HCM City (VNA) – Relations between Ho Chi MinhCity and the United States will bear more fruit to contribute to the twocountries’ bilateral ties, said Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the cityPeople’s Committee on June 14.
Liem made the statement while joining US AmbassadorDaniel Kritenbrink in a ceremony hosted by the US Consulate General in HCM Cityto celebrate the 242nd Independence Day (July 4) of the US in the city.
He said through the ups and downs of history, Vietnam-USrelations have come a long way to mark an important milestone with theestablishment of the two countries’ Comprehensive Partnership during PresidentTruong Tan Sang’s official visit to the US in July 2013. The visit of PresidentDonald Trump to Vietnam in November last year demonstrated the US’s commitmentto deepening ties with the Southeast Asian nation, he added.
As Vietnam’s economic, cultural, scientific andtechnological hub, HCM City has been fostering cooperation with partners fromthe US, reaping encouraging results in trade, investment, education, healthcareand more, the city’s official stressed.
The trust and goodwill of both sides have removed manyobstacles for Vietnam-US relations which have seen remarkable progress sincethe normalisation of ties, he said. He expressed his belief that the Vietnam-USComprehensive Partnership and US ties with HCM City will grow further.
Kritenbrink, for his part, said the celebration ofIndependence Day is an opportunity for people to get closer to honourfriendship. This ceremony is also a chance to together look back at the twocountries’ growing partnership and the long way they have come together, headded.
The ambassador moved on to say that the US has greatinterest in the Indo-Pacific region and is enthusiastic about Vietnam’ssuccess. The US wants to see a strong, prosperous and independent Vietnam, hesaid.
Two sitting US Presidents have visited Vietnam over thepast two years while bilateral relations in trade, investment and security haveexpanded alongside more opportunities for cultural and educational exchangesbetween Vietnamese and American people, the diplomat stated. All these showed astrong relationship that will continue to develop.-VNA