During his visit, Ambassador Cuong met with the Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, and the chief representative of the APEC organizing committee, Randall Tanaka. He also talked with scholars from the East-West Center and the Vietnam-US Chamber of Commerce in Hawaii as well as others concerned with Vietnam.

Mr Cuong reviewed the history of Vietnam-US relationship since the early 18^th century, including its ups and downs. He said the two sides are now working closely together to define the content of their strategic partnership.

At the meeting, the Vietnamese diplomat answered questions regarding Vietnam’s development policies, the country’s concerns about climate change that could have negative impacts on the Mekong Delta, and Vietnam's border and territorial issues.

Ambassador Cuong affirmed that the Vietnamese government welcomes educational cooperation and tries to provide favourable conditions for US universities to set up their establishments in Vietnam. About 13,000 Vietnamese students are currently studying in the US, he added, and in Hawaii alone, 65 Vietnamese students are taking MA and PhD courses.