The two countries will join hands to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic ties this year, he said, adding that he believes in the future development of the cooperation between the two countries.

At the new year press briefing, Ambassador Michalak expressed his pleasure with the two countries’ relations over the last year.

Vietnam and the US exchanged visits of high-ranking delegations in 2009 and the US has now become Vietnam’s largest investor last year.

He highly valued the investment climate in Vietnam, saying that the US will continue assist the Southeast Asian country in pushing through administrative reform and improving the investment environment, and will continue negotiations with Vietnam for the signing of a bilateral investment agreement this year.

The US plans to discuss a trans-Pacific partnership agreement with Vietnam and several other countries, conduct other activities for mutual benefit and help Vietnam further integrate into the global economy, he added.

Regarding educational field, Ambassador Michalak stressed the number of Vietnamese students studying in the US soared in 2009, tripling that of the three previous years. He said the US expects to set up an education consultancy centre and a university in Vietnam in order to strengthen bilateral ties in education.