Vietnam, U.S. to open offices

Vietnam, U.S. to open offices

HANOI (AFP): Vietnam's UN ambassador has said that Hanoi and Washington could open liaison offices -- a big step towards normal diplomatic links -- "in the next few weeks," a report said here yesterday.

"The preparation is nearly finished. I hope the liaison office will be officially opened in the next few weeks," Le Bang said in an interview with the Ho Chi Minh City newspaper paper Thanh Nien.

"Relations between Vietnam and the United States are developing strongly," the ambassador to the United Nations told the tri-weekly.

He said the liaison offices would "play the role of consulates," adding: "Vietnamese citizens going to the United States to travel or work, and U.S. citizens going to Vietnam, will be able to get entry visas in Hanoi and Washington."