One year after Vietnam and the US upgraded their ties to the comprehensive strategic partnership, the two countries have enjoyed thriving cooperation across multiple domains, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E.Knapper told the Vietnam News Agency.
Reporter: One year after upgrading the bilateral ties to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, what do you see as the most significant achievements in the Vietnam-US relations?
Ambassador Marc E.Knapper: We have been so pleased with the progress our two countries have made. Over the past 14 to 15 months since President Biden and the late Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong announced our upgraded bilateral ties, we've made remarkable progress that reflects our deepening relationship.
The partnership upgrade itself is a strong testament to how far we have come over nearly three decades. Whether it's our economic relationship, trade and investment, defense, health, climate, energy, education, and security, we had made so much progress, and so the upgrade seemed like a natural reflection of that progress and of our achievements. The elevation was also meant to send a very powerful message to the two peoples about how much confidence we have in the future and in each other.
Our fundamental belief is that Vietnam's success is America's success, and America's success is Vietnam's success. This upgrade shows our increasingly tied futures in terms of prosperity, security and the wellbeing of the two peoples.
Let me highlight some key achievements. In the technology sector, we've seen significant developments like NVIDIA's plan to establish a research center in Vietnam. American universities such as Arizona State are now working on advanced curriculum development to provide Vietnamese students with high-tech education.
Our defense cooperation has also advanced. We recently handed over five training aircraft to Vietnam and committed 12.5 million USD to Vietnam's efforts to patrol and oversee its fisheries, natural resources at sea, making sure that Vietnam has the capabilities to defend, protect its natural resources, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
We're actively constructing a new embassy, which symbolises our long-term commitment.
Another significant accomplishment is in the area of health. In Can Tho, we celebrated the transition from PEPFAR funding, which is PEPFAR and Global Fund, to local social health insurance. (FYI: That means Vietnam has now been able to take over the financing of HIV/AIDS fighting efforts, using domestic resources through Health Insurance Vietnam instead of relying solely on international donors through PEPFAR-US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). So really, this is building on the success of US- Vietnam health cooperation, at least in Can Tho.
We've also finalised a direct power purchase agreement in the energy sector after six years of collaborative work.
These achievements are the result of hard work by Vietnamese and US professionals in government, academia, and media. I’m expecting greater things in the coming year.
Reporter: How does the strengthened partnership contribute to the regional stability and economic development, particularly in the context of emerging challenges in the Indo-Pacific region?
Ambassador Marc E.Knapper: The US and Vietnam share a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The two countries have a mutual dedication to freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, and strict adherence to international law. Vietnam represents a powerful voice in Southeast Asia to promote these important values.
Besides, Vietnam's economic growth helps promote stability. As we see there has been a significant shift in supply chains, particularly in semiconductors or other high-tech manufacturing, which are progressively moving to Vietnam. The shift drives prosperity in Vietnam while simultaneously promoting prosperity in the US. With prosperity, there comes a desire for an accelerator for stability. And so that's something we're very proud.
Moreover, Vietnam, of course, is playing a role globally. Its participation in international peacekeeping missions in places like South Sudan and its membership in the UN Human Rights Council, demonstrate a commitment to global peace and stability. It’s something that we have been very grateful for.
Reporter: The US has committed to supporting Vietnam's net-zero transition. Could you elaborate on the specific green energy and climate cooperation initiatives currently underway?
Ambassador Marc E.Knapper: A highlight has been the six-year effort to establish direct power purchase agreements, which now allow investors to sign a contract directly with a solar farm or wind farm. This is expected to significantly boost green energy investment as well as development of new sources of clean energy. US companies are interested in investing in the green energy field, including pilot programmes for offshore wind power.
The bilateral cooperation also extends to scientific and agricultural domains. Collaborative efforts between NASA and local academic institutions are promoting the use of satellite data to enhance disaster prediction and relief capabilities, directly addressing climate change impacts.
In the agricultural sector, innovative partnerships are emerging. For instance, I recently visited a farm in Can Tho city implementing US technology to develop high-quality, low-emission rice field. Under this project, the US Department of Agriculture and USAID have been working with local farmers and cooperatives to protect the environment and reduce emission.
Reporter: On the threshold of the Christmas Day and New Year 2025, what is the message that you would like to send to the Vietnamese people?
Ambassador Marc E.Knapper: We're going to celebrate two momentous anniversaries, which are the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic normalisation and 50 years since the end of the war. Over the past years, we have moved from enemies to true friends and partners. We were accomplishing so much together on.
Our trade has reached a remarkable level of 120 billion USD. The bilateral cooperation extends far beyond trade to multiple sectors, from security, defense to energy, climate and education.
Next year's anniversaries are not an occasion for us to say the cooperation is enough. Instead, they should be a catalyst for further acceleration of our relationship. We still have a lot of work to do together. We still have so many opportunities to grow and build our friendship. I would love to see more Vietnamese students in the US and more US students in Vietnam. So my message is fundamentally one of hope, optimism, and celebration./.
