Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan welcomed the US official and delegation to Ho Chi Minh City and said that the visit showed the US officials’ interest in boosting the Vietnam-US bilateral cooperative relations.

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Secretary of the city’s Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan (R) and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis

The Vietnamese official revealed that in 2017, the export turnover from Ho Chi Minh City to the US reached USD 8.2 million and the US is now the top export market and the fourth biggest import market of the city. At present, there are 390 US investment projects in Ho Chi Minh City with the total investment value of USD 1.2 billion, ranking the 10th among foreign investors in the city. Nhan also expressed his delight that Fullbright University is now operating in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nhan thanked the US defense secretary for his contribution to the completion of the detoxification of Da Nang airport and the on-going detoxification of Bien Hoa airport. He emphasized that Vietnam has been doing its utmost to closely cooperate with the US to implement those activities as well as the search of US troops missing in action during the war. He also thanked the US side for supporting Vietnam in joining UN peacekeeping operations, especially the deployment of its level-two field hospital to South Sudan.

For his part, James Mattis thanked the host for the warm reception and reconfirmed the US’s commitments to solving past issues. He believed that the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership will benefit the two sides and contribute to peace and stability in the region.

Translated by Huu Duong