Vietnamese president awaiting official visit to Washington

Ahead of his historic meeting in Washington, Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet has come to New York this week, New York Business reported Monday. The purpose of the trip is to bolster U.S.-Vietnamese economic relations in the wake of Viet Nam’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier this year. Triet is the first head of state to visit Washington

since the end of the Viet Nam War

Triet was slated to oversee the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. He had also planned to meet with several U.S. corporations in order to boost investment and trade options in Viet Nam.

Triet’s visit has been marked by both optimism and protest amid sharp criticism of Viet Nam’s crackdown on pro-democracy activism. The recent convictions of political dissidents and is expected to be on the list of talking points for U.S. and Vietnamese officials. Triet is scheduled to meet Bush on Friday.

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