Vietnam considers United States one of leading strategic partners: Top leader
Discussing regional and international issues, the two sides stressed the importance of maintaining peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, while supporting the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Hanoi (VNA)– General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam on August 5 hosted a reception for Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), who is on a visit to Vietnam. Welcoming Paparo, the top leader said the visit, together with recent trips to Vietnam by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, demonstrated that defence cooperation continues to serve as an important pillar of bilateral ties, helping deepen the Vietnam–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a substantive and effective manner while contributing to peace and development in the region and the world. He highly evaluated the long-standing cooperation between USPACOM and Vietnam, highlighting humanitarian partnership programmes such as Pacific Partnership, Pacific Angel and Pacific Friendship, which have left positive impressions on local communities. Reaffirming that Vietnam considers the US one of its top strategic partners, General Secretary and President Lam expressed his hope that both sides will continue to effectively implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework, thereby developing the bilateral relations in a more substantive, practical and effective way for the benefit of the two nations' people. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam (right) and Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), at their meeting in Hanoi on August 5. (Photo: VNA)The Vietnamese leader thanked US President Donald Trump for the warm reception during his attendance at the inauguration of the Board of Peace in February 2026. He also reiterated his invitation to the US President to pay an official visit to Vietnam and attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in 2027. Sharing President Trump's view on the need to conclude negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement at an early date, General Secretary and President Lam called on the US to soon conclude the Section 301 investigation and avoid extreme trade remedy measures that could negatively affect the overall bilateral relations. He proposed the two countries expand mutually beneficial cooperation in science and technology, stressing that breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation are among Vietnam’s top priorities in achieving its long-term growth objectives. Regarding defence and security cooperation, the Vietnamese leader welcomed the positive progress made in recent times and suggested both sides effectively implement existing agreements in line with each country’s needs and interests. Highlighting the profound significance of cooperation in addressing war consequences, he urged the US to maintain and expand support projects in this field, particularly initiatives to strengthen forensic identification capacity and provide records and archives to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of Vietnamese war martyrs’ remains. General Secretary and President Lam reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to continuing to facilitate efforts to search for US personnel missing in action (MIA), noting that Vietnam has consistently supported this humanitarian cooperation for more than half a century. For his part, Paparo thanked Vietnam for being among the first countries to join the Board of Peace initiative and reaffirmed that the US attaches great importance to advancing relations with Vietnam. He praised Vietnam’s growing international standing and increasingly important role within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the regional architecture. Sharing the Vietnamese leader’s assessment, he underscored the vision of a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific and reaffirmed the US’s commitment to strengthening ties with ASEAN while supporting ASEAN's centrality. He described the bloc, with a population of around 800 million and strong economic potential, as an increasingly important partner in the US's regional policy. Paparo agreed with the Vietnamese leader’s proposals on further advancing the bilateral ties and pledged that USPACOM would continue working closely with Vietnam in implementing humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and maritime law enforcement capacity-building programmes. Thanking Vietnam for its effective humanitarian support in searching for US personnel missing in action, he reaffirmed the US's commitment to assisting Vietnam in overcoming the consequences of war, including supporting the country's 500-day campaign to search for, recover and identify the remains of Vietnamese martyrs. Discussing regional and international issues, the two sides stressed the importance of maintaining peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, while supporting the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). General Secretary and President Lam expressed his confidence that Vietnam–US relations would continue to develop in a stable and substantive manner, contributing to shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. /. 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