Former US President Bill Clinton will visit Vietnam for the first time since 2000 on July 18 as part of his Asia-Pacific trip which also includes Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

According to a release by the Clinton Foundation, the purpose of his stop in Vietnam is to check in on the Foundation’s work in the country and to deliver remarks at the 20th International AIDS Conference.

“Since leaving office, President Clinton has focused on the Asia/Pacific region – working to improve access to life saving medication through the Clinton Health Access Initiative; supporting commitments to global philanthropy through the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI); and addressing the causes of climate change through the Clinton Climate Initiative,” said the release.

Clinton's visit in November 2000 was the first by a US President to Vietnam since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1995.

He has since visited the country several times to monitor the work of his foundation.

[Thanh Nien // Photo via Tim Hamilton]