A groundbreaking ceremony is held for new US Embassy in Hanoi. Photo: US Embassy

The new embassy represents "another significant step towards strengthening the vital partnership between our nations and peoples," US State Secretary Blinken said in his address.

The US Embassy campus has a total investment of $1.2 billion, built on 39,000sq.m, on a land area of 3.2 hectares, featuring plenty of greenery, VietnamPlus reported.

The design of the US Embassy complex will combine the modern urban landscape with the natural beauty of Hanoi as well as inspiration from the UNESCO World Heritage of Ha Long Bay.

Most of the construction will be done with recycled materials and the embassy's design will be energy-efficient and flood-resistant. The foundation of the building will be built with basalt stone, available both in Vietnam and the US.

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: US Embassy

The architecture of the campus will stand for the shared commitments of the two countries in sustainability and climate change resilience.

Blinken said this is the day he has been waiting for a long time, adding he first heard about this project when he was still Deputy Secretary of State.

He expressed his gratitude to the Vietnamese Government and the US Embassy’s staff for their efforts to make this historic day into reality.

Over the past 27 years, since the normalisation of ties in 1995, the relationship between Vietnam and the US has been continually strengthened. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries. The two countries have cooperated in all aspects, from improving public health to expanding all-encompassing economic opportunities to accelerating the transition to clean energy, Blinken noted.

The new embassy building will be eight stories tall and large enough to accommodate all personnel, according to the US diplomat.

The new embassy building will be eight stories tall and large enough to accommodate all personnel. Photo: EYP

The embassy will also be able to increase the number of consular service windows by four times the current capacity, allowing for more efficient and faster processing of visas and passports for a larger number of people, he noted.

It is estimated that over the course of six years of construction, the project will provide employment for approximately 1,800 local workers and contribute an additional $350 million to the Vietnamese economy.

At the event, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Duong Duc Tuan said that the project is the result of many years of efforts by both countries with the active participation of many agencies.

Maintaining cooperation

During his stay in Vietnam, Blinken held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, during which shared the view that Vietnam and the US should continue with their cooperation and promote the bilateral ties on the basis of the principles agreed by their high-ranking leaders, according to Nhan dan (People) newspaper.

They reviewed positive developments in the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership over the past time, with two-way trade growing impressively, hitting $123 billion last year.

At the talks between Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: VGP

Both highlighted collaboration in the Covid-19 combat, as well as the efficiency of cooperation projects on addressing war legacies, notably the one on dioxin remediation at Bien Hoa Airport, along with the increasing number of Vietnamese students in the US.

Vietnam always considers the US a leading important partner and wishes to enhance the comprehensive partnership on the basis of mutual benefits, and respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions of each other, Son said.

He lauded the coordination between the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Department of State over the past time, emphasizing Blinken’s role in promoting the bilateral ties, including the recent phone talks between Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Joe Biden, contributing to consolidating trust, creating more momentum, and opening a new period for cooperation between the two countries.

The FM suggested the two sides step up all-level delegation exchanges and contacts this year which marks the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership, and deepen the bilateral relations practically, for mutual benefits, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

Blinken, for his part, affirmed the importance the US attaches to the friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam and commended Vietnam’s dynamic development, role and position in the region.

He stressed the US’s commitment to respecting political institutions, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Vietnam, and supporting a strong, independent, self-resilient and prosperous Vietnam.

The US will set aside more resources and budget to help Vietnam settle war consequences, and further bilateral cooperation in important fields such as trade investment, science-technology, digital transformation, green transition, and high-quality personnel training in service of the country’s development, he noted.

The two sides also compared notes on regional and international issues of shared concern.

Regarding the South China Sea (Bien Dong) issue, they agreed on the importance of peace, security, stability and freedom of navigation and aviation in the waters, addressing disputes through peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), towards an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).

The US Secretary of State also met with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh the same day.

Blinken told the press that “A decade since the United States and Vietnam launched our Comprehensive Partnership, and nearly 28 years since we normalized relations, our nations have forged a relationship that’s robust, dynamic, and consequential. I am here on behalf of President Biden to further broaden and deepen that partnership.”

“Throughout my engagements on this trip, I focused on how the United States can continue to support Vietnam’s success – which is good for the Vietnamese people, for Americans, and indeed for the entire region.”

“Our countries are collaborating on an incredibly broad range of shared interests, and we believe that, by supporting Vietnam’s ambitions, we advance our own: from the creation of American jobs and the strengthening of American businesses to progress on the climate crisis that affects all of us, to preventing pandemics. I also focused on how our countries can advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, one that is at peace and grounded in respect for the rules-based international order. When we talk about “free and open,” we mean countries being free to choose their own path and their own partners. And those problems will be dealt with openly, rules will be reached transparently and applied fairly, and goods, ideas, and people will flow freely across the land, the seas, the skies, and cyberspace.”

Vietnam, US Officials Discuss Opportunities to Deepen Trade During her visit to Hanoi, US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago met Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, the Central ...

Vietnam, US Cooperate to Overcome War Consequences Through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the two sides have cooperated effectively in such projects as dioxin cleanup at Bien Hoa airport, and ...

Vietnam, US Celebrate Results Achieved in Trade Facilitation Programme The United States and Vietnam celebrate improvements to trade and investment climate achieved through partnership