Socialist Republic of Vietnam

At the reception on the occation of the National Independence Day, September the 2nd, at the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington D.C on September 10, 2002, Foreign Minister, H.E. Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien gave a speech as following:


Excellency Mr. James Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State,

Excellency Mr. Bodman, Deputy Secretary of Commerce

Ambassador Nguyen Tam Chien,

Ladies and Gentlemen,


It is indeed a great honor and privilege for me to be here with you, American, international and Vietnamese friends on the occasion of the National Day of Vietnam. I am sure that like you, the Vietnamese people in every corner of the world will never forget their nation’s independence day, especially the resounding moments of the August Revolution and September 2nd.

During the past 57 years, our country has undergone enormous changes.. The Vietnamese people have been able to enjoy “the right to freedom, independence and the pursuit of happiness” as stated by President Ho Chi Minh in the Independence Declaration giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2nd 1945. At present, the Vietnamese people are concentrating all efforts and wisdom on building Vietnam into a strong country with wealthy people, just, democratic and advanced society.

To this end, it is our policy to bring into full play its internal resources. On the other hand, we need an environment of peace, stability and international cooperation for economic development. Therefore, Vietnam pursues the foreign policy of independence, sovereignty, openness, diversification and multilateralization of its external relations. Vietnam is willing to be a friend and a reliable partner of all countries in the international community, striving for peace, independence and development.

In this connection, Vietnam attaches great importance to the promotion of its relationship with the United States. It is noteworthy that the Vietnamese people and leaders have long wished to promote friendship and cooperation with the United States. Regrettably, It took us so long to reach the level of relations as today. The presence of the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Washington D.C and the Embassy of the United States of America in Hanoi since 1995 is the testimony for the normalization of political relations between the two countries. The bilateral trade agreement’s entry into force marks the full normalization of bilateral ties that opens up a new chapter for the relationship between Vietnam and the United States. It should also be noted that the Vietnam-US relationship has been further expanded into many areas. The point I would like to stress here is that there remains large room for our mutually beneficial cooperation, which should be fully tapped. In this connection, my trip to the US this time will be the opportunity for me to exchange views with my colleagues from the US State Department, Government and Congress on ways and means to bring into full swing the potentials of both countries to build the friendship, and close-knitted and long-term cooperation. I believe that Vietnam and the US will be able to succeed in establishing a new Vietnam-US relationship meeting the legitimate expectation and interests of the Vietnamese and American people and making contribution to peace, stability and cooperation in Southeast Asia, Asia and the world at large.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Tomorrow will be first anniversary of the 11 September tragedy that stirred terror and outrage of the American people and international community. I would like once again, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government and people, to extend our deep condolences to the US Government and people, especially to the families of the victims for their losses. Vietnam has been working closely with the US on both bilateral and multilateral basis to prevent and eliminate acts of terrorism from our life. Vietnam’s consistent policy has been highly appreciated by the US.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Since its establishment in August 1995, the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington D.C has effectively contributed to the expansion of our bilateral relations. I highly value the efforts made by Ambassador Nguyen Tam Chien and his team from the Vietnamese embassy in Washington DC. I would also like to thank the US State Department and other Government agencies, our American friends and the Diplomatic Corps for their valuable support and cooperation extended to the Vietnamese Embassy in our efforts to strengthen and develop Vietnam-US relations.