Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, is set to visit Vietnam next week, according to Senator Jeff Merkley, who announced this during a news conference in Hanoi on Saturday.
The visit is part of efforts by Washington to elevate diplomatic relations with Hanoi this year, with hopes to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership between the United States and Vietnam in July.
The visit is expected to take place on Saturday, before Blinken heads to Japan for a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrial nations from April 16-18.
Despite a recent call between U.S. President Joe Biden and the chief of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party to boost ties, no formal upgrade of relations was mentioned. Vietnam is currently cautious about upgrading relations this year as it could cause tensions with China, its top-tier diplomatic partner.
