Socialist Republic of Vietnam

(VNA) Vietnam and US discussed openly and frankly issues of mutual concern relating to human rights during the 14 th round of the annual dialogue on human rights between the Vietnam Foreign Ministry and the US Department of State in Washington on November 10.

The issues in question included regional and international human rights mechanisms, religious freedom, freedom of establishment of organisations, and freedom of expression.

The two sides also touched upon possibilities to enhance bilateral cooperation, that are suitable for each country’s requirements and capacity.

The Vietnamese delegation to the event was led by Le Hoai Trung, Head of the Foreign Ministry’s Department for International Organisations. The delegates included representatives from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Information and Communication, the Government Office, the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in the US .

Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour headed the US delegation which also saw the participation of officials from the Department of State, the National Security Council, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labour, the US Trade Agency, the US Agency for International Development and the US Embassy in Hanoi .

In the dialogue, Vietnamese officials briefed their partners on what Vietnam has achieved in the promotion of democracy, the exercise of human rights, and international cooperation in furthering human rights.

While introducing the country’s legal regulations and State policies and the exercise of rights by citizens, the Vietnamese delegation also disapproved erroneous information regarding the human rights situation in Vietnam as well as the US House of Representatives’ latest resolution related to the issue.

Both sides agreed that the dialogue yielded positive outcomes and it offered a good chance for the two countries to exchange information and views on the issues of mutual concern, including those in dispute, thus furthering mutual understanding and ties between the two countries./.