Clinton condemns Vietnam leadership

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for closer ties between Washington and its former wartime foe Vietnam, even as she said the government in Hanoi isn't doing enough to respect human rights.

Speaking in the Vietnamese capital on Tuesday in the midst of a cross-Asia tour, Mrs. Clinton touted the widening commercial links between the two nations, with trade reaching $22 billion in 2011, from $1 billion in 2001. The two countries have also moved closer in recent years as Vietnam seeks more support in its long-running disputes with China. Beijing's extensive territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea overlap with those of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations, leading to growing fears of a regional conflict.

Mrs. Clinton said she hoped Asian leaders would work together to come up with a solution to the territorial disputes.