RANCHO MIRAGE, California (REUTERS) - US President Barack Obama will visit Vietnam in May during a trip to Asia, a White House official said on Monday (Feb 15).

Mr Obama accepted the invitation by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during a meeting at a summit of South-east Asian nations in California.

"The president and Prime Minister Dung discussed the continued strengthening of US-Vietnam relations in 2015, which marked the 20th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations," the official said.

"The leaders noted the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, maritime security, and human rights to advancing bilateral relations," he said.