Presidential Palace
Hanoi, Vietnam

12:53 P.M. ICT
 
PRESIDENT THƯỞNG:  (As interpreted.)  (In progress) …have had a very fruitful bilateral meeting wherein President — when you and General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng have made the announcement of the upgrade of the Vietnam-U.S. ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
 
This is a momentous occasion for our two countries, opening up a new chapter for our excellent bilateral ties. 

I am fully confident that, given your close attention and able leadership and your special affection for Vietnam, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the United States will continue to flourish in a substantive manner across the board, thereby bringing forth substantive benefits for the two peoples and contributing to peace, cooperation, development in the region and the world.
 
And now I wish to hear from you, Mr. President.
 
PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Mr. President, thank you for welcoming me and my team here today.  We — we truly appreciate it. 
 
Our new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership launched a new era of cooperation between our — between our countries and our nations — an era of expanded technology and defense cooperation; an era of stronger economic ties, including through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework; as well as an era of deeper collaboration on the challenges that matter most to our people in their lives, from education to health to food security and well beyond.
 
But most of all, Mr. President, I’m (inaudible) greater peace, prosperity, and security for all our people, particularly if we keep down this road.
 
And, Mr. President, since our countries normalized relations nearly three decades ago, it’s remarkable how far and how fast we’ve come.  With — but with our new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, it’s even more remarkable how far we’ll be able to go together in the decades ahead.
 
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: More change is going to take place in the next 10 years than the last 50 years, and we have to be together as that change — to help shape it.
 
And so, thank you again for having me here and for hosting the lunch.  And — and I look forward to returning some of your hospitality at the APEC summit in San Francisco this fall.  I hope to see you there.
 
12:57 P.M. ICT