Obama's visit seen as"long step" in U.S.-Vietnam relations: Kerry

Visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that the ongoing visit of the U.S. President Barack Obama to Vietnam is seen as "long step" in the U.S.-Vietnam relations in more than 20 years since normalization of ties, reported Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA.

Kerry made the remark on Tuesday while holding talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in capital Hanoi on the occasion of Obama's three-day visit to Vietnam.

At the talks, two officials welcomed outcomes of talks, meetings and exchanges between Vietnamese leaders and the U.S. President, as well as signing of significant agreements, especially those in economics, trade, investment, cooperation in combating climate change, and dealing with war legacy.

Minh and Kerry also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interests, including promoting ASEAN's centrality as well as boosting role of partners, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and cooperation, reported VNA.

Prior to the talks, Minh and Kerry witnessed signing ceremony of agreements on medical supplies and humanitarian cooperation, search and rescue, response to natural disasters, law enforcement and criminal justice, as well as in voluntarily teaching English in Vietnam within the Peace Corps.

Vietnam and the U.S. normalized ties in 1995, two decades after the end of their bloodstained 19-year war. Endit