Few people could have imagined that Vietnam-U.S. relations would have gained such impressive progress only two decades after diplomatic normalization, said Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Deputy PM Minh, who is also the Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, made the statement in an article he wrote when he and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on July 11 exchanged greeting messages on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (July 12). The bilateral relations during the past 20 years, especially when the two countries established a comprehensive partnership in July 2013, have proven that maintenance of peace and prosperity in Southeast Asia in particular and the Asia Pacific region in general is facilitated by the good development of Hanoi-Washington ties. The friendly relationship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S. conform to the common interest of all countries in the Asia Pacific region, Deputy PM Minh added. The strong progress made in the bilateral ties over the past two decades has proven that Vietnam and the U.S. are developing equal and mutual interest in cooperation in the spirit of respecting the political institutions, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other on the basis of compliance to the UN Charter and international law, and use of dialogue instead of confrontation, the official said. This is the only way to overcome the past and join hands to build a better future for each nation, contributing to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world, he added. In related news, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong arrived in Hanoi on Sunday, successfully concluding his official U.S. visit which lasted for five days at the invitation of the Obama administration. On this occasion, Vietnam and the U.S. adopted a Joint Vision Statement on July 7, aiming to further promote the comprehensive partnership between the two countries. Many cooperation agreements were also signed between the two sides during the visit.

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