The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs held a banquet on July 30 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of
the normalisation of Vietnam-US diplomatic relations.
Speaking
at the event, Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc highlighted the remarkable
achievements reached by the two countries over the past two decades,
while expressing his gratitude for the efforts made by previous
generations to establish and nurture the relations.
The two
countries have moved towards cooperation in various fields, the Deputy
Minister said, adding that with their comprehensive strategic
partnership, Vietnam and the US would contribute greatly to the
maintenance of peace, sustainability and cooperation in the region.
For
his part, the US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius said the two sides
have addressed the consequences of the war and discussed measures to
further collaboration since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The Ambassador said he was impressed by the growth in
bilateral trade, which is currently valued at approximately 40 billion
USD per year, a 100-fold increase compared to 20 years ago. He
highlighted that this figure was expected to rise even further once the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was signed.
Photographs on Vietnam-US relations and the US through the lens of Vietnamese photographers were exhibited at the banquet.-VNA