Hanoi (VNA) - Party General Secretary To Lam received visiting US Senator Steven David Daines in Hanoi on March 20, reiterating that the US remains one of Vietnam’s key partners.
He welcomed Washington's strengthening of cooperation with Vietnam and support its path towards a strong, independent, self-resilient, and prosperous country.
Reflecting on the progress in bilateral ties over the past 30 years, the Party leader described Vietnam–US relations as a model of international cooperation. He acknowledged the positive outcomes achieved since the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023, spanning diplomacy, trade and investment, education, culture, and people-to-people exchange.
He outlined key priorities to further develop bilateral cooperation, emphasising that economic, trade, and investment relations should remain an important pillar of the relationship, along with expansion of collaboration in science and technology, innovation, energy, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture – areas where the US has strengths and Vietnam has growing demand.

Thanking the US Congress and leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties for their support, he urged Daines to further advocate for a more harmonised, sustainable, effective and substantive partnership.
For his part, Daines congratulated Vietnam on its socio-economic achievements in the past years. He recalled the phone conversation between Party General Secretary To Lam and US President Donald Trump shortly after Trump’s election victory in November 2024, highlighting that it underscored Vietnam’s priority status in the Trump administration’s regional strategy.
The US senator agreed with the Vietnamese Party chief's orientations regarding bilateral relations, expressing his country's interest in bolstering all-round ties with Vietnam, particularly in economy, trade, agriculture and energy. He also wished for enhanced collaboration in combating drug trafficking, especially synthetic opioids like fentanyl, and further joint efforts against illegal migration.
He pledged to convey Lam's regards to Trump and reaffirmed his commitment to fostering stronger Vietnam–US ties in the years ahead./.