US President Joe Biden's final activity before leaving Hanoi, successfully concluding his visit to Vietnam

On the afternoon of September 11, US President Joe Biden visited and laid flowers at the statue of the late Senator John McCain at Truc Bach Lake, Hanoi . This was the last activity before President Joe Biden successfully concluded his State visit to Vietnam at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Hoạt động cuối cùng của Tổng thống Hoa Kỳ Joe Biden trước khi rời Hà Nội, kết thúc tốt đẹp chuyến thăm Việt Nam

President Joe Biden laid flowers at the memorial bas-relief of the late Senator John McCain at Truc Bach Lake. (Source: AFP)

Accompanying President Joe Biden were: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Mr. John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change and several other members.

The convoy stopped at Thanh Nien Street, then President Joe Biden walked to the relief. He solemnly turned to the relief and raised his hand in a military salute. The memorial ceremony lasted about 10 minutes, after which the convoy took President Joe Biden to Noi Bai Airport, successfully concluding his State visit to Vietnam from September 10-11 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.

Previously, at a press conference with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to announce the results of the talks on the evening of September 10, President Joe Biden shared that what the two countries have achieved in recent times is not accidental or inevitable, but requires efforts from both sides over many years.

Paying tribute to the late Senator John McCain, the President said that those who contributed to fostering the Vietnam-US relationship saw the many benefits that the two countries gained when overcoming the painful past. At Senator John McCain's funeral five years ago, President Joe Biden shared that he always considered John McCain a brother.

The location of the late Senator John McCain's relief, next to Truc Bach Lake, Hanoi, is where his plane was shot down in 1967, when he joined the US Navy. Senator John McCain visited this relief many times during his 25 visits to Vietnam (from 1985 to 2017). Senator John McCain passed away on August 25, 2018.

Seeing off US President Joe Biden and his delegation at Noi Bai International Airport were: Head of the Party Central Committee's External Relations Commission Le Hoai Trung; Chairman of the Hanoi People's Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc; Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Nguyen Quoc Dung; Director of the State Protocol Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Viet Dung.

On the US side, there was Ambassador Marc Knapper and a large number of officers and staff of the US Embassy in Hanoi.

US President Joe Biden waves before boarding a plane leaving Vietnam. (Source: 24h)

President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam, marking a decade since the two countries established and implemented the Comprehensive Partnership (2013-2023), is a continuation of visits to Vietnam by White House leaders over the past nearly 30 years.

During the visit, President Joe Biden attended the official welcoming ceremony, held talks and met with the press with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; met and attended a reception with President Vo Van Thuong; met and attended the Vietnam-US Summit on Investment and Innovation with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; and met with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

During the talks and meetings, the two sides emphasized that the visit has special significance, as an opportunity for the two countries' leaders to discuss bilateral relations and international issues for the benefit of the two peoples, contributing to peace, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world. The two sides agreed that the Vietnam-US relationship has had strong, profound, substantive and effective developments since normalization and the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership.

During the visit, the two sides issued a Joint Statement on upgrading the Vietnam-US relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, opening a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries. Accordingly, the two sides together realize the aspirations of the people for a bright and dynamic future, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and around the world.

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