Vietnam seeks to boost ties with US states

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh has had a working visit to Florida and Arkansas States of the US to boost partnerships between the localities and Vietnam, especially in economy, trade, investment and education.

In Florida, Ambassador Vinh had a meeting with Congressman Ted Yoho, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives and visited a number of localities and trade and research agencies of the state.

The official also worked with some local businesses, leaders of the Biotechnology Research Centre of the University of Florida, and had a talk with lecturers and students of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Ted Yoho showed his delight at the growth of the Vietnam-US relations over the past years, especially in 2017 with the fruitful visit of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the US in May 2017 and a Vietnam tour of US President Donald Trump in November 2017.

At the meetings, Vinh introduced the potential and strengths of Vietnam, pledging that Vietnamese representative office in the US will work to connect Florida businesses with Vietnamese peers. Vietnam is now Florida’s ninth largest trade partner with two-way trade of nearly 2 billion USD.

Florida’s firms spoke highly of Vietnam’s economic development and hoped that Florida will become one of Vietnam’s leading economic-trade partners in the US.

During his stay in Arkansas, Ambassador Vinh had a meeting with Governor Asa Hutchinson and a roundtable with local businesses as well as visited the Murphy Oil company and Vinh Long-Arkansas company, a Vietnamese firm in the state.

Hutchinson lauded the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, expressing his hope that cooperation between Arkansas and Vietnam will be strengthened, especially in investment and business. He also vowed to support Vietnamese firms operating in the locality.

Vinh affirmed that Vietnam will continue promoting ties with the US, while working with Arkansas to seek new collaboration opportunities for mutual benefit.

The diplomat asked Arkansas to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses as well as Vietnamese community in the locality.

At the meeting with local firms, Vinh briefed them on cooperation potential between the two sides, while answering their questions on investment opportunities and environment in Vietnam.

Arkansas businesses were interested in Vietnam, especially in retail, production, health care services, agriculture, and clean energy.

On February 2, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US held a celebration of the upcoming traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) with the participation of about 300 overseas Vietnamese people in Washington and surrounding localities.-VNA