US Vice President Kamala Harris’ Vietnam trip delayed by ‘health incident’ in Hanoi

The US embassy has said that Vice President Kamala Harris‘ flight from Singapore to Vietnam was delayed by three hours on Tuesday after an “anomalous health incident” took place in Hanoi.

The US Vice President was due to visit Vietnam after a two-day stop in Singapore as part of a regional trip.

The embassy statement said that the Vice President‘s travelling delegation was delayed from departing Singapore because the Vice President’s office was made aware of a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident in Hanoi.

The phrase “anomalous health incident” is used to describe “Havana syndrome” , a psychogenic illness that has sickened diplomats in several countries.

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“After careful assessment, the decision was made to continue with the Vice President’s trip,” the statement added.

The trip, which included stops in Singapore and Vietnam, provided a forum for the Vice President to assert herself more directly in foreign affairs.

The Vice President also has opportunities to affirm what she and President Joe Biden view as core American values, including human rights.

In June, Harris struggled at points when her first major trip abroad took her to Mexico and Guatemala. Her unequivocal warning to migrants not to come to the US angered some progressive Democrats while doing little to mollify Republican critics who said the administration wasn’t doing enough to address a growth of crossings at the southern border.

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Earlier, David Shear, the former US ambassador said that Harris must be careful to offer a “positive” message to the nations, and avoid focusing entirely on China during her trip.

Associate Press had reported that Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, went into a tightened lockdown to battle its worst outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, just a day ahead of the arrival of Kamala Harris on a state visit.

The city had mobilized police and army troops to enforce the lockdown and to deliver food as well as necessities to each household, city authorities announced. Under the stricter measures imposed for at least two weeks, people in “high risk” districts are not allowed to leave their homes.