San Francisco (VNA) - PresidentVo Van Thuong attended and delivered a speech at a roundtable connecting Vietnamese and US businessesand localities in San Francisco on November 15 afternoon (local time) as part ofhis trip to att🉐end the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week and bilateral activities inthe US.

The event gathered crowds of officials from agencies andlocalities, and representatives from businesses of the two countries. In his remarks, President Thuong said Vietnam 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 toinnovate and improve its institutions to create the most favourableinvestment and business environment for US enterprises to invest and expand theirproduction in Vietnam. Issuesthat businesses are not satisfied with, feeling uneasy about administrativeprocedures and how to resolve difficulties, are also the priorities thatVietnam is actively addressing, the President noted. The Vietnamese leader reiterated the milestone in the bilateral relations with the establishment of the comprehensive strategicpartnership between Vietnam and the US in September this year, which encompassescooperation in areas such as economy, trade, investment, education,training, science-technology, and local-level collaboration. He expressed his belief that cooperation between the twocountries will be more positive and stronger in the coming time, stressing thathigh-level agreements and cooperation only come true and bring results whenthere is a close connection between businesses, educational institutions andlocalities in both nations. The impressive successes of many leading US companies that haveinvested in Vietnam since the two sides normalised their relations are clearevidence of investment opportunities and the potential for expanding investmentsin Vietnam, 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 Presidentto advance cooperation between the two countries, saying that thenewly-established comprehensive strategic partnership serves as a basis fordeveloping cooperation in the semiconductor industry. Vietnam's strengths and cooperation from the US will help buildskills for the workforce of both countries, and fully tap their potential,he noted. The increasingly robust change in Vietnam signals promisingprospects for future cooperation between the two countries, he said, addingthat US companies have invested billions of USD in Vietnam to establish newsupply chains, create high-quality jobs, and provide goods and services withworld-class standards. He suggested the Vietnamese side create a more favourableinvestment environment, allowing US businesses to invest stably in the country. Providing examples of successful opportunities for US investorsin Vietnam, Toloui noted that in Ho Chi Minh City, Intel is a pioneer in developing thesemiconductor industry, helping Vietnam deeply join the global value chain in a sustainable manner. Additionally, the two countries have also collaborated in many importantprojects on infrastructure construction and alloy production in Hai Phong andDa Nang cities, he added. At the event, President Thuong and US officials witnessed the exchangeof cooperation agreements between ministries, sectors, and localities of thetwo countries in a number of fields such as education – training; greenhouse gas emission reduction; developing industrial parks, urban and eco-tourism areas, andseaport infrastructure; consumption of agricultural products; incubating humanresources for microchip design; artificial intelligence and renewableenergy development./.