US President Joe Biden is arriving in Vietnam on Sunday, where the two nations are expected to strengthen diplomatic ties amid China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
What's on the agenda?
Biden is slated to meet Nguyen Phu Trong, the leader of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, on Sunday afternoon, where they will sign a "comprehensive strategic partnership." Hanoi has signed off on such top-level diplomatic ties with India, Russia, South Korea and China in the past.
A meeting with President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is scheduled for the following day.
The US President, arriving straight from the G20 meet in India, aims to continue shoring up support against China's dominance. Vietnam, despite also having similar ties with China, has been growing concerned about its neighbor's aggression in the contested South China Sea.
Ahead of Biden's trip, the New York Times reported that Vietnam was secretly looking to buy Russian arms, in violation of US sanctions. Most of Vietnam's arsenal consists of Russian-made weapons.
The visit represents "a remarkable step in the strengthening of our diplomatic ties," US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had said earlier this week. He added that Vietnam will play a "leading role" in the US partnership in the Indo Pacific.
"For decades, the US and Vietnam have worked to overcome a painful shared legacy of the Vietnam War, working hand in hand to promote reconciliation, with our service members and our veterans lighting the way," he said.
A booming US-Vietnam trade relationship
Both Vietnam and the US are important export hubs and share a growing trade relationship.
The Southeast Asian country's exports to the US rose 13.6% last year, compared to the year before, led by a growth in shipment of garments, shoes, electronics and furniture.
Executives from companies including Google, Intel, Amkor, Marvell and Boeing are expected to meet Vietnamese tech executives and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Hanoi, in an attempt to highlight the business side of the relationship.
Biden urged to put pressure on Vietnam over prisoners
The US presidential visit will be a balancing act between shoring up economic ties and defending human rights. Vietnam's government has been known to crush dissent, harass and abuse critics, conduct unfair trials, and extort forced confessions, according to Human Rights Watch.
While Biden is expected to touch the subject of upholding human rights, organizations around the world urged him to emphasize the subject of releasing all political prisoners.
On Saturday, Nguyen Bac Truyen, a legal expert and religious freedom advocate who was imprisoned in 2018 for subversion, was released. In a Facebook post, he said he had been allowed to travel to Germany with his wife. Vietnam often releases political prisoners before US presidential visits.
Biden has previously, on several occasions, chided China for violating human rights.
Moreover, a US government commission on religious freedom harshly criticized Vietnam last week for "egregious, ongoing, and systematic violations."
