U.S. President Joe Biden salutes as he boards Air Force One before departure from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi September 11, 2023, after a two-day visit to Vietnam. Photo from AFP
US President Joe Biden and his delegation arrived at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi on Monday afternoon to depart the capital, ending their 24-hour visit to Vietnam.
Around 3:15 p.m., after spending 10 minutes paying respects to the late Sen. John McCain at a monument on Truc Bach Lake, Biden and his delegation began leaving Hanoi and finishing their visit to Vietnam.
Police officers were stationed on several streets in Hanoi, such as Tran Nhat Duat, Tran Quang Khai and Trang Tien. The teams made up of police, militia and volunteers were spaced about one meter apart.
Under the Long Bien Bridge, areas near the market were less crowded than usual, while sidewalk fruit sellers moved their wares to stores. The houses along the streets had their blinders closed.
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A car carrying U.S. President Joe Biden near the Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi on September 11, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Chinh |
Around 3:20 p.m., the entourage passed under the Long Bien Bridge to go to Trang Tien. The vehicles passed Hanoi Opera House and other iconic sites.
Biden began his visit to Vietnam on Sunday afternoon. Over the next 24 hours, he participated in several activities, including a meeting with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, during which the two leaders announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and United States.
With this visit, Biden becomes the fifth US president to visit Vietnam since the normalization of relations between the two countries in 1995.
