Vietnam plans to foster ties with Arizona across multiple areas

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc visited the State of Arizona from February 10-12 as part of activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations and pay tribute to late US Senator John McCain, one of the pioneers in normalisation of bilateral ties.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc (third from left) poses with officials from the important committees of the Arizona State Legislature. (Photo: VNA)
Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc (third from left) poses with officials from the important committees of the Arizona State Legislature. (Photo: VNA)

His visit also aimed to beef up cooperation between Vietnam and the US state, particularly in the areas of economy, trade, investment, education, tourism and people-to-people exchange.

Ngoc attended a special lunch themed “Vietnam and the United States: Recognising 25 Years of Comprehensive Partnership, Highlighting Future Opportunities and Saluting Senator John McCain”, held by the McCain Institute, the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations (PCFR) and Snell & Wilmer on February 11.

Ngoc also chaired a discussion during which attendees expressed an interest in learning more about Vietnam-US relations in politics, economy, security and defence, education, and health care; the situation in Asia-Pacific; and Vietnam’s roles as ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

Ambassador Ha Kim Ngoc had meetings with Mayor of Phoenix Kate Gallego and congressmen from the Arizona State Legislature in which both sides said they expected to see Vietnam and Arizona to continue exploring opportunities for bilateral trade and investment in sectors such as education, technology, health care, tourism and agriculture.

As part of his visit, Ngoc also met with leaders of the US Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) and visited the University of Arizona to discuss a possible partnership in primary education, higher education, healthcare, smart city development and Mekong region cooperation.