., August 18, 2021. Photo by Reuters/Andrew Harnik

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will begin a four-day visit to Vietnam starting Friday, according to the foreign affairs ministry.

VN Express reported that Sherman’s visit is made at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said at a Thursday press meet.

Sherman and the U.S. delegation accompanying her will meet representatives of Vietnamese entities "to discuss issues regarding bilateral cooperation, as well as certain global and regional issues of mutual interest," Hang said.

Previously, the U.S. Department of State had announced that Sherman would visit four Asian countries, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Laos, from June 5 to June 14 to reaffirm the U.S.’s long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific region.

Vietnam and the U.S. normalized their relations in 1995 and established their comprehensive partnership in 2013. The U.S. lifted an arms embargo on Vietnam in 2016.

The U.S. continues to be Vietnam’s largest export market, with an export trade turnover in 2021 of $91.5 billion, a 24 percent increase compared to the same period in 2020. Vietnam is the ninth-largest commercial partner for the U.S.

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