According to the ambassador, both Vietnam and the US have narrowed the gap during their January meeting and negotiators of the two countries are optimistic about concluding bilateral negotiations at the upcoming round scheduled for March 27.

The ambassador said he will try to lobby the US congress to grant permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to Vietnam due to its significant development achievements in recent times. He said Vietnam has made great strides in meeting the requirements for socio-economic development and improving people’s lives. In addition, millions of Vietnamese people have the chance to practise religious activities.

He said the US congress will consider granting PNTR to Vietnam based on the results of bilateral and multilateral negotiations on Vietnam’s WTO membership bid scheduled for late March. The granting depends a lot on the early conclusion of bilateral negotiations and the vote is expected to take place before the 14^th Asia-Pacific Co-operation Summit to be held in Hanoi in November this year.