The US and Vietnam will continue building a relationship based on “regular diplomatic interactions and policy dialogues”, the US ambassador said on Wednesday.

“We have a common interest in a stable, secure and peaceful Asia-Pacific region,” Michael Michalak said at a press conference in Hanoi marking his two years in the country.

Michalak said he applauded Vietnam’s efforts in several areas, including economic and education reforms, religious freedom, and the country’s successful response to H1N1 influenza.

Such improvements have led Vietnam to take a more active leadership position in regional and global affairs, for example in the UN Security Council or ASEAN, he added.

The ambassador said that Vietnam and the US had scheduled several bilateral talks this year, such as the second round of policy planning talks in Washington next week, the Agent Orange/dioxin dialogue in Hanoi next month, and soon a third round of bilateral investment treaty discussions.

The US is now ranked as the number one investor in Vietnam with $3.95 billion in fresh investment for 21 new projects and 10 existing ones, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

“I believe that the interest on the part of American companies in Vietnam remains very, very high,” Michalak said.

In education, he said 9,000 Vietnamese people were studying in the States these days, two and a half times the number three years ago.

He said the US was helping Vietnam to set up American-style universities here, and that many private US universities were looking to establishing branch campuses in Vietnam.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien