Why Biden should welcome Vietnam’s To Lam to the White House

Lam’s unique status and the fortuitous timing make his upcoming trip to the United States an important moment to solidify recent progress in bilateral relations.

Vietnam’s President To Lam, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), is expected to visit the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, which opens in New York this week. This information was revealed by To Lam himself during a meeting of the CPV Politburo with former leaders on August 15.

Although the exact timing of the visit has not been officially announced, it is highly likely that Lam will travel to the U.S. after September 15 to attend the U.N. Future Summit on September 22-23, and subsequently participate in and address the high-level general debate of the 79th session of the General Assembly, which starts on September 24. Lam’s schedule is arranged this way because he must first host three consecutive visits by heads of state, including the president of Guinea-Bissau (September 5-8), the president of Mozambique (September 8-10), and the general secretary and president of Laos (September 10-13).

Lam’s likely upcoming trip to the United States has several special aspects and occurs at a significant time in U.S.-Vietnam relations. Therefore, President Joe Biden should take this opportunity to welcome and hold talks with Lam at the White House, not only to strengthen the recently established comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations, but also to solidify his own historic legacy in bilateral relations. So, what makes Lam’s U.S. trip this time special?

The first aspect is Lam’s unique status in the visit.

In 2015, the Obama administration made an exception by hosting the CPV’s chief, Nguyen Phu Trong, at the White House. The exception here was that Trong was not a head of state, and no U.S. president had ever received and held talks with a leader of a ruling communist party in the White House. Biden, then vice president, even personally hosted a banquet for Trong. In 2019, if not for a minor stroke, Trong could have made a second visit to the White House at the invitation of President Donald Trump. Notably, at that time, Trong also held the position of president, as Lam does now.

Trong’s successful visit in 2015 laid a solid foundation for the upgrading of U.S.-Vietnam relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Biden’s visit to Vietnam last September. Biden’s visit also held special historical significance as it was the first time a U.S. president had made a state visit at the invitation of the leader of a ruling communist party who was not the head of state.

For his upcoming trip, Lam will be the first Vietnamese leader ever to visit the United States while serving as both president and general secretary of the CPV. Biden sent congratulatory letters to Lam when he was first elected president and subsequently party chief. Therefore, Biden’s welcoming and direct talks with Lam at the White House on this occasion would demonstrate respect for Lam’s position, while also marking another historic and special milestone in bilateral relations and international diplomatic history. In this context, Lam deserves to be accorded the ceremonial reception of a head of state by Biden, similar to what Biden himself received in Hanoi last year.

Second, the visit takes place as the two countries mark the one year anniversary of the upgrade in relations and look towards the 30th anniversary of the normalization of U.S.-Vietnam relations next year. September 10, 2024, marked exactly one year after the announcement of the comprehensive strategic partnership.

Internal political developments in both countries, especially since the beginning of 2024, seem to have had little impact on U.S.-Vietnam relations. However, looking at the overall picture, bilateral relations have witnessed many positive advancements. Several new mechanisms have been established and implemented in the spirit of the comprehensive strategic partnership, such as the First U.S.-Vietnam Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, which took place on March 25 in Washington, and the First U.S-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Economic Dialogue, which took place on June 25, also in Washington.

Major U.S. corporations like Apple, Google, Nvidia, and recently SpaceX, have also expressed interest in and committed to investing in Vietnam. The United States has surpassed China to become Vietnam’s largest export market for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products in the first eight months of 2024. Two-way trade between Vietnam and the U.S. is forecast to exceed $100 billion this year, despite the U.S. Department of Commerce having recently refused to reclassify Vietnam as a market economy, which disappointed Hanoi.

Additionally, The New York Times was recently granted permission to open a permanent bureau in Vietnam, becoming the first major U.S. newspaper to operate in this communist country.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Minister of Defense Phan Van Giang is visiting the U.S. for the first time in his ministerial role at the invitation of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to discuss defense cooperation and addressing war legacy issues as outlined in the comprehensive strategic partnership. Giang was quoted as saying that the purpose of the visit was to enhance strategic trust between the two sides. The United States is also preparing to transfer the 3rd Hamilton-class cutter or the USCGC Mellon to the Vietnam Coast Guard. The first two Hamilton-class cutters were transferred to Vietnam in 2017 and 2021 respectively.

These positive advancements in U.S.-Vietnam relations reinforce the assertive statement made by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, a former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, in July that the trust between the two countries had never been higher and deeper than it was now.

A meeting between Biden and Lam at the White House would be an opportunity for the two leaders to review a year of implementing and affirming the value of the comprehensive strategic partnership, while also looking ahead to the 30th anniversary of normalization next year.

Third, a Biden-Lam meeting at the While House would affirm the continuation of Trong’s legacy into his successor’s term.

Speaking to the media after being chosen as CPV general secretary, Lam affirmed that Vietnam’s foreign policy would not change. He has also repeatedly stated that he would continue the legacy of his predecessor. In his own statement on Trong’s passing, Biden not only praised his contributions but also called for honoring the legacy he left for U.S.-Vietnam relations. 

The call to honor Trong’s legacy serves as an implicit message from the United States that its policy towards Vietnam will also remain unchanged. Biden also expressed his hope to work with Lam to continue advancing the historic progress in bilateral relations and thereby support “a strong, independent, prosperous, and resilient Vietnam.”

Biden welcoming Lam at the White House would be a symbolic gesture, suggesting that such a meeting would not only honor Trong’s legacy but also demonstrate the continued commitment of the United States to its relationship with Vietnam.

The progress of U.S.-Vietnam relations since the two countries normalized relations nearly three decades ago has always been associated with special events. During the Vietnamese leader’s upcoming trip to the U.S., both Lam and Biden have the opportunity to create another special milestone in bilateral relations.

By Hai Hong Nguyen – The Diplomat – September 11, 2024