Biden to visit Vietnam, meet key leaders in September

The White House said on Monday that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Vietnam on September 10 and meet with senior officials to address a variety of topics, including technology, the economy, regional stability, and climate change.

Before departing for Alaska to observe the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Biden will have a meeting with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other important figures in Hanoi, it was reported.

While in Hanoi, Biden and Vietnamese officials will discuss deepening the two countries’ ties as well as boosting “a technology-focused and innovation-driven Vietnamese economy,” the White House said in a statement after Biden earlier this month announced plans for the trip.

The once-rivalling nations are debating their relations as a more adamant China looms large. While Washington is anxious to improve ties, Vietnam must also consider how its big neighbour would respond.

With the memory of the Vietnam War era fading, Washington regards Hanoi as one of its main regional allies. In March, Biden and Trong spoke on the phone. A month later, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid a visit to the country in Southeast Asia.

The most powerful person in Vietnam, Trong, was the first foreign leader to visit President Xi Jinping in Beijing last year after the Chinese president was elected to a record-breaking third term.

(With agency inputs)