Washington (VNA) - Vietnamese Ambassadorto the US Ha Kim Ngoc has called on US firms to continue to accompany the VietnameseGovernment and people in the fight against COVID-19 and bolster socioeconomic development.

The Ambassador made the appeal at an onlinedialogue in Washington on April 16 chaired by Myron Brilliant, Executive Vice President of the US Chamber of Commerce (USCC).

The dialoguewas also attended by ambassadors from Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia, the IndonesianChargé d’affaires, and representatives of nearly 50 major US firms in finance, healthcare,pharmaceuticals, technology, and energy.

Representatives from the USCC and US firmsexpressed a wish to accompany governments through public-private partnerships (PPPs)to tackle COVID-19 and bring production recovery plans to life after the pandemichas passed.

The Singaporean and Malaysian ambassadors andthe Indonesian Chargé d’affaires affirmed their country’s support for regionalcooperation initiatives raised by Vietnam in its role as ASEAN Chair 2020.

AmbassadorNgoc said that apart from the unprecedented challenges, COVID-19 has also helpedto strengthen partnerships and international cooperation and Vietnam has playedan active part in regional and global efforts to fight the pandemic.

As ASEANChair 2020, Vietnam has headed a range of important meetings and identified cooperationinitiatives within ASEAN and between the bloc and its partners, he added.

The Ambassadoralso emphasized that with the efforts of both sides, Vietnam and the US have maintainedthe pace of their cooperation in all fields, especially healthcare, with the productionof medical equipment and protective gear in Vietnam for export to the US beingan example of effective collaboration.

RegardingVietnam’s fight against COVID-19, Ambassador Ngoc said the Vietnamese Governmentand people are making every effort to complete the twin targets of fighting thevirus and protecting public health while assisting economic and social sectors toovercome difficulties.

Economicstimulus packages have been introduced with the aim of leaving nobody behind, headded.

He usedthe occasion to call on US firms to further their investment in Vietnam and theregion, in order to optimize opportunities after the pandemic is brought under control.

Patrick Kilbride, Senior VicePresident of the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) at the USCC, said US enterprises standready to engage in PPPs with governments in the production of pharmaceutical productsand protective equipment as well as in communications activities in the fight againstCOVID-19./.