Hanoi (VNA) – US President Barack Obama’s official visit to Vietnam from May 23-25 is expected to usher in a new period of more rapid and stronger development in relations between the two countries. Obama is the third consecutive US President to visit Vietnam. Through the trip, he will enter his name in the history of bilateral ties. It will take place hours after tens of millions of Vietnamese voters go to the polls to elect deputies to the 14th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for 2016-2021. Besides, the country’s new leadership was established earlier this year after the 12 th National Party Congress to drive the nation forward in the next five years. Bilaterally, the visit is hoped to increase meetings between the two countries’ leaders and high-ranking officials. Earlier, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a visit to the US in July 2015 at the invitation of President Obama. The US leader also had bilateral meetings with then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 2015 and the Special ASEAN-US Leaders Summit in Sunnylands, the US in February 2016. Apart from underscoring the US’s commitments to its Rebalance to Asia-Pacific, President Obama’s visit aims to seek measures to step up the strategic economic links with Vietnam. This is an occasion for Vietnam to show its policy of multilateralisation and diversification of relations in the context of intensive and comprehensive international integration. During his trip, the US leader will, for sure, witness great and all-round achievements brought about by the Doi Moi (reform) process, as well as political, economic, cultural and educational activities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. He and Vietnamese leaders will assess attainments of the bilateral relationship, which experienced a 20-year war, 30 years of economic and military embargoes and 20 years of normalisation before being elevated to a comprehensive partnership in 2013. In recent years, the two countries have faced an urgent need to have stronger steps to lift their partnership to a new level. Therefore, during the trip, the two sides are expected to compare notes on a large number of issues. Vietnam and the US see huge potential for cooperation in numerous fields, ranging from politics, national defence, maritime security and safety to education-training, people-to-people exchange, the settlement of humanitarian issues and post-war consequences, climate change response, environmental protection and coping with other global challenges. Outcomes to be reached during the visit will lay a foundation and create a momentum for the two countries’ ties, helping them overcome remaining challenges and obstacles in the spirit of putting aside the past, surmounting difficulties, promoting similarities and heading towards the future. With their resolve and enhanced mutual political trust, the two countries will advance their comprehensive partnership to a new level, serving the interests of their people and contributing to peace, stability and development cooperation in the region and the world at large.-VNA