By Carl Thayer
In an unprecedented move, the secretary-general of Vietnam’s Communist Party will visit the United States.
Nguyen Phu Trong, the Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party, will visit Washington from July 6-9 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the United States.
Trong’s visit is unprecedented because it marks the first time that the leader of the Vietnam Communist Party will visit the United States in an official capacity.
Diplomatic sources report that Vietnam lobbied for this visit and that one sticking point was protocol. The Vietnamese side wanted Secretary General Trong to be received by President Barack Obama in the White House. This created a protocol issue because Secretary General Trong has no counterpart in the U.S. political system.
Media sources report that Secretary General Trong will be received by Vice President Joe Biden in the The White House and that President Barack Obama will join in the discussions. There are rumors that Trong may meet with Hillary Clinton.
Read the full story at The Diplomat