Recognition of 30th Anniversary of the United States-Vietnam Diplomatic Relations
& 1st Anniversary of the United States-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic
Partnership
On Sunday, Asia
Society hosted the official 30th anniversary of the normalization of relations
between Vietnam and the United States and the first anniversary of the signing
of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement. Among those who delivered
remarks were H.E. To Lam, President of
Vietnam and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam; Hon. John
Kerry, former U.S. Secretary of State; Dan
Sullivan, U.S. Senator (R-AK); Dr. Kyung-wha
Kang, Asia Society President and CEO; H.E. Nguyen
Quoc Dzung, Ambassador of Vietnam to the U.S.; and H.E. Dang
Hoang Giang, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Vietnam
to the UN.
“Even the most
optimistic observers could not have imagined how Vietnam and the U.S. would
transcend the scars of war to build a robust, positive relationship,” said
General Secretary Lam. “This result is a testament to the efforts of many
individuals, including key figures of leadership and other working quietly
behind the scenes.”
Secretary Kerry
likewise emphasized how far the bilateral relationship has come since he was
deployed to Vietnam in the 1960s.
"Anniversaries
have a value, not in and of themselves, but what they can actually produce.
Anniversaries can often be action-oriented events, forcing moments of
redefining or improving or readjusting a relationship between countries,” said
Secretary Kerry. “So as someone who invested many years in finally making
peace, I hope you won't mind if I suggest something unconventional for next
year. Next year let's mark those two anniversaries not by looking back, but by
making sure that we are looking forward. Ending the war and making peace two
decades later were never ends in themselves, they were hard fought openings to
put the bitterness behind us and to work together as countries.”
In the midst of
increased tension with China, Senator Sullivan emphasized the importance of
multi-sector cooperation between the United States and Vietnam. “The
Indo-Pacific is more important than ever. I think one of the key things we need
to be looking at, is when we look at the first anniversary of the comprehensive
strategic partnership, looking at the different areas that we can continue to
work together. I think these areas are endless. It's of course security, it's
economy, high-tech, it's energy,” he said.
The celebration
featured several performances from Vietnamese and American singers and
musicians, underscoring the evening’s theme of “unity through art.” Among the
performers were Vietnamese classical pianist Quynh Nguyen and
American saxophonist Henry Threadgill, who,
like Secretary Kerry, fought in Vietnam.
Before the
celebration, General Secretary Lam joined Dr. Kang, Assistant Secretary of
State Daniel Krintenbrink, U.S.
Ambassador to Vietnam Mark Knapper, and others
for a private roundtable to discuss U.S.-Vietnam relations.
https://asiasociety.org/new-york/recap-un-general-assembly-week-asia-society-lam-s-jaishankar-and-ban-ki-moon
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