The head of the Vietnamese Party and State, General Secretary cum State President To Lam, is said to be looking for ways to free Hanoi from Beijing’s influence.
Since mid-August 2024, Lam has made an earlier visit to China, to prepare for a “grand” trip to the United States, similar to his visit to Beijing.
However, perhaps the loss of power of him and his faction in the political arena these days has signaled that his trip will not go as he expected.
On September 19, Vietnam’s state-controlled media briefly reported that General Secretary and President Lam will have a working trip to the United States next week, to attend the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. After that, he will pay a state visit to Cuba.
However, the announcement of the Vietnam News Agency did not specify the time frame for the activities of the visit, nor did it provide details about his activities during his stay in the US. According to some opinions, this shows that there seems to be an intentional attempt to downplay the importance of the trip by the Central Committee’s Commission for Propaganda and Education headed by General Nguyen Trong Nghia.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son still affirmed that at the United Nations, Lam will bring important messages for peace, cooperation, and development in the world.
A matter of public concern is whether Lam will meet incumbent US President Joe Biden during this visit or not?
Before Lam’s trip to the US, there was also news that Hanoi had planned for him to meet with President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump during this trip.
But recently, lawyer Vu Duc Khanh assessed that Vietnamese diplomacy had failed when it failed to reach the necessary agreement with US diplomatic officials to design an official visit for him.
According to lawyer Vu Duc Khanh’s own source, at the last minute, President Joe Biden refused to receive Lam because of the demands made by the US side was deliberately delayed by Hanoi. Specifically, Lam and his faction have not demonstrated their determination to change, which is what US officials expect. Likewise, Vietnam’s foreign policy up to this point has been leaning more towards Beijing.
According to the above source, officials of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs continue to make efforts to arrange a meeting between Biden and Lam, on the sidelines of meetings at the United Nations General Assembly. In the worst case, Vietnamese diplomacy can arrange for Lam to appear with Biden, at the US President’s banquet for heads of state attending this session of the United Nations General Assembly.
However, informed sources from the Vietnamese side affirmed that because the US presidential election, between the two candidates Donald Trump and Kamara Harris, is less than 2 months away, Lam is not very “keen” on the program of meeting and working with the leaders of the ruling Democratic Party.
On September 19, state media announced that the Trump Group, owned by the family of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, is considering investment opportunities in Hung Yen province – To Lam’s hometown.
Accordingly, a representative of The Trump Organization expressed his desire to cooperate and invest in a project to build a hotel, golf course and entertainment complex in Hung Yen province. It is not known whether this story has any impact on the lack of a meeting between Mr. To Lam and Biden.
However, if Lam really fails in his upcoming trip to the US, the main reason is probably the lack of consensus from the military.
Tra My – Thoibao.de
