U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
- After an “abnormal” health incident in Hanoi, US Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Vietnam was postponed.
- The U.S. government often uses the term abnormal health events to describe Havana syndrome, which has symptoms such as dizziness and memory loss.
- Harris was later allowed to travel.
The U.S. Embassy in the capitals of Southeast Asian countries said in a statement that due to an unexplained health incident in Hanoi, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s visit to Vietnam was postponed on Tuesday.
Harris, who ended his three-day trip in Singapore, was originally scheduled to fly to Hanoi later on Tuesday, but was unexpectedly delayed by three hours due to an “abnormal health incident.”
“Abnormal health event” is a term often used by the U.S. government to describe Havana syndrome, which has symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, migraine, and memory loss. It is so named because it was first named by the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. Of U.S. officials reported in 2016.
The U.S. Embassy statement said: “The Vice President’s Office has been informed of recent reports of possible abnormal health incidents in Hanoi, Vietnam.”
“After careful evaluation, it was decided to continue the Vice President’s visit,” the statement said, but did not elaborate.
A Harris spokesperson declined to comment on the reason for the delay.
CIA Director William Burns said that about 200 U.S. officials and relatives fell ill due to “Havana Syndrome”, including about 100 CIA officials and their families.
He said that in December last year, a team from the National Academy of Sciences discovered that a specious theory was that “directed energy” beams caused this syndrome.
He said that this syndrome was “very likely” to be caused by man-made, and Russia may be responsible for it, adding that he was concealing the exact conclusion before further investigation.
Moscow denied involvement.
Vietnam does not choose side stations
As Harris’ Vietnam trip was postponed, Vietnamese Prime Minister Fan Mingzheng held an unannounced visit with Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo, during which he stated that Vietnam would not ally with any country.
Early on Tuesday, Harris accuses Beijing of coercion And intimidation to support claims in the South China Sea. This was her sharpest comment on China during her visit to Southeast Asia. She said the region is vital to the security of the United States.
The Vietnamese government said in a statement: “The Prime Minister stated that Vietnam adheres to an independent, self-reliant, multilateral and diversified foreign policy and is a responsible member of the international community.”
“Vietnam will not ally with one country against another,” it said.
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved in accordance with international law and “high-level common sense.” It added that China will provide COVID-19 vaccine support to Vietnam.
The US government called its competition with China “the biggest geopolitical test of the century.” Senior government officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin conducted a series of high-profile visits to Southeast Asia.
