President attends roundtable connecting Vietnamese, US businesses and localities

President Thưởng and US officials witnessed the exchange of cooperation agreements between ministries, sectors, and localities of the two countries. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

SAN FRANCISCO, US — President Võ Văn Thưởng attended and delivered a speech at a roundtable connecting Vietnamese and US businesses and localities in San Francisco on November 15 (local time) as part of his trip to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week and bilateral activities in the US.

The event gathered crowds of officials from agencies and localities, and representatives from businesses of the two countries.

In his remarks, President Thưởng said Việt Nam welcomes US investors to invest in areas of its interest such as high technology, chip manufacturing, semiconductor production, green economy, digital economy, and cashless payment.

He added that the Southeast Asian nation is doing its utmost to innovate and improve its institutions to create the most favourable investment and business environment for US enterprises to invest and expand their production in Việt Nam.

Issues that businesses are not satisfied with, feeling uneasy about administrative procedures and how to resolve difficulties, are also the priorities that Việt Nam is actively addressing, the President noted.

The Vietnamese leader reiterated the milestone in the bilateral relations with the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Việt Nam and the US in September this year, which encompasses cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, investment, education, training, science-technology, and local-level collaboration.

He expressed his belief that cooperation between the two countries will be more positive and stronger, stressing that high-level agreements and cooperation only come true and bring results when there is a close connection between businesses, educational institutions and localities in both nations.

The impressive successes of many leading US companies that have invested in Việt Nam since the two sides normalised their relations are clear evidence of investment opportunities and the potential for expanding investments in Việt Nam, he said.

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the US Department of State Ramin Toloui highly evaluated issues raised by the Vietnamese President to advance cooperation between the two countries, saying that the newly-established comprehensive strategic partnership serves as a basis for developing cooperation in the semiconductor industry.

Việt Nam's strengths and cooperation from the US will help build skills for the workforce of both countries, and fully tap their potential, he noted.

The increasingly robust change in Việt Nam signals promising prospects for future cooperation between the two countries, he said, adding that US companies have invested billions of US dollars in Việt Nam to establish new supply chains, create high-quality jobs, and provide goods and services with world-class standards.

He suggested the Vietnamese side create a more favourable investment environment, allowing US businesses to invest stably in the country.

Providing examples of successful opportunities for US investors in Việt Nam, Toloui noted that in HCM City, Intel is a pioneer in developing the semiconductor industry, helping Việt Nam deeply join the global value chain in a sustainable manner.

Additionally, the two countries have also collaborated in many important projects on infrastructure construction and alloy production in Hải Phòng and Đà Nẵng cities, he added.

At the event, President Thưởng and US officials witnessed the exchange of cooperation agreements between ministries, sectors, and localities of the two countries in a number of fields such as education – training; greenhouse gas emission reduction; developing industrial parks, urban and eco-tourism areas, and seaport infrastructure; consumption of agricultural products; incubating human resources for microchip design; artificial intelligence and renewable energy development.