Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh announced on January 5 that US Secretary of State John Kerry will pay an official visit to Vietnam in the coming week.
US Secretary of State John Kerry (photo:Reuters)
Kerry was supposed to visit Vietnam in December but it was delayed until next week, Minh said.
He went on to say that before working as the US Secretary of State, Kerry had already helped normalise the US-Vietnam relationship. After becoming the secretary, he has visited Vietnam almost every year.
This shows the closer links between the two countries. Minh said the relationship would continue to be strengthened no matter which party controls Washington.
After the US election result was announced, Vietnam sent the letter of congratulation to Donald Trump. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also had a phone call with Trump on December 14.
Phuc congratulated Trump on becoming the 45th US president and said Vietnam attached great importance to the relationship between the two countries. He invited Trump to the APEC summit to be held in Vietnam at the end of this year.
