The ASEAN chairmanship and its good relations with neighbouring countries show Vietnam ’s role in the region, Cronin said, adding that
is why Vietnam is placed in the centre of the US policies on Southeast Asia .
Present in Vietnam during the wartime, Cronin expressed his pleasures at good developments in the Vietnam-US relations over the past time and reckoned that the two countries could further cooperate as they have common interests.
Cronin, who is also an expert on the Mekong river issues, said the US is willing to share with Vietnam and other countries in the river basin its lessons from building damps on rivers./.