She also proposed that the US reduce trade barriers against Vietnamese commodities imported into the US market.

Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam National Assembly, made the proposal while meeting with a number of US Congressmen during her visit to Washington DC from June 24-26.

Among the hosts were Daniel Inouye, chairman of the US Senate Committee on Appropriations; John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Senators John McCain, Richard Lugar and Jim Webb.

Ngan appreciated Congress leaders and senior Senators for their pioneer role and important contributions to expanding cooperation between the two countries and two legislatures.

She welcomed the Senate’s recent approval of the 2012 Farm Bill which includes provisions for catfish in favour of Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders noted that the US-Vietnam relations have developed well in various areas since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1995.

They spoke highly of Vietnam’s resolve to restructure its economy and accelerate international integration comprehensively.

They said the US will support Vietnam in restructuring its economy, improving the quality of human resources through education and training, and addressing other social issues such as environmental pollution, climate change, and HIV prevention.

Both sides discussed measures to increase high-level exchanges of visits between the two legislative bodies. They underlined the need to establish a regular exchange mechanism to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

The Vietnamese and US leaders exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, and agreed that both sides will work closely together at international forums such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS).

During her stay, Ngan attended a workshop on ‘Vietnam’s economic restructuring and women’s role’ hosted by Asia Foundation, and met with executives of several economic groups.