SOURCE: Excerpt from U.S. State Department
Department Press Briefing
Washington, DC
July 3, 2018
QUESTION: Thank you so much. Related to travel, what is the Secretary planning to accomplish in Vietnam? Why did he think it was important to include on this trip? And what are the preparations going into the Putin-Trump summit?
And then I’d like to change —
MS NAUERT: Let me take one at a time.
QUESTION: Okay.
MS NAUERT: Everybody will tell you I do one at a time. In terms of Vietnam, Vietnam is an important partner of the United States. Vietnam is an incredible example of a country, a communist country that has yet done very well, done well in terms of its economy, in terms of what it provides its people, in terms of the trade and the trade that the United States and many other countries do with Vietnam. So I think it’s just a good example of a country that’s doing well in the region, and that’s part of the reason why we’re planning to travel there. The Secretary has a lot of meetings planned while he’s there, also a dinner that he’ll be attending where he’ll be addressing some business leaders there, so – have a good chance to talk with him about that.
QUESTION: Sorry, is that the extent of the relationship? Vietnam also throws dissidents in jail – bloggers, et cetera – people who you —
MS NAUERT: And we have covered that, yep.
QUESTION: So is that going to be part of his visit as well or is it —
MS NAUERT: You know what, I don’t have a full readout on what exactly that visit will entail, but as you know, Matt, when we have conversations with other governments there are a whole host of things that come up and a lot of things that we discuss privately that we don’t discuss here every single day.
Okay. Yeah.
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2018/07/283773.htm