Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam-US relationship hasexperienced its ups and downs but has overcome a tumultuous past and movedtowards a future of cooperation for the sake of both countries.

Once enemies, the two countries have normalised theirrelationship over the last 25 years and advanced it to a new high - a comprehensivepartnership covering a wide range of spheres, from politics-diplomacy toeconomy, education, science-technology, and national defence and security.

Vietnamese and US leaders have exchanged visits andcommitted to respecting each other’s independence, national sovereignty andintegrity, and political institutions.

Both parties in the US Congress have expressed supportfor promoting relations with Vietnam.

The framework of the comprehensive partnership wasestablished during the visit to the US by State President Truong Tan Sang inJuly 2013. This was a key milestone demonstrating the inevitable developmenttrend of Vietnam-US relations and created a firm foundation for bilateral tiesto grow further.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit inJuly 2015 was also a key milestone in the two countries’ relations, with the accompanyingissuance of a Joint Vision Statement.

During his trip to Vietnam in May 2016, PresidentBarack Obama announced the complete removal of a ban on lethal weapon sales toVietnam which was the final barrier in bilateral relations, marking the completenormalisation of relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was the first leaderin ASEAN to visit the US after President Donald Trump took office.

Trump was also the first US President to visit Vietnamtwice during a single term in office.

Multilaterally, Vietnam and the US have sharedstrategic interests in maintaining peace, security, stability, cooperation, andorder based on rules in Asia-Indo-Pacific, including issues regarding the EastSea, the Mekong River, and the Korean peninsula. They have also coordinated atASEAN forums, APEC, the UN, and the WTO.

The two countries have also made notable achievementsin defence-security cooperation over the last 25 years, in particular thesettlement of the consequences of war and improvements to maritime lawenforcement capacity.

Vietnam has coordinated with the US in the search for USservicemen who went missing during the war.

Vietnam and the US have maintained the exchange of delegationsat all levels, bilateral dialogue mechanisms, and meetings at regional forums.

The two have approved a three-year action plan ondefence cooperation in 2018-2021, coordinated in UN peacekeeping operations, andenhanced their collaboration in coping with regional and international securityrisks.

Speakingat a ceremony kicking off celebrations of the 25th anniversary ofbilateral diplomatic ties on January 30, David R. Stilwell, US Assistant Secretary of State, said the partnership andfriendship between the two countries have been established through jointefforts.

Thetwo countries have overcome post-war difficulties to become trusted partners onthe basis of mutual respect, he said, adding that, over past years, policydialogue frameworks have been expanded, contributing to building mutual trust.

Atan international seminar in Hanoi on July 1 that reviewed Vietnam-US ties overthe last 25 years, US Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink said the achievements inthe comprehensive partnership have been extraordinary.

The US willcontinue to remove unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from wartime and will supportVietnamese people with disabilities or who are Agent Orange/dioxin victims,while helping Vietnam with socio-economic activities, he said.

MichaelMiclausis from the US National Strategic Research Institute said bilateral tieshave become warmer and represent an outstanding success in internationalrelations.

Hedescribed the normalisation of relations as an extraordinary transformation,saying the two countries have changed from being enemies to partners, and theirmutually-beneficial partnership has developed strongly.

Despitedifferences in economic and political systems, the two have shared a perceptionon strategic balance in the region, he said, adding that both are aware thatthrough cooperation they can be stronger when facing common strategicchallenges.

GregoryPoling, Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Centre forStrategic and International Studies (CSIS), lauded the joint efforts made inboosting economic cooperation, which, he said, began from almost nothing.

Defence andsecurity cooperation is a major driver of bilateral ties at present, he said.

Former DeputyMinister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Vinh, who is a former VietnameseAmbassador to the US, said that after a quarter of a century, relations have beenconsolidated in line with the spirit of the Joint Vision Statement - puttingaside the past, overcoming differences and promoting similarities, and looking towardsthe future./.