The visit aims to underscore the U.S.' strong and enduring commitment to its allies and partners in Southeast Asia.

In Ha Noi, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink is expected to meet with Vietnamese officials and participate in the Asia-Pacific Dialogue.

Building on the recent upgrade of U.S.-Viet Nam ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the Assistant Secretary will seek to further deepen U.S.-Viet Nam relations and advance shared vision of a prosperous, open, resilient, and peaceful Indo-Pacific Region.

In a recent interview, Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S. Nguyen Quoc Dung said, the year 2023 witnessed important progress in the relationship between Viet Nam and the U.S., with strong and comprehensive development of bilateral ties across all fields.

The most outstanding progress with an inclusive significance is the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development, the diplomat told, stressing that the upgrading has created a new momentum and an open corridor for the promotion of cooperation between the two countries in the future.

In the first 10 months of 2023, Viet Nam's exports to the U.S. reached US$94.5 billion, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the country's export revenue, making the U.S. the largest export market of Viet Nam.

Despite the downturn in the global trade, two-way trade between the two countries hit over US$102 billion in the January-October period, 2023, he noted, adding that Viet Nam has remained among the 10 largest trading partners of the U.S., with two-way trade increasing more than four folds in 10 years.

Regarding investment, the U.S. ranked 11th among foreign investors in Viet Nam with total direct investment of US$11.8 billion, and most major enterprises of the North American country is now present in the Southeast Asian nation./.VGP