Blinken arrives in Hanoi seeking upgrade in US-Vietnam ties

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks from an aircraft as he arrives for an official visit to Vietnam at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, on April 14, 2023. - AFP

HANOI (AFP): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Vietnam Friday (April 14) looking to expand diplomatic ties with Hanoi, days after a flare-up in tensions with China over Taiwan.

Blinken -- who is passing through Hanoi on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in Japan -- will meet top Vietnamese leaders on Saturday to pave the way for a potential diplomatic upgrade with the country.