A meeting was held in Ho Chi Minh City on July 5 to mark the 237 th anniversary of US Independence Day (July 4).

The host of the event, the HCM City chapter of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations, presented an insignia “For Peace, Friendship among Nations” to US Consul General in the city Le Thanh An, in recognition of his contributions to strengthening the Vietnam-US friendship and charitable activities.

Chairwoman of the city’s Vietnam-US Friendship Association Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong said since the two countries normalised their relations in 1995, bilateral ties have brought about practical results in many fields, ranging from economics, trade, investment, science-technology, education and training, national defence, climate change response and infrastructure improvement.

According to Phuong, Vietnam-US bilateral cooperation has seen strong developments over the years. Two-way trade jumped from 2 billion USD in 2001 to 26 billion USD in 2012.

Vietnam considers the US its top partner and wants to continue to lift their bilateral ties to a new height, including cooperation in anti-terrorism, transnational crime, humanitarian and disaster aid, as well as maritime safety and security in the East Sea, contributing to maintaining regional and international peace, security, stability, cooperation and development.

Le Thanh An said he was delighted with the changes and developments in economic, health, education and infrastructure cooperation between the US and Vietnam. In his opinion, the two countries have a bright future.

The two countries have regularly exchanged high-ranking visits. The US wants Vietnam to become a developed and prosperous country, he said.-VNA