ATTENDING US INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

Dr. Tran Dinh Lam attended the 238^th anniversary of American Independence taking place in HCMC on July 02, 2014.

The celebration saw the presence of Deputy Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Le Manh Ha, representatives of society and government bodies, Consul Generals of several countries, and diplomatic corporations in HCMC. As for the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities, representatives of the Office of International Cooperation and International Project Development, the Center for Ocean and Island Studies and member universities of the Vietnam National University – HCMC also attended the anniversary.

US Ambassador David B. Sheer.

In his remarks, US Ambassador David B. Shear highly valued the relationship and cooperation between Vietnam and the US in economics, culture and education. Secretary of State John Kerry, some other secretaries and several high-ranking Congressional delegations have recently visited Vietnam, demonstrating President Obama’s commitment to the Rebalance to Asia and a deeper relationship with Vietnam.

The economic relationship has grown rapidly – with trade growing from US$18 billion in 2011 to 30 billion at the present. The US is now the seventh-biggest investor in Vietnam. Particularly in HCMC, America has 285 projects with the total investment capital of nearly US$525 million. Many American companies have come to HCMC this year, a sign that American businesses recognize that Vietnam has a bright future.

Deputy Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Le Manh Ha.

The two countries’ people to people ties are flourishing. Over 16,000 Vietnamese youth currently study in the US. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has recently approved a license for Fulbright University, which will become the Vietnam’s first American style university in HCMC.

Over 50,000 people visited our American Center in Diamond Plaza over the last year to learn more about America and build mutual understanding between the two nations. Over 400,000 Americans visited Vietnam in 2013, showing that Vietnam is a growing tourism destination and investment destination for Americans.

In the sector of public health, the US has helped to distribute medicine to almost one million at-risk children to fight childhood intestinal worms. In the fight against HIV over the past three years, they have also provided life-saving anti-retroviral treatment to 80,000 people and doubled Vietnam’s capacity to deliver safe, community-based drug addiction treatment.

US Ambassador David B. Sheer expressed his optimism about the shared future and believed in a better relationship of the two countries, looking forward to celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the normalization of relations in 2015.

On behalf of HCMC’s leaders and people, Deputy Chairman La Manh Ha extended his best wishes to the American community, who are studying, living and working in HCMC, on this occasion. He hoped that with mutual understanding, respect and efforts, the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the US, including the HCMC – the US relationship, will foster more and more in the future.

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