⁍ Vietnam, which also shares concern about an increasingly assertive China, was a late addition to the trip.

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⁍ The main concern in Vietnam is China’s claims in the South China Sea.

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⁍ China has said the United States should stop its unprovoked accusations and attacks.

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– Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Vietnam’s prime minister in the country’s capital Friday—a week after the release of a Vietnamese-born US citizen who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for “attempting to overthrow the state.” Michael Nguyen, who returned to his California home last week, was freed for humanitarian reasons, Vietnam’s foreign ministry said in a statement hours before Pompeo’s arrival in Hanoi, per Reuters. The statement made no reference to Nguyen’s account of his arrest and interrogation, including his claim in a news conference on Wednesday that he had been kidnapped. Pompeo’s visit to Vietnam was a late addition to a trip that included Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, and Indonesia. “We look forward to continuing to work together to build on our relationship and to make the region—throughout Southeast Asia, Asia and the Indo-Pacific—safe and peaceful and prosperous,” said Pompeo, who greeted Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc with an elbow bump before their meeting. Phuc said he sought “sincere cooperation” in support of a peaceful region and progress in trade and investment ties. While there was no public mention of China on Friday, Pompeo has urged Southeast Asian countries to stand up to its bullying and to reassess business deals with its state firms. In Sri Lanka on Wednesday, Pompeo said the Chinese Communist Party was operating as a “predator.” China has said the United States should stop its unprovoked accusations and attacks.