US Presidential visit scheduled in late May

This is going to be the first time Obama comes to Vietnam during his two terms as US President. According to Minh, the topics to be discussed during his visit are still on the table, but they will all aim at strengthening the relations between the two countries in terms of politics, economics, culture, as well as promoting peace and stability in the region.

“The East Sea situation will also be talked about, but the most urgent issue in Vietnam right now is handling the consequences of the war, such as the victims of Agent Orange,” Minh said.

President Obama told Minh at the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, which was held in late March, that he looked forward to visiting Vietnam. “With this visit, we can say that the relations between the US and Vietnam will become stronger,” he also said.

In the history of Vietnamese–US bilateral relations, there have been two US presidents visiting Vietnam. In November 2000, President Bill Clinton visited for the first time after the formal normalisation of the two countries’ diplomatic relations. Six years later, President George W. Bush paid Vietnam a visit in November.

Many Vietnamese senior leaders have visited the US before. Former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and former President Nguyen Minh Triet both paid a visit to the US in 2005 and 2007, respectively. In 2013, former President Truong Tan Sang visited the US and signed an announcement to raise the bilateral relations between the two countries to a comprehensive partnership.

Moreover, during their terms, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and former Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung also visited the US. Newly elected President Tran Dai Quang also had a visit in 2015 to take part in high-level discussions as Vietnamese Minister of Public Security.