US White House issues statement on President Trump’s Vietnam visit

The statement opens by quoting President Trump’s as saying that “Today the Vietnamese economy is one of the fastest-growing on earth…We know it is in America’s interests to have partners throughout this region that are thriving, prosperous, and dependent on no one….”

It reviews major results of President Trump’s visit, noting that the US and Vietnam reached an agreement for the United States to acquire land in Hanoi to construct a new embassy compound, a tangible example of the growing partnership between the two nations.

President Trump strengthened the US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership, an important element of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The two nations concluded a new Three Year Plan of Action for Defense Cooperation, which will increase bilateral naval activities. 

The United States formally transferred the first US Coast Guard cutter to the Vietnamese Navy, enhancing Vietnam’s maritime security and domain awareness capabilities.

President Trump and President Tran Dai Quang welcomed the planned first visit of a US aircraft carrier to Vietnam in 2018. 

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation, overflight, and unfettered commerce in the East Sea and their commitment to a rules-based approach to resolving maritime disputes.