Vietnam Ambassador expects big deals during Obama visit

In preparation for the visit, the two countries are currently in the process of reviewing their Comprehensive Partnership and the Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement to look for ways to accelerate cooperation between their governments.

“I am confident there will be big agreements reached in a number of key areas related to trade as well as defence cooperation,” Ambassador Vinh told a VOV reporter in a recent interview.

“Preliminary discussions on these as well as other issues have been underway for some time now— and we are looking for positive outcomes.”

The Vietnamese diplomat said if President Obama lifts the three-decade-old lethal arms embargo on Vietnam during this trip, that would significantly bolster bilateral ties and be a historical milestone in the two nations’ relations.

“I am placing high hopes the arms embargo will be lifted,” he said, adding that he has personally worked with several officials from the US Administration and Congress on the issue in preparing for the visit.

According to Ambassador Vinh, the visit by President Obama will focus on boosting trade and investment. Some businesses in the US have found Vietnam a popular destination for expanding their businesses and we would like to agree on measures to encourage more investment.

The two countries will also continue to work on matter pertaining to the Trans-Pacific Partnership while seeking to further develop competitive trade relations between the two nations’ businesses in industries such as agriculture, science, technology and education.

Vietnam and the US announced their Comprehensive Partnership in July 2013 during a US visit by former President Truong Tan Sang. The agreement creates a new framework for cooperation between the governments in areas such as in politics-diplomacy, climate change in addition to maritime security and defence.

The Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement, which was signed last July during a visit to the US by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong, set out guidelines to deepen the relationship between the two nations.

In the latest development, the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the US President will arrive in Hanoi on the morning of May 23 instead of May 22 as previously planned.