US VP Harris arrives in Hanoi for three-day visit
VOV.VN - Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris arrived in Hanoi on August 24 evening for a three-day visit to Vietnam to strengthen the comprehensive partnership between the two countries.
The blue-and-white Air Force Two touched down at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at around 09.45pm (local time).
She was welcomed by several Vietnamese officials, including Le Khanh Hai, Chairman of the Presidential Office and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung.
According to the White House, VP Harris is expected to hold meetings with several Vietnamese leaders, including talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as matters of regional security and economic co-operation. She is also likely to announce an aid package provided by Washington to help the country cushion the impact of the latest wave of COVID-19 infections.
VP Harris is also due to attend an inauguration of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) office in Hanoi. This will be the US CDC's regional office for Southeast Asia and will focus on dealing with issues related to infectious diseases.
The US is currently Vietnam’s largest COVID-19 vaccine donor. By receiving a total of five million doses of the Moderna vaccine through the COVAX Facility, the country ranks seventh among the top 10 recipients of COVID-19 vaccines from the US.
Vietnam has also signed commercial contracts to purchase tens of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines from US vaccine manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer.
During a visit to the country last month, US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin announced that the Vietnamese side would also be provided with 77 deep freezers in order to store and distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US has committed over US$20 million in order to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in Vietnam.
