US helps Vietnam access COVID-19 vaccine sources

Secretary Antony Blinken made the statement during his phone talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son on May 28.

Blinken spoke highly of Vietnam’s swift response to COVID-19 outbreaks and assured the US will provide continued support for Vietnam in its fight against COVID-19.

For his part, Minister Son congratulated the US on its recent containment of the latest outbreak, and at the same time thanked the US government for providing Vietnam with practical assistance in pandemic prevention and control, including vaccine accessibility.

He highly valued Blinken’s important contributions to the Vietnam – US relations over the recent times, expressing his willingness to work closely with the US diplomat to promote the Vietnam – US Comprehensive Partnership.

Vietnam will continue to make efforts to implement measures aimed at promoting stable and harmonious trade relations with the United States, Son told Blinken, hoping that the US will soon end its investigation case under Section 301 concerning currency valuation.

The Vietnamese minister also highly appreciated the US Government’s investment commitment to Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) in order to make it a leading centre for high quality human resource training, not only in Vietnam but also in the whole region.

Congratulating Son on his recent appointment as Foreign Minister of Vietnam, Blinken affirmed that the US Department of State will coordinate with relevant agencies to further boost the two countries’ bilateral relations to new heights.

He praised Vietnam for successfully chairing ASEAN in 2020 and voiced his continued support for the Southeast Asian nation in its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021.

Blinken affirmed that the US values and supports ASEAN’s central role in the region and the Mekong-US Partnership, and expects the two sides will continue to strengthen close coordination on issues of mutual concern at regional and international forums, contributing to the consolidation of peace, stability, cooperation and development in Asia - Pacific and the rest of the world.

Both diplomats shared the view that the Vietnam-US relationship is developing positively in many fields on the basis of respecting each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, political institutions and mutual benefits.

They agreed to expand bilateral relations with a primary focus on economic, trade, investment cooperation, overcoming war consequences, and improving maritime capacity, as well as cooperation in other areas such as science - technology, education - training, COVID-19 pandemic prevention, response to climate change and environmental protection.