President Truong Tan Sang yesterday attended a US government reception hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry at the US State Department headquarters, with the participation of more than 100 guests including cabinet members and leaders of the United States.

In his welcoming speech, US Secretary of State John Kerry recalled the memories of his attachment to Vietnam since the war, the process of normalizing relations between the two countries, and affirmed that the US Government values and wishes the relationship between the two countries to develop.

President Truong Tan Sang said that with the achievements after 18 years of normalizing relations, the two countries have built a solid foundation for a period of substantive and in-depth and effective development.

Emphasizing the opportunity to bring bilateral relations to a new stage of development, the President believed in the solid foundation of cooperation built over the past 18 years, as well as the continuous efforts of the two Governments and people.

Previously, on the morning of July 24, President Truong Tan Sang received Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (pictured), and Trade Representative Michael Froman.

In a meeting with President Truong Tan Sang, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker emphasized the US government’s determination, along with other members, to accelerate the negotiation process, soon completing the Trans-Thai Partnership Agreement

On the afternoon of July 24, President Truong Tan Sang met with Members of Congress from both houses of the US Congress and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

On the same day, President Truong Tan Sang had meetings with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (pictured), attended a roundtable discussion and a reception for businesses.

This is the second visit to the US by a Vietnamese head of state after nearly two decades of normalizing relations with the US, and the first high-level delegation exchange in the past five years.