U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken broke ground at the site of the new U.S. Embassy in Vietnam on Saturday (April 15), hailing the development as a sign of broadening ties between the two countries, Reuters reports.
Blinken's visit to Hanoi follows after a phone call last month between U.S. President Joe Biden and the head of Vietnam's ruling Communist party, Nguyen Phu Trong.
Hanoi faces a delicate test in showing openness to the United States without angering China, a giant neighbor that supplies key inputs for Vietnam's vital export trade, or Russia, another traditional partner.
