Vietnam and the US established diplomatic ties on July 12, 1995 and first exchanged ambassadors in 1997. Since then bilateral relations have been constantly developed through the exchange of high-level visits, including a historic visit to the US by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in 2005 and a trip to Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2006 by President George W. Bush. During a visit to the US by State President Nguyen Minh Triet in 2007, the two countries released a joint statement, affirming their determination to build a constructive partnership, friendship and multifaceted cooperation on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit.

According to the US ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Michalak, Mr Dung’s visit is taking place at a time when Vietnam’s role and position is being elevated regionally and globally. He says that the Southeast Asian nation is integrating deeper into the world arena not only in economic terms but also in socio-political spheres. Vietnam’s current membership of the United Nations Security Council also helps to increase its weight when in discussions with the US. Therefore, he says that both countries will be discussing measures to expand cooperation not only in economics and trade, but also in education and civil nuclear energy, as well as dealing with global issues such as climate change.

Since 2000, the two countries have signed numerous important economic agreements, such as the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in July 2000 and the Vietnam-US Textile Agreement in May 2003. The US Congress granted Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to Vietnam on December 9, 2006 and a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) on June 21, 2007.

After the BTA came into effect, bilateral trade ties grew and have since flourished, reaching US$7.8 billion in 2005, increasing fivefold against 2001 (US$1.5 billion). The US is Vietnam’s largest export market.

Over the past two years, the US Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Secretary of Commerce have frequently visited Vietnam to explore the country’s investment environment, drawing the participation of many US entrepreneurs. So Mr Dung’s visit, accompanied by many leading Vietnamese businesses, is expected to promote cooperation in this key area.

Ambassador Michalak says he believes that despite the ongoing global economic slowdown, trade value between Vietnam and the US is expected to hit US$12 billion this year compared to US$11.5 billion in 2007.

Bilateral cooperation has also expanded to other areas such as education and training, science and technology and health care. The US has granted scholarships to Vietnamese students to study science and technology in the US. Ambassador Michalak says that the two countries will make a breakthrough in educational cooperation during Mr Dung’s visit as this is a priority area.

Vietnam has actively cooperated with the US in the search for US personnel missing in action. To date it has repatriated the remains of more than 850 soldiers to the US.

However, Vietnam has also asked the US to acknowledge the consequences of Agent Orange, used by the US army during the war, on generations of Vietnamese people.