Biden will visit Hanoi next month as he seeks to strengthen US-Vietnam relations

By AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is heading to Vietnam next month to meet with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other Vietnamese leaders. The Democratic president will travel to Hanoi on Sept. 10, tacking on the one-day visit to the Vietnamese capital after attending the annual Group of 20 leaders’ summit in India. Monday’s White House announcement comes after weeks of Biden hinting at a possible visit. Biden said at a July 29 campaign reception in Freeport, Maine, that Vietnam’s leader wanted to meet him. Biden told donors at a New Mexico reception this month he’d head to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to “become a partner.”