Vietnam Party Chief holds talks with US President-elect Donald Trump

During the call on November 11, General Secretary To Lam congratulated Donald Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States and acknowledged his contributions to the growth of Vietnam-US relations, according to a statement from the Party Central Committee’s External Relations Commission.

General Secretary To Lam during the phone talk. Photo: VNA

The two leaders discussed the positive outcomes of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in recent years.

According to the Party Chief, Vietnam expressed its  willingness to promote a stable, long-term relationship between the two countries, to benefit both nations and to support peace, cooperation, and sustainable development in the region and the world.

General Secretary To Lam also outlined several key directions for strengthening trade and investment ties in areas where the two countries have complementary strengths and needs.

President-elect Trump expressed his pleasure  to  speaking again with the General Secretary and extended his greetings to the people of Vietnam. He reaffirmed the importance of Vietnam-US relations and bilateral economic cooperation, and identified specific economic and trade areas in which the US is interested in expanding cooperation.

Trump shared fond memories of the Vietnamese people and his visits to Vietnam, recalling his experiences with the country and its people during two previous trips. He also appreciated the contributions of the Vietnamese community in the United States.

General Secretary To Lam invited President-elect Trump to visit Vietnam again, to which Trump gladly agreed and extended an invitation to the General Secretary to visit the US at a convenient time.

Trump, 78, was elected US President after the November 5 election. General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh   sent congratulatory messages to Trump, reaffirming Vietnam’s view of the US as a strategically important partner.

Vietnam’s senior leaders expressed confidence that, based on the strong foundation built over nearly three decades by successive leaders of both countries and with Trump’s support during his first term as well as in his new term, the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to grow in depth, effectively, and sustainably, serving the interests and aspirations of both peoples and promoting peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

During his first term, Trump visited Vietnam twice. In November 2017, he attended the APEC Summit in Da Nang, where he remarked that “Vietnam has become a miracle of the world,” highlighting the mutual goals and interests that bind the two countries. In late February 2019, he returned to Vietnam for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Vietnam and the US upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. The US is currently Vietnam’s largest export market, while Vietnam ranks as the eighth largest trading partner of the US. In the first ten months of this year, bilateral trade reached nearly US$111 billion, according to data from the General Department of Customs.