Biden arrives in Vietnam to expand ties and hails 'greater era of cooperation' with South-East Asian country

US President Joe Biden attends a welcoming ceremony hosted by Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (second left) at the Presidential Palace of Vietnam in Hanoi on Sunday, September 10, 2023. Biden travels to Vietnam to deepen cooperation between the two nations, in the face of China's growing ambitions in the region. - AFP

HANOI (AFP): US President Joe Biden hailed closer ties with Vietnam on Sunday as he arrived on a visit to deepen cooperation, with semiconductors and rare earth minerals expected to be a key focus for talks.

Biden flew from the G20 summit in New Delhi to meet the leader of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, to sign off on a "comprehensive strategic partnership", Hanoi's highest level of diplomatic ties.