VUFA celebrates 20 years of Vietnam-US ties
(VOV) - The top diplomatic accomplishment in Vietnam-US relations over the past two decades was the historic visit by Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong to meet with President Obama at the White House.
US Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Rena Bitter made the comment in a speech she delivered at the Vietnam-US Friendship Association (VUFA) in HCM City in which she said the visit to the US marks a new chapter in the history of relations between the two nations.
This was the first time a Vietnam Party Secretary General visited the US and the two countries issued a joint vision statement acknowledging the accomplishments on a host of fronts since diplomatic relations were normalized twenty years ago.
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Tran Ngoc Chau, vice chairman of the VUFA in his address acknowledged the remarkable economic achievements to those attending the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the normalization of Vietnam-US ties.
Chau said that Vietnam’s total trade with the US expanded from just US$500 million in 1995 to US$36 billion in 2014 and is now forecast to hit a record high US$40 billion this year.
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Economic relations between the two countries are expected to flourish further if the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement is ratified by the 12 prospective member nation governments, Bitter added.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh echoed Bitter’s view and said that though Vietnam is the smallest economy of the 12 countries currently negotiating the TPP trade pact, it is still expected to bring about a significant impetus to propel elevated relations between the two countries.