Su Lin’s first overseas visit as leader was to the U.S.; did Biden make requests face-to-face and receive a polite refusal?

On September 25 local time, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Vietnamese leader Su Lin in New York—Su Lin’s first official visit to the United States since assuming office. During the meeting, Su Lin praised Biden for making a “historic contribution” to the positive development of U.S.-Vietnam relations, while Biden stated that U.S.-Vietnam relations had entered a “new era,” emphasizing that both countries should unite to jointly uphold freedom of navigation, the rule of law, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region—especially in the South China Sea. Although China was not explicitly named, Biden’s remarks were transparent in intent: he sought Vietnam’s participation in America’s so-called “Indo-Pacific Strategy” to counterbalance China. In response, Su Lin affirmed that Vietnam is a friend and reliable partner of the United States, while stressing that Vietnam would “steadfastly pursue an independent, autonomous, diversified, and multilateral foreign policy.” Clearly, on the issue of Vietnam joining the so-called “Indo-Pacific Strategy,” Biden received a polite but firm refusal from Su Lin. Notably, just before meeting Biden, Su Lin also held talks in New York with U.S. business leaders—including Neilson, Senior Vice President of Boeing, and Tim Hughes, Senior Vice President for Global Business and Government Affairs at SpaceX—emphasizing Vietnam’s desire to deepen cooperation with the United States in civil aviation, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and other fields. Su Lin urged U.S. business representatives to help Vietnam secure U.S. government recognition of its “market economy status” and lift trade restrictions against Vietnam, arguing that only then could enterprises from both countries engage in more robust collaboration. Under U.S. law, if the U.S. Department of Commerce determines that a country fails to adhere to market-oriented principles—thereby preventing U.S. products from being sold there at a “fair” price—that country may be designated a “non-market economy.” Such a designation triggers anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations and leads to high tariffs. Currently, besides Vietnam, 11 other countries—including China, Russia, Belarus, and Tajikistan—are classified by the United States as “non-market economies.” Last October, during Biden’s visit to Vietnam aimed at upgrading bilateral ties, the late Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong urged Biden to recognize Vietnam’s market economy status—a commitment Biden reportedly made at the time.

2026 Vietnam ‘Dark Tourism’—Outcomes of Su Lin’s U.S. Visit

From February 18 to 20, Tô Lâm, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam, attended the inaugural meeting of the ‘Gaza Board of Peace’ in Washington, D.C., at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, successfully concluding his three-day trip to the United States. This visit marked Vietnam’s first high-level multilateral diplomatic activity following the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and was regarded by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a significant step forward in advancing Vietnam’s foreign strategy. Photo: Báo Tuổi Trẻ While in Washington, Tô Lâm exchanged views with leaders from multiple countries on topics including Middle East peace and humanitarian aid, and engaged in high-level dialogue with U.S. officials. He clearly outlined Vietnam’s reform achievements over the past 40 years, its future development direction, and its unwavering commitment to an independent, autonomous, and peaceful foreign policy. During the visit, both sides witnessed the signing of several major cooperative agreements. According to reports, Vietnamese and U.S. enterprises reached memoranda of understanding and contracts worth approximately USD 37.2 billion in sectors such as technology, digital infrastructure, aviation, and healthcare—signaling that bilateral relations have entered a new stage of development.

US, Vietnam Firms to Sign Agreements as To Lam Travels to New York, Documents Show

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Major U.S. energy firms including Chevron and ExxonMobil plan to sign agreements with Vietnamese counterparts during leader To Lam's New York visit, amid trade talks and tariff threats.

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