(VOVworld) - The Vietnam-US Friendship Society organised a gathering in Hanoi on Friday, ahead of the impending visit of US President Barack Obama to Vietnam.

An US veteran helps find remains of Vietnamese soldiers ​near Phuoc Tuong mountain pass in the central province of Thua Thien - Hue. (Photo: VNA)

Chairman of the association, Nguyen Tam Chien, who is also former ambassador to the US, recalled milestones in the two countries’ cultural and people-to-people exchanges over the past 60 years.

Chien said cultural life was the origin of happiness and mutual understanding thus the two peoples should jointly take part in more practical activities to better understand each other and boost ties further.