30 years of Vietnam-US relations: A solid foundation for future cooperation

The workshop "30 years of Vietnam-US relations: Achievements and prospects" recognized comprehensive achievements and opened up prospects for extensive cooperation between the two countries.

Delegates attending the workshop “30 years of Vietnam-US relations: Achievements and prospects”. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

On the afternoon of October 2 in Hanoi , the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations in coordination with the US Embassy in Vietnam organized the workshop "30 years of Vietnam-US relations: Achievements and prospects".

Attending the workshop were Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Phan Anh Son; Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States, Chairman of the Vietnam-United States Association; Dr. Satu Limaye, Vice President of the East-West Center, Director of the East-West Center in Washington; Mr. James Carouso, Senior Advisor of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, and representatives of departments, ministries, branches, businesses, socio-political organizations, etc.

In his opening speech, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Phan Anh Son said that the workshop was part of a series of events celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-US diplomatic relations (1995-2025). This is an opportunity to comprehensively evaluate the results of bilateral cooperation over the past three decades in many fields, and analyze opportunities and challenges for the next stage.

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Phan Anh Son delivered the opening speech at the workshop. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

Scholars, diplomats and researchers discussed and evaluated the achievements of Vietnam-US cooperation over the past 30 years in the fields of politics - diplomacy, economics - trade, national defense - security, overcoming the consequences of war, science - technology, culture, education and people-to-people exchange; at the same time, analyzed the prospects of cooperation, as well as the opportunities and challenges affecting the relationship between the two countries.

30 years of cooperation achievements

In his welcome video clip to the conference, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper affirmed that the relationship between the two countries has made many important strides. Bilateral trade turnover currently exceeds 150 billion USD/year. Many large corporations such as Boeing, Apple, Qualcomm, Citigroup have invested in Vietnam, creating jobs and strengthening the global supply chain, while Vietnamese goods are increasingly asserting their competitiveness in the US market.

In the field of technology, the two sides promote cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy and innovation. Universities and research institutes of Vietnam and the United States expand partnerships.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper delivered a welcome speech at the conference. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

According to Ambassador Marc Knapper, Vietnam's position in the international arena is increasing and the United States always considers Vietnam an important partner in the region.

At the workshop, Dr. Satu Limaye, Vice President of the East-West Center, Director of the East-West Center in Washington, introduced the study “Vietnam is an important partner of the United States, the United States is an important partner of Vietnam”. He said that the diplomatic relations established in 1995 have been upgraded to Comprehensive Partnership (2013) and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2023), reflecting extensive development in the fields of politics, trade, economy, defense - security, as well as science, technology and innovation.

Dr. Satu Limaye, Vice President of the East-West Center, Director of the East-West Center in Washington. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

According to Dr. Limaye, Vietnam-US relations have made great strides over the past three decades, marked by expanding trade, security cooperation and shared regional goals. The US is now one of Vietnam’s largest trading partners, while both sides have benefited from increased investment, particularly in the high-tech sector.

In addition to trade and security, the two countries coordinate to address common challenges such as disaster relief, healthcare, and overcoming the consequences of war. Academic and cultural exchanges continue to strengthen people-to-people ties. There are currently more than 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the United States (2023-2024 school year), about 135,000 Vietnamese people will go to the United States in 2024, contributing 1.7 billion USD to the US economy, while nearly 780,000 US citizens visited Vietnam in the same year.

Driving force for bilateral relations

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, Chairman of the Vietnam - US Association, said that the relationship between the two countries after 30 years of building has a solid foundation, creating a basis for continuing to expand cooperation in the future, bringing mutual benefits to both sides.

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States, Chairman of the Vietnam-US Association. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

The Ambassador pointed out that the two economies are complementary, with Vietnam exporting to the United States goods that the country does not produce and importing products that meet domestic development needs.

The economic reform process has helped Vietnam integrate deeply into the global supply chain, with highly competitive products penetrating the US market. The favorable investment environment in Vietnam has attracted many US corporations and companies.

The Ambassador pointed out that the two countries still have a lot of room for cooperation, especially in the fields of science and technology such as semiconductor chips, quantum technology, satellites and space, energy and unmanned devices.

From a research perspective, Dr. Satu Limaye assessed that the Vietnam-US partnership not only contributes to maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region but also promotes common growth.

Overview of the workshop. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

Mr. Limaye affirmed that strengthening the connection between the two peoples will create a foundation for long-term development. “By enhancing people-to-people exchanges, the Vietnam-US relationship will contribute to strengthening common prosperity, security and stability for decades to come,” he emphasized.

Noting that the “Vietnam” brand in the United States has changed a lot over the past three decades, he said that while cooperation previously focused on overcoming the consequences of war, it is now necessary to position a new image associated with tourism, education and people-to-people exchange to strengthen ties.

He shared the story of a financial expert who chose to come to Vietnam because he believed the country was at the forefront of a new era, and another graduate student who considered Vietnam “the future”. According to Dr. Limaye, such stories show that bilateral relations are not only reflected in figures but are also strengthened by direct contact between the two peoples.

Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) James Carouso. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

Sharing the same view with Dr. Satu Limaye, Senior Advisor of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) James Carouso affirmed that people-to-people diplomacy is an important factor in promoting Vietnam-US relations, in which cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war has become a significant driving force for the bilateral cooperation process.

He said that in the context of the younger generation of the US having little direct knowledge of the war, Vietnam needs to build its image in new areas such as tourism, education and people-to-people exchange to expand connections. In addition, in the face of changes in US tariff policy, he said that ASEAN needs to strengthen coordination, seek consensus to have a unified voice and have a stronger impact on Washington.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Huu Chinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, speaks at the conference. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

At the workshop, delegates exchanged and listened to opinions from domestic and international experts and scholars on Vietnam-US relations in many fields, from politics - diplomacy, economics - trade, defense - security, overcoming war consequences, science - technology to culture, education and people-to-people exchange.

The analysis also pointed out new prospects for cooperation, as well as opportunities and challenges affecting bilateral relations. Many opinions agreed that after three decades, Vietnam-US relations have achieved important achievements and still have much room for development, so the two countries need to continue to maintain dialogue, strengthen substantive cooperation and exploit new potentials to bring mutual benefits to both sides.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/30-year-quan-he-viet-nam-hoa-ky-nen-tang-vung-chac-cho-hop-tac-tuong-lai-329679.html