On the morning of April 16, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken boarded a plane from Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) to Karuizawa, Japan to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, concluding a 3-day visit to Vietnam.

The US Embassy in Vietnam has just posted a thank you message from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken: "Thank you to the Vietnamese government and the wonderful people of Vietnam for welcoming my first visit as US Secretary of State. We are more committed than ever to elevating the US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and working together to support a free and open Indo- Pacific region."

US Secretary of State boards plane, ending visit to Vietnam. Photo: Pool/AP

In just one day, Mr. Blinken had a series of activities such as meeting with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong , Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and holding talks with Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

On his personal Twitter page, the US Secretary of State continuously updates his activities while in Vietnam.

He also attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the US Embassy complex in Cau Giay District and met with lecturers, students, and scientists at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. The new US Embassy will be built at Lot D30, Pham Van Bach Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi in a project with a total budget of 1.2 billion USD and a 99-year land lease. The groundbreaking event was assessed by the head of the US Department of State as having been prepared for many years, "a culmination of the dedicated and creative collaboration between many Vietnamese and American diplomats".

He has interesting side activities such as going to the club of famous jazz artist Quyen Van Minh to enjoy music, right on his 61st birthday.

Mr. Antony Blinken and colleagues enjoy Vietnamese cuisine. Photo: Pool/AP

On the final evening of the visit, the US Secretary of State, along with Ambassador Marc Knapper and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Kritenbrink, dined at Com Tay Cam restaurant in Trang Tien alley after the musical performance. Secretary Blinken chose spring rolls and clay pot rice with stir-fried shrimp and pork.

On his personal Twitter page, the 61-year-old Secretary of State wrote: "You can't visit Vietnam without trying the food. Vietnamese cuisine has the freshest flavors and we've seen the influence across America, in our restaurants. Thank you Com Tay Cam for letting me try your wonderful food. So delicious!".

Speaking to the Vietnamese and international press on the afternoon of April 15, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized: "For the United States and the Joe Biden administration, the relationship with Vietnam is one of the most dynamic and important relationships. The trend ofVietnam-US relations over the past decades has been extremely impressive."

He said that Vietnam and the US are cooperating closely not only in trade and investment, but also in almost every area that is important to the people of both countries, including science and technology, climate change response, strengthening supply chains, and food security. The US believes that Vietnam can achieve its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045 with an orientation towards equitable development and building good resilience to climate change.

Mr. Blinken visited Vietnam in 2015 and 2016 as Deputy Secretary of State.

According to Vietnamnet