Press Release - Dr. Jill Biden Travels to Hanoi, Vietnam to Highlight Women's Empowerment

Dr. Jill Biden is traveling to Hanoi, Vietnam for her second stop on a four-country visit to Asia to engage government and civil society partners on issues related to economic empowerment and educational opportunities for women and girls. She will also participate in events in Japan as part of her Joining Forces initiative to support service members, veterans, and military families. Dr. Biden is joined by Catherine Russell, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues; Scot Marciel, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and Christie Vilsack, Senior Advisor for International Education, USAID.

Upon arrival in Hanoi on Sunday, Dr. Biden will commemorate the 20th anniversary of normalization of U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations by participating in an event highlighting the public-private partnership between the U.S. Embassy and the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, Helmets for Kids. At the event, Dr. Biden will meet with local children and who have recently received bicycle helmets as part of an effort to curb the high number of Vietnamese kids who do not have protective helmets.

Afterwards, Dr. Biden will visit the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency where she will attend a briefing and learn about efforts to pursue the fullest possible accounting for military personnel still missing in Vietnam from the Vietnam War. Following the briefing, Dr. Biden will meet with members of Peace Trees, an American non-government organization that works to assist Vietnamese people affected by remnants of war.

Later, Dr. Biden will meet with Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan to discuss women's issues and Vietnam's higher education system.

In the evening, Dr. Biden will deliver remarks at a reception for Vietnamese women leaders hosted by the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam.

On Monday, Dr. Biden will travel to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi for a meeting with Mai Thi Hanh, wife of President Sang of Vietnam. The two will highlight the progress the United States and Vietnam have made since establishing diplomatic relations, as well as potential areas for expanded cooperation, including women and education.

Afterwards, Dr. Biden will visit the Ba Vi Orphanage where she will tour the facility and learn about U.S. government efforts to combat HIV and AIDS.

Later, Dr. Biden will depart Hanoi en route Ho Chi Minh City.