Vietnam's Foreign Ministry Calls US Strategic Partner After Putin’s Visit

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Vietnam considers the US a strategic partner and supports strengthening cooperation between the United States and Southeast Asian countries, which will contribute to “peace, stability and development in the region and around the world,” said Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn, RBC reports.

On June 22, he met with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink. The Minister said that Hanoi is ready to develop a strategic partnership with Washington “based on respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions, which meets the interests of the peoples of both countries”.

Kritenbrink, for his part, said that the US is committed to supporting “a strong, independent, self-sufficient and prosperous Vietnam,” since “a successful Vietnam meets America's national interests”. According to the assistant secretary of state, the US-Vietnam relationship has “never been stronger than it is now,” with the two countries cooperating in virtually every area, from economics, trade, and investment to security.

The assistant secretary served as the US ambassador to Vietnam from 2017 to 2021. His visit to Vietnam on June 21-22 came shortly after Vladimir Putin’s two-day trip to the country on June 19-20. Following the visit, Moscow and Hanoi agreed to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership and not join alliances with third countries to the detriment of each other.