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The Vietnam News

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Head of US military's Pacific Command to visit Vietnam

HANOI - The head of the US armed forces' Pacific Command was to start a four-day visit to Vietnam to discuss security issues with senior government and defence leaders, the American military said. The trip by the commander, Admiral William Fallon, comes amid improving defence ties between the former enemies and follows a visit by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in early June.

"The visit continues building the goodwill of the two countries leading up to the APEC summit," said a US official, referring to a November Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit due to be attended by President George W. Bush. A Vietnamese foreign ministry official Thursday confirmed that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also due to visit Vietnam later this month, without giving a date.

"Vietnam and the US have made new progress in bilateral ties recently," said the spokesman. "We believe that with the increased exchange of delegations, including the visit by Secretary Rice, the two sides will further strengthen relations and co-operation towards long-term and stable relations." Admiral Fallon was due to visit Hanoi, the business hub of Ho Chi Minh City and the central city of Hue during what was described as a routine trip and the admiral's first in his current post, said a US Pacific Command statement. Earlier this month two US Navy warships docked in Ho Chi Minh City, in only the third visit by American military vessels to the former Saigon since the 1975 end of the Vietnam War.

Ties have warmed since late 2003 when now retired Pham Van Tra visited Washington, the first Vietnamese defence minister to do so since the war that left more than 58,000 Americans and three million Vietnamese dead. Last year the two countries signed an agreement that included the expansion of military education and training programmes in Vietnam.

Agence France Presse - July 13, 2006.