HCM City (VNA) - The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) held a get-together on November 12 to mark the 1st anniversary of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (September 10, 2023 - 2024).

Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Council and Chairman of the Vietnam – US Friendship Association (VUFA) in HCM City Pham Thanh Kien said that the progress in people-to-people diplomacy between the two nations is a result of the efforts to foster and elevate the bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, toward the celebration of the 30-year diplomatic relations in 2025.

US President Joe Biden stated that the upgrade of the relationship between Vietnam and the US is only the first step toward the future of bilateral relations, Kien noted.

According to Kien, over the recent past, Vietnam and the US have actively implemented effective cooperative initiatives in education development, student exchanges, and environmental protection; carried out joint projects to build resilience for coastal mangrove ecosystems; strengthened partnerships in the Mekong Delta; and promote cooperation within the framework of The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). These projects contribute to boosting cooperation between the two peoples and creating practical value for the future.

Kien took the occasion to thank US officials and the US Consulate General in HCM City for their contributions to deepening the relationship between the two countries, as well as their involvement in the people-to-people exchange activities, thus promoting the friendship between the two countries.

US Consul General in HCM City Susan Burns expressed her pleasure at the expansion of cooperation across various fields since the upgrade of the bilateral relations, saying that this has brought benefits to the people of both nations.

Collaboration in terms of trade, investment, law enforcement, health, veteran exchanges, and education is based on mutual understanding, trust, and the friendship between the two countries’ people, she said.

Susan thanked HUFO for its efforts to deepen the friendship between the two countries over the past three decades, stressing that in 2025, the two sides will continue to strengthen their diplomatic relationship with many commemorative activities. She said she hopes for new initiatives to enhance cooperation in the fields of science - technology, education, and workforce development; and opportunities for people-to-people exchanges.

Rafik Mansour, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the US State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, praised efforts by HUFO and HCM City’s people in fostering people-to-people relations, saying that they contribute to further strengthening the relationship between the two na🐷tions./.