The United States is committed to working together with Vietnam to strengthen its capacity to ensure maritime security and raise maritime awareness, Knapper told media workers in Hanoi on April 20.

The US has delivered two Hamilton-class cutters to the Vietnam Coast Guard as part of its Excess Defence Articles (EDA) program that offers excess military equipment to US partners and allied countries in support of military and security modernization efforts.

The third ship will be delivered to Vietnam, said the diplomat at the press briefing, but refused to talk about the delivery time.

He affirmed that the Indo-Pacific region is one of the top priorities in the US foreign policy, and Vietnam plays a role in it.

The US announced its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, saying it will pursue five objectives in the region, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific, building connections within and beyond the region, driving regional prosperity, bolstering Indo-Pacific security, and building regional resilience to transnational threats. Ambassador Knapper, while addressing an event in February 2022, said the US was cooperating with Vietnam in all five key objectives of this strategy.

The US ambassador also said it is time to upgrade the relationship between the two countries, noting this is not only a priority of the US government, but also a primary focus of his working term in Vietnam.

Source: VOV