Hanoi’s authorities and the US Embassy in Hanoi on September 20 signed an agreement on land lease for the construction of a new premises of the embassy building as its personnel has been expanded fast in paralel with the Vietnam-US relationship. 
Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink sign the agreement on September 20. Photo: VNA
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Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink signed the agreement in attendance of Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Cuong and Michael S. Hoza, advisor at the US Department of State, the Kinh Te & Do Thi newspaper reported.
Speaking at the agreement signing, Chung said the land lease is in line with the Vietnamese government’s request to facilitate the construction of a new building to house the US embassy.
The agreement was reached after two years of negotiations, Chung said, adding that procedures for the cooperation have been finalized to kick off the building in 2020 when the two former war foes mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic normalization.
He expected the remaining work for the construction of the new seat of the US embassy in Hanoi and that of the Vietnamese embassy in the US would be soon complete.
Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink said the agreement marks a milestone in the bilateral ties which have been strengthening with significant support from Hanoi’s authorities.
He expected that the US embassy would boost its cooperation with the city to become one of Hanoi’s leading partners.
The ambassador hoped that the embassy’s headquarter would be a world-class building, contributing to beautifying Hanoi, a City for Peace recognized by the UNESCO.
Choosing location for a new building of the US embassy had been mentioned in the joint statement during the visit given to the White House by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in late May 2017.
The current US Embassy premises in Hanoi, which was built 24 years ago, is located at No.7 Lang Ha Street. Part of the embassy staff is located at Rose Garden building at No.170 Ngoc Khanh Street.
The US side had mentioned the construction of a new embassy premises since 2008 under the term of the then Ambassador Michael Michalak.
Former US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius said at a press conference before ending his term in Vietnam that he expected his successor Daniel Kritenbrink would promote the construction of the new headquarters suitable with the US position and the flourishing bilateral ties.
Details of the new embassy premises were not mentioned at the agreement signing ceremony on September 20 but local media has once revealed the location might be in Pham Van Bach Street in Cau Giay district. The place is good to connect with other parts of the city, mostly the National Convention Center, some five-star hotels nearby, wide roads to the airport, and good infrastructure.
