Vietnam-US Friendship Festival: Enhancing Mutual Understanding and Strengthening Trust Between Peoples of Two Countries
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The event was attended by Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Dong Huy Cuong; US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper; representatives of the Hanoi People’s Committee; leaders of the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations and various municipal departments and agencies; Vietnam-US friendship associations from several localities; research institutes, universities, and businesses from both countries; non-governmental organizations; American individuals and families living in Hanoi; scholars, intellectuals, and individuals connected with the United States; as well as students, local residents, and tourists.
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| The Vietnam-US Friendship Festival attracts a large number of delegates, international guests, and residents of the capital city. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
Delivering the opening remarks, Dong Huy Cuong stated that Vietnam-US relations are among the most distinctive diplomatic ties, marked by deep historical connections, ups and downs, and difficulties, yet have become a model of reconciliation between nations. With the announcement of normalization and the establishment of diplomatic relations on July 12, 1995, by US President Bill Clinton and Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, and with the great and tireless efforts of the leaders and peoples of both countries, along with the goodwill of “leaving the past behind, overcoming differences, promoting commonalities, and looking toward the future,” Vietnam-US relations have made remarkable progress across all fields, becoming a Comprehensive Partnership in July 2013 and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development on September 10, 2023.
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| Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Dong Huy Cuong delivers the opening remarks at the Vietnam-US Friendship Exchange Program. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
He affirmed that the Vietnamese people always cherish and remember the valuable support of American friends, including veterans and their families, US charitable and humanitarian organizations, US non-governmental organizations, and individuals who, through goodwill and trust, have empathized, understood, and dared to make sacrifices, rising above themselves, setting aside the painful past to look toward a future of friendship and cooperation. They have made important contributions to healing the wounds of war and to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, integration, and progress.
The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and its member associations, including the Vietnam-USA Society at both central and local levels, are proud to be an important part of the process of reconciliation, overcoming war consequences, and fostering Vietnam-US relations in general, and people-to-people ties in particular. The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-USA Society have worked with US partners to organize numerous friendship exchange activities, helping build trust, narrow differences, strengthen mutual understanding, and make the friendship between the two peoples a solid foundation for Vietnam-US relations.
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| US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper speaks at the Vietnam-US Friendship Festival. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
Ambassador Marc E. Knapper noted that the festival is a testament to the development, dynamism, and partnership between the two countries. The event honors the courage of individuals in both nations who overcame post-war legacies, rebuilt trust and mutual understanding, and contributed to advancing bilateral relations to their current heights. The event also looks toward the future, as both sides honor and inspire young people who will carry this relationship forward over the next three decades.
| Speaking with the press on the sidelines of the program, Ambassador Marc E. Knapper assessed that Vietnam will be a major success story in the coming decades. Looking ahead to the next 30 years of cooperation, he emphasized that education, from English training to STEM fields, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, will be key to future industries, areas in which Vietnam is well prepared for success. The Ambassador noted that the US is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in education and academic exchange through programs such as 2+2, Fulbright scholarships, and many other opportunities. Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Dong Huy Cuong stated that in the coming period, the Union will continue to diversify partnerships with U.S. organizations and expand cooperation with universities, research institutes, states, and businesses. The Union is also studying the possibility of organizing a Vietnam-US People’s Forum, broadly connecting various sectors and fields, potentially held annually and alternated between the two countries, with the aim of mobilizing the participation of more sectors in Vietnam-US people-to-people relations. |
The Ambassador stressed that US businesses have been and continue to be indispensable in supporting these goals. The two sides are cooperating to promote education, health, economic prosperity, security, and many other fields.
On this occasion, Ambassador Marc E. Knapper extended his sympathies to the northern and central provinces of Vietnam affected by recent storms and tropical depressions. He stated that the US has provided USD 1 million to support disaster response efforts, raising total humanitarian and disaster relief assistance to Vietnam to more than USD 100 million. He affirmed that mutual support in times of hardship is an important part of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.
The program featured a variety of activities: cultural and sports exchanges, traditional folk games of both countries; visits to cultural and culinary booths showcasing the achievements of bilateral diplomatic relations; and introductions to Hanoi, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-USA Society, the US Mission to Vietnam, US non-governmental organizations, and Vietnam-US businesses. The program aimed to honor the diversity of cultures and the friendship between the Vietnamese and American peoples, educate younger generations about Vietnam-US people-to-people relations, enhance mutual understanding, and promote people-to-people exchanges in the future.
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| A performance at the Vietnam-US Friendship Festival. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
| Vietnam-US relations have achieved remarkable progress since the normalization of diplomatic ties on July 12, 1995. In the economic sphere, the US is Vietnam’s largest export market, with bilateral trade increasing more than 250-fold since normalization, reaching over USD 132 billion in 2024. US investment in Vietnam has also grown rapidly, with major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Intel, Meta, Nike, Visa, Coca-Cola, and Marriott being significant investors in the country. In political and security cooperation, the two countries have strengthened ties through delegation exchanges, particularly high-level visits, implementation of dialogue mechanisms, and coordination on regional and global issues, including climate change response and support for ASEAN and Mekong cooperation initiatives. In education and people-to-people exchange, Vietnam is currently the ASEAN country with the highest number of students in the United States, with nearly 30,000 learners. At the same time, many US universities are conducting research and teaching programs on Vietnam, contributing to enhancing the American public's understanding of Vietnam’s history and culture. |
 | Vietnam-US People-to-People Cooperation: Healing the Past, Inspiring the Future On October 28 in Hanoi, the Vietnam-US Society under the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) held a rountable entitled “Vietnam-US People-to-People Relations: 30 ... |
 | Viet Nam-USA Society: 80 Years of Remarkable Journey Through people-to-people diplomacy, messages of reconciliation have been conveyed and acknowledged by the leaders of both countries. It was the efforts of people-to-people diplomacy, with ... |
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