U.S. and Vietnam tackling human rights issues ahead of Obama visit

Associated Press

The United States and Vietnam are discussing the communist nation’s detentions of government critics and restrictions on labor unions ahead of a visit next month by President Barack Obama. Senior officials of the two sides met Monday for annual talks on human rights issues, which remain a drag on relations between the former enemies.

U.S. President Barack Obama waves upon his departure from the Hannover, northern Germany, airport Monday, April 25, 2016 after a two-day official visit to Germany. He is preparing to visit Vietnam in May. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

State Department spokesman John Kirby says they discussed legal reform, freedom of expression and labor rights. The U.S. side also raised the cases of some individual detainees, but Kirby did not give details. Obama will visit Vietnam in May, becoming the third consecutive U.S. president to do so.

The U.S. and Vietnam have deepened ties as they find common cause in countering a rising China. Vietnam is also a member of a U.S.-backed regional trade pact.