U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Will Pay A Visit To Vietnam Next Week

The U.S. Department of State has announced that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will make a stop in Vietnam next week as part of a five-country trip to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

When he arrives in Hanoi for a 2-day visit on August 6, he will meet with senior Vietnamese officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, to to “discuss bilateral and regional issues,” according to State Department spokesperson John Kirby.

Kerry, appointed by President Obama to represent U.S.’s foreign affairs, will also join his Vietnamese counterparts for an event marking the 20th anniversary of the normalization of Vietnam-U.S. diplomatic relations.

Vietnam is the final stop on Kerry’s Asian following visits to Egypt, Qatar, Singapore and Malaysia.

Kerry, who was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during the American War, returned from Vietnam in 1970 and became an important figure in the country’s anti-war movement.

He has visited Vietnam 14 times between 1970 and 2013, 13 times as a Senator and once as U.S. Secretary of State.

[Photo via Todayonline]