Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on Wednesday morning welcomed her visiting US counterpart Kamala Harris to Ha Noi at the Presidential Palace.

Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan (right) hosted a welcoming reception for US counterpart Kamala Harris. — VNA/VNS Photo Trong Duc

Harris' visit is the first time an incumbent US Vice President has visited Viet Nam, and this is also the first time the Vietnamese Vice President hosted a reception for a high-ranking foreign official since taking office in July at the first session of the 15th -tenure National Assembly.

After meeting with Anh Xuan, Harris had talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh later.

In the afternoon, she was expected to attend the virtual launching ceremony for the US CDC office for the Southeast Asia region, and witness the signing of land lease for the construction of a new US embassy in Ha Noi.

US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at Noi Bai International Airport late Tuesday, to a welcome delegation led by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, Chairman of the Government Office Le Khanh Hai, and Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. of US Embassy Hanoi Christopher Klein.

The agenda of the trip is said to range from COVID-19 support, economic cooperation, to regional security challenges.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, trade between Viet Nam and the US hit a record of US$90.8 billion last year, and they are working hard to raise the figure to $100 billion this year.

Over the past five years, Viet Nam's export revenue to the US surged 230 per cent, while its import value was up more than 175 per cent.

The US has Viet Nam's biggest buyer and the Southeast Asian nation has emerged as the 10th largest trade partner of the US. 

Source: VNS