Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Trade Office's branch in Houston has rolled out a range of initiatives to deepen business ties and showcase leading Vietnamese enterprises to chambers of commerce across the southern US, with a view to boosting trade and investment, broadening market access, and strengthening links in industry, commerce and import–export services in early 2026.
On January 14–15, the branch convened an in-person seminar with two US associations and representatives of THACO Industries Group, drawing more than 60 participants from businesses in both countries. Several Vietnamese firms joined online, including CMC Global under CMC Technology Group, alongside representatives of industrial parks, the Trade and Investment Promotion Support Centre of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Ministry of Industry and Trade), and professors and experts from US and Vietnamese universities and agencies.
Since 2025, the branch has facilitated introductions between THACO Industries and multiple US partners to advance cooperation in trade, manufacturing and investment. US partners have sent delegations to Vietnam to visit the Chu Lai Industrial Park, with the parties gradually rolling out joint activities in manufacturing and import–export in the period ahead.
In this January, THACO Industries also paid a working visit to the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston, holding direct meetings with US associations, chambers of commerce and partners at an equipment manufacturing facility in Houston introduced by the Vietnamese Trade Office's branch in Houston.
At the branch’s events, leaders of major Vietnamese enterprises presented their capabilities, US market strategies, partner-search plans and project portfolios spanning industrial and high-tech sectors. They also engaged with US chambers and industry associations to exchange insights and explore cooperation opportunities.
During the early-2026 seminar, professors Huynh The Du and Tran Luong Son, Vietnamese expatriate scholars in the US, shared research perspectives and practical experience on economic and trade development, technology transfer, start-ups and application in the US market. Discussions and business contributions from both sides focused on market intelligence, partner matching, economic models, import–export and investment solutions, 2026 business trends, and forecasts of socio-economic impacts and consumer segments.
Jagdip Ahluwalia, Executive Director of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) in Houston, advised businesses not to rush into direct partner searches when entering a new market like the US, but to work with local partners and professional, licensed and experienced organisations, such as Vietnamese trade offices, associations, consulting firms or industry peers, to verify partner capacity and ensure sustainable, effective cooperation.
Sam Chang, a representative of the Asian Chamber of Commerce in Houston (ACC), which has more than 500 member companies across sectors, said the chamber stands ready to support Asian firms entering the US market and to introduce new partners and investment opportunities for Vietnamese businesses, noting that the ACC has established a dedicated committee for Vietnam-related activities./.
