Blinken strengthens US-Vietnam ties during visit to Hanoi amidst China tensions.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed a desire to deepen and upgrade their ties during Blinken's first visit to Vietnam as the top US diplomat. The US seeks to solidify alliances in the region to counter an increasingly assertive China. Vietnam is a crucial Southeast Asian trading partner that Washington wants to bolster ties with, but for Hanoi, it has been a difficult balancing act between cooperating with Washington without upsetting Beijing. Blinken also emphasized the importance of human rights during his meeting with Chinh.