Vietnam Always Considers US As Important Strategic Partner, Says Prime Minister Chinh

Việtnam always considers the United States a partner of strategic importance, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said while receiving U.S. Ambassador to Việtnam Marc Evans Knapper in Hànội on March 13, the Vietnam News newspaper reported.

PM Chính and Knapper acknowledged the results achieved in the relationship between the two countries recently, especially after Việtnam and the U.S. upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They discussed priority areas for promoting bilateral cooperation on the occasion of the 30th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between Việtnam and the U.S.

The PM highly appreciated Knapper’s efforts in promoting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, maintaining stable development momentum with many positive results, including maintaining and promoting high-level contacts, notably the very successful phone talks between Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and U.S. President Donald Trump before and after being elected.

He affirmed the message of Party General Secretary Lâm and senior Vietnamese leaders that they attach great importance to and want to cooperate closely with President Trump’s administration to promote the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, maintain a stable and increasingly substantive development momentum, and effectively implement the contents of the Joint Declaration and Action Plan to implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the common interests of the two countries.

Emphasising the need to continue making economic – trade – investment cooperation a bright spot and driving force of the bilateral relations, the PM said that Vietnamese ministries and sectors are actively addressing the U.S. side’s current concerns in economic – trade – investment ties, including sending the Minister of Industry and Trade as a Special Envoy to work in the U.S. to co-chair the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council’s meeting.

According to the government leader, Việtnam’s relevant ministries, sectors and agencies are actively reviewing the tariffs on goods imported from the U.S., encouraging increased imports of products that the U.S. has strengths and Việtnam has demand, especially agricultural products, liquefied petroleum gas and high-tech products.

According to the Nhan Dan newspaper, thanking the PM for his recognition and appreciation, Ambassador Knapper pledged to continue to coordinate closely with Vietnamese ministries and sectors to promote and further deepen the Vietnam – U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Ambassador expressed his joy with the two sides actively implementing the Joint Declaration and Vietnam – U.S. Action Plan for 2023, affirming that Vietnam – U.S. relations have achieved many positive results, in accordance with the desires and interests of both sides.

He affirmed that the U.S. prioritises developing relations with Vietnam based on the principle of respecting Vietnam’s political institutions, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, supporting a strong, independent, self-reliant and prosperous Vietnam.

The U.S. wants to expand cooperation in all fields, including cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war, defence – security, and education – training; support Vietnam in training high-quality human resources and human resources in the semiconductor industry, and cooperate with Vietnam in essential mineral exploitation and nuclear energy research and development, the diplomat said.

Knapper emphasised that 2025 is of important significance in the bilateral relationship, with the two sides celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi will join hands with Vietnamese agencies to build an effective agenda, thereby deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he added.

PM Chính requested the Ambassador and the Embassy to continue to prompt the U.S. Government and Congress to increase support projects to overcome the consequences of war in Việtnam, especially the dioxin detoxification project at Biên Hoà Airport, assist people with disabilities and war victims, and support the search for fallen Vietnamese soldiers; transfer technology and improve the capacity to examine the DNA of Vietnamese martyrs.

In another development, Vietnam’s Special Envoy of the Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien had a working session with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson L. Greer on March 13 to advance bilateral economic and trade cooperation, the Vietnamplus newspaper reported.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade on March 14 said that this marked the first official ministerial-level meeting between the two countries since the new U.S. administration took office.

During the talks, both sides expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of U.S.-Vietnam relations during 30 years of diplomatic ties, 10 years of comprehensive partnership and two years of comprehensive strategic partnership.

Economic, trade, and investment cooperation has emerged as the cornerstone driving overall bilateral relations. Trade volume between the two countries reached nearly US$150 billion in 2024, with the U.S. becoming Vietnam’s second-largest trading partner and one of its most crucial export markets.

Minister Dien affirmed that Vietnam considers the U.S. a top-priority partner and seeks to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership in a substantive, profound, and sustainable manner, thus contributing to bolstering mutual understanding and strategic trust between the two countries.

Highlighting the complementary nature of the two economies and their import-export structure, he said two-way trade has been on rapid and stable growth over the years, ensuring major foundations and national interests in the bilateral cooperation.

Vietnam’s consistent policy is to build harmonious, sustainable, stable, and mutually-beneficial economic and trade ties with the U.S., he stated, adding that Vietnam has no intention to create any barriers that could harm the U.S.’s workers or economic and national security.

Dien outlined specific solutions that the Vietnamese Government is actively implementing to promote the economic, trade, and investment relations with the U.S. in a comprehensive, harmonious, and sustainable manner. He also proposed that technical teams from both countries continue discussions towards U.S. recognition of Vietnam’s market economy status, a decision he described as important and commensurate with the current comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

Greer, for his part, appreciated Dien’s proactive coordination and straightforward, responsible, and goodwill approach when understanding and directly addressing current U.S. concerns.

He said the U.S.’s new trade policy is designed to further promote trade and investment while protecting U.S. economic and national security, and workers, without intending to harm partner countries. However, he said that trade exchanges must achieve rational economic benefits, calling on Vietnam to implement stronger measures to open its market and improve the trade balance in the coming time.

Regarding concerns about the U.S.’s tariff policies, Dien and Greer said this is the right time for Vietnam and the U.S. to coordinate to create a fair and sustainable business environment, involving review and consideration to remove trade barriers that hinder investment and business activities, as well as the establishment of effective mechanisms to control trade fraud, origin fraud, and illegal transshipment.

Vietnam is the largest trading partner of the U.S. in Southeast Asia. Both have been maintaining good relations with hight trade value and the U.S. foreign investments in Vietnam.