Vietnam always considers the US as one of its leading partners, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said while receiving US Vice President Kamala Harris in Hanoi on August 25 .

Vietnam wants to work with the US to continue developing the bilateral relations in a practical, effective and stable manner, on the principle of respecting each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions for peace, stability and development cooperation in the region and the world at large, he said.

Vietnam welcomes the US’s decision to host the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting, he said, adding that Vietnam will work closely with the country to make the APEC Year 2023 a success.

For her part, Harris reaffirmed that the US supports a strong, independent and prosperous Vietnam that continues to innovate itself, expand international integration, and plays an increasingly important role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the region.

The US attaches importance to its relations with Vietnam and hopes that the visit will contribute to further promoting the comprehensive partnership between the two nations, she stressed.

The two leaders held that Vietnam and the US share many similarities and see huge room for bilateral cooperation in such fields as economy - trade - investment, security - defence, overcoming war consequences, health care, education and science - technology.

They affirmed that the two countries share common concerns regarding climate change response and agreed to strengthen cooperation in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and stepping up post-pandemic recovery.

The US Vice President appreciated Vietnam's efforts to control the pandemic and announced that the US would provide an additional 1 million doses of vaccine to support the country’s COVID-19 fight.

She suggested that the two sides work closely to support their businesses, especially big groups, to continue maintaining production supply chains and avoid any interruptions due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harris also thanked Vietnam for helping the US in searching for American servicemen missing in the war.

President Phuc said he was glad to know that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the establishment of its Southeast Asia Office located in Hanoi and applauded the US’s commitment to increase the budget for overcoming war consequences.

The two leaders welcomed the official signing of a land lease contract for the construction of the new headquarters of the US Embassy in Hanoi and a contract to lease property in Washington D.C. as the new headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy in the US.

President Phuc applauded the US for strengthening cooperation with the region and supporting the intra-bloc solidarity and central role of ASEAN. He proposed the US enhance collaboration with ASEAN as well as promote the ASEAN-US strategic partnership, the US-Mekong partnership, and the Friends of the Lower Mekong.

The two sides agreed to intensify cooperation within the frameworks of the United Nations as well as other multilateral forums; and support the guaranteeing of security, safety, freedom of navigation and overflight, and the peaceful settlement of all disputes in the East Sea/ South China Sea on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as the early finalisation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law.

On this occasion, President Phuc conveyed the regards of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to US President Joe Biden. The Party and State leaders of Vietnam invited the US President to visit Vietnam in the near future .