Celebrating the 78th Anniversary of Vietnam's National Day and welcoming the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

On September 19, at the headquarters of the United States Institute of Peace , Washington DC, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended the ceremony to celebrate the 78th National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and welcome the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington DC.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended the ceremony to celebrate the 78th National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and welcome the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Attending the ceremony on the US side were Senators Bill Hagerty, Dan Sullivan, Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley, Congressman Brad Sherman, Deputy National Security Advisor Kurt Campbell, US Ambassador to Hanoi Marc Knaper. In addition, there were heads of foreign representative agencies and international organizations in Washington DC, local friends and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the US.

At the ceremony, on behalf of the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son delivered a welcoming speech to the distinguished guests. Reviewing the history of the Vietnamese Revolution and the formation and development of Vietnam-US relations, Minister Bui Thanh Son mentioned that President Ho Chi Minh directed the Viet Minh to find ways to support US pilots during World War II, invited US representatives to attend the Declaration of Independence Ceremony on September 2, 1945, and wrote a letter to US President Harry Truman expressing his desire to establish a relationship of “full cooperation” with the United States.

Minister Bui Thanh Son assessed that the relationship between the two countries has made unimaginable strides since the normalization of diplomatic relations (1995), with important events such as the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (2001), the establishment of a Comprehensive Partnership (2013) and the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and Sustainable Development during President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam in September 2023 at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son delivered a welcoming speech to the distinguished guests.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that Vietnam and the United States will continue to deepen cooperation across all 10 pillars of the new relationship framework, bringing benefits to the people of both countries and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity in the region and the world.

Speaking at the ceremony, US delegates welcomed Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to the United States and have effective and substantive bilateral activities.

The United States affirmed that there is consensus among both the Democratic and Republican parties to value relations with Vietnam, support a "strong, independent, prosperous and self-reliant" Vietnam, and expressed joy at the results of President Joe Biden's recent visit to Vietnam and the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

Recalling the historical support of the US political community and public opinion for Vietnam, the US delegates expressed their respect and gratitude to outstanding individuals who played an important role in the healing process between the two countries after the war, such as the late Senator John McCain, former Senator John Kerry and Patrick Leahy, and affirmed that the US has the responsibility to continue to cooperate and further support Vietnam in overcoming the consequences of war, including improving the capacity to identify the remains of Vietnamese martyrs, clean up Agent Orange/dioxin, clear bombs and explosives, and support people with disabilities. The US side also expressed its gratitude for Vietnam's full cooperation in helping the US account for missing persons.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and US delegates visit a photo exhibition on bilateral relations.

Looking to the future, the US delegates reaffirmed their strong commitment to actively implementing cooperation on all pillars within the new relationship framework, focusing on traditional areas such as economics-trade-investment, science-technology, education-training, healthcare, people-to-people exchange, overcoming the consequences of war... and new areas such as ensuring supply chains, energy transition, high technology, responding to climate change, especially the Mekong sub-region...

The two sides agreed that despite ups and downs, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the United States has grown strongly, bringing about common benefits and achievements, and this is also the core spirit of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

With this new framework, the relationship between Vietnam and the United States will continue to develop further, bringing practical benefits to the people of both countries, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Art program at the ceremony.

Right before the ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh spent time talking with Senator Bill Hagerty and Senator Dan Sullivan. The two Senators recalled the good memories when visiting Vietnam.

The Senators expressed their joy and impression at the development of Vietnam-US relations and affirmed that this good relationship positively contributes to peace and stability in the region and the world.

The US side believes that the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will bring many new opportunities for cooperation, especially in the fields of science-technology, innovation, energy, etc.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared that during his working trip to the United States, the Prime Minister and his delegation had many meetings and discussions with US localities and businesses, especially related to the high-tech and semiconductor fields.

The Prime Minister expressed his delight at the desire of large US businesses to continue expanding investment and cooperation with Vietnam and agreed that the two sides need to step up practical implementation to soon turn opportunities into reality.

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