US visit by Vietnam’s To Lam to be showcase of great power balancing – if he meets Biden

It would be a ‘missed opportunity’ if a meeting between the Vietnamese president and Joe Biden does not take place, analysts say

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Vietnam’s President To Lam at a meeting with Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto in Hanoi on September 13. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:00pm, 20 Sep 2024

Vietnam President To Lam’s visit to the US next week is seen as a pivotal chance for Hanoi to show its diplomatic clout but analysts say it would be a “missed opportunity” if he is unable to meet with President Joe Biden, undercutting his efforts to balance relations among the major powers.

Lam, who assumed the presidency in May and control of the Communist Party of Vietnam in August, would be making a working visit to the US and taking part in the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the government said on Thursday.

During his visit, Lam will meet representatives from several US corporations, including Alphabet’s Google and Facebook owner Meta, on Monday, according to a Reuters report.

Neither the Vietnamese foreign ministry nor a separate government statement has indicated whether Lam would meet Biden during the trip.

Zachary Abuza, a Southeast Asia affairs expert and a professor at the National War College in Washington, said while it was not essential for the two leaders to meet, it would be “a missed opportunity” for Hanoi without such a meeting.

While the two countries should be celebrating the first anniversary of the official enhancement of their partnership, Hanoi was “wary of wading into US politics during this very heated political campaign season”, he said, referring to the US presidential election in November.