Mr Khiem is being accompanied by representatives of the Government Office, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Post and Telematics and the Ministry of Education and Training.

During his six-day visit running from March 11-16, Mr Khiem is expected to have talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and meet with senior officials, congressmen, representatives from financial and educational organisations and leaders from major groups. Mr Khiem and the other Vietnamese representatives will have in-depth dialogues and discussions with US officials on different aspects, including diplomacy, economics, science and technology and education. Mr Khiem’s visit provides a good opportunity for both sides to review bilateral relations and devise effective measures aimed at implementing the agreements and commitments reached during US President George W. Bush’s visit to Vietnam late last year.

The Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister’s US visit is an important foreign relations activity. It is intended to further strengthen the positive development of relations between the two countries. This testifies to the fact that the US Government is making greater efforts in maintaining the long-term and stable development of Vietnam-US relations for mutual benefit and respect for independence, sovereignty and non-interference into each other’s internal affairs.

Vietnam-US relations were established 60 years ago when the two nations were in alliance against Fascism. But it was not until July 12, 1995 that the two countries re-established their official diplomatic ties. Ten years is not a long period of time, but the two sides made remarkable progress in promoting bilateral relations. Over the past year, leaders and people from the two countries have spared no effort in building equal relations. Notably, former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai’s visit to the US in mid 2005 and the visit to Vietnam by President Bush last November opened up a new chapter in relations between Vietnam and the US. Mr Khiem’s visit to the US this time is a follow-on to the cooperation process for developing Vietnam-US relations.

At present, the two countries have made great strides in bilateral economic and trade cooperation since the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) took effect in December, 2001. Last year’s two-way trade turnover hit more than US$10 billion and the figure is expected to reach US$12 billion, an 18-fold increase from 1995. The US now ranks ninth among countries and territories investing in Vietnam with more than US$2 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) still being valid until the end of 2006.

In his visit to Vietnam later last year, President Bush pledged to keep the US market open for Vietnam and support its ongoing integration into the world economy, which will be an important factor in further strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in economic cooperation.

However, due to differences in political system, development level, history and culture, Vietnam and the US still hold different viewpoints on some issues, including human rights. Unless this issue is solved in a reasonable and fair manner, it will put obstacles in the two countries’ development process.

In order to narrow these differences and present unbiased views on the human rights issue, the two sides should promote dialogues and exchange visits among senior officials, and representatives from Vietnamese and US ministries and business circles.

During his visit to Vietnam last year, US President Bush attended a praying service at Cua Bac church in Hanoi and told foreign reporters that he witnessed an on-going vitality and elation in Vietnam. It is certain that if anyone has such an approach and objective view on religious freedom in Vietnam, there will not be any wrongful judgments on the human rights situation in the country. Therefore, Vietnam-US dialogues should be conducted in a comprehensive, constructive and effective way as committed by the two countries’ senior leaders.

Mr Khiem’s visit to the US is also a manifestation of the wish to maintain practical dialogues between the two sides so as to further promote mutual understanding, trust and respect. This will serve as an important premise to open a bright future for Vietnam-US relations, bringing the two peoples’ interests in line with the common development trend in the world.