Vietnam top leader receives acting US Navy secretary in New York

Vietnam's Party General Secretary and President To Lam received Acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao in New York on Tuesday morning (local time), as part of his trip to attend the High-Level General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The top leader of Vietnam expressed his pleasure at meeting Hung Cao again and congratulated him on being nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump to serve as Secretary of the Navy. He spoke highly of Hung Cao's contributions to Vietnam-U.S. relations, as well as his strong ties and affection for his Vietnamese homeland.

He outlined Vietnam's major development priorities and goals for the coming period, highlighting science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as key drivers and foundations of national development.

"Vietnam seeks to mobilize and make effective use of domestic and international resources, while tapping knowledge, technology, management expertise and high-quality human resources to support development," he stated.

Vietnam's Party General Secretary and President To Lam (R) receives Acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao in New York on Sept. 22, 2026. Photo by VNA

He noted Vietnam considers the U.S. one of its most strategically important partners and wishes to work with the U.S. to ensure that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries develops in a stable, substantive, effective and sustainable manner, contributing positively to peace, stability and development in the region and beyond.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized that economic and trade ties are a pillar and important driving force of bilateral relations. He expressed his hope that the two sides would promote balanced, stable and sustainable trade, swiftly resolve outstanding issues in negotiations and move toward signing a reciprocal trade agreement to create favorable conditions for the two countries’ businesses.

He also called on the U.S. to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in science and technology, innovation, high technology, semiconductors, energy and supply chains, while continuing to effectively implement defense and security cooperation agreements within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with war legacy remediation remaining a priority.

The top leader described Vietnam’s handover to the U.S. of artifacts from the former U.S. Marine Corps Camp Reasoner in Da Nang as a meaningful gesture carried out in a spirit of goodwill and humanitarianism, contributing to honoring the values of peace, healing and reconciliation between the two countries.

Referring to his meetings with nearly 2,000 Vietnamese expatriates and international friends during his trip, he expressed his pleasure that Vietnamese communities in the U.S. and around the world are becoming increasingly successful and respected, with a growing social standing and significant contributions to their host countries.

He affirmed that the Party and State regard overseas Vietnamese as an inseparable part of the nation, an important national resource and a bridge of friendship between Vietnam and other countries. He expressed his hope that Hung Cao would continue making positive contributions to Vietnam-U.S. relations and strengthening the ties between the Vietnamese community in the U.S. and their homeland.

Hung Cao said he was honored by the trust President Trump had placed in him through a number of important responsibilities, including promoting Vietnam-U.S. defense relations in line with the interests and aspirations of both sides and contributing to peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region.

He affirmed that the U.S. attaches importance to its relationship with Vietnam and supports a strong, independent, self-strengthening and prosperous Vietnam playing an increasingly important role in the region.

He said the potential for cooperation between the two countries in such areas as economy, trade, science and technology, and defense and security is substantial. In his current capacity, he pledged to continue supporting and promoting more substantive and effective Vietnam-U.S. relations at the bilateral, regional and global levels.

Echoing the top leader’s assessments, Hung Cao said defense cooperation, including maritime security cooperation, plays an important role in promoting peace and prosperity for both countries, as well as security, cooperation and development in the region.

He expressed his desire to further expand cooperation in maritime security, capacity building, humanitarian assistance, disaster response and addressing common regional challenges.

Thanking Vietnam for its active cooperation in efforts to search for U.S. servicemen missing in action from the war and for facilitating the handover of artifacts from the former Camp Reasoner, he reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to supporting Vietnam in addressing the war consequences.

Hung Cao said he was pleased with Vietnam’s rapid development in recent years and expressed high expectations for further breakthroughs in the years ahead.

He said he highly appreciated what he described as the historic decisions and actions taken by Party General Secretary and President To Lam and other Vietnamese leaders. He affirmed that he would continue supporting and contributing to efforts to strengthen the bonds of the Vietnamese community in the U.S. and its contributions to peace, resilience and development in Vietnam, as well as to Vietnam-U.S. relations.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam and Hung Cao agreed that building on the important achievements already made, the two sides should continue to effectively implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, enhance mutual understanding, strengthen trust, and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, thereby contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.