Amid Afghanistan crisis, US VP Kamala Harris begins her Asia trip

Her Asia trip includes stops at Singapore and Vietnam.

Ahead of leaving for her trip, Harris tweeted: "Tonight I will depart for Southeast Asia, where I’ll visit Singapore and Vietnam. Southeast Asia is at the center of the Indo-Pacific – a region vital to our national security, our economic prosperity, and to the health of our people. Looking forward to a productive visit."

On reaching Singapore, Harris tweeted a thank you message to the country's foreign minister for the welcome at the airport.

"Thank you Foreign Minister @VivianBala for welcoming me to Singapore. Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific are critically important to the security and prosperity of the United States," her post read.

"The vice president will make clear throughout the trip that we do have an enduring commitment to the region," said a senior US official.

This comes amid criticism being mounted on the Joe Biden administration over the fiasco in Afghanistan following the Taliban's capture of capital city Kabul, after the US troops were pulled out

Facing severe criticism, US President Joe Biden last Monday broke his silence over the fiasco in Kabul following the Taliban's capture, stating his country's mission was never supposed to be nation building in Afghanistan and that he "stands squarely behind his decision."

"Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation building.  It was never supposed to be creating a unified, centralized democracy," Biden had said in an address to the nation.