Hanoi (VNA) – Minister ofPlanning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung has voiced his hope that US enterpriseswill become the biggest investor in Vietnam to seize every cooperationopportunity in the countries’ development process on the basis of equality,mutual respect, and mutual benefits.

He made the remark at a meeting witha business delegation of the US - ASEAN Business Council (USABC) in Hanoi onMarch 21.

Highlighting the two countries’ comprehensiveand fruitful relations, Minister Dung said the US is currently the secondlargest trading partner and one of the leading export markets of Vietnam. It isalso an important ODA provider and the 11th biggest among the 142countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam highly values the fruitfulinvestment and business activities of US investors and hopes they will maintaintheir trust and expand investment, trade, and development cooperation in thecountry, he noted.

The official was of the view that there is huge cooperation potential in the fields of green growth, digital economy,science - technology development, and innovation, adding that Vietnamencourages and prioritises quality and focus-driven foreign direct investment.

The country is also implementingpolicies to help businesses step up investment in science - technology andimprove their production capacity to engage in global supply chains, particularlyin the spheres of high technology, innovation, green energy, renewable energy,finance - banking, health care, human resource training, infrastructure, andenvironment, according to Dung.

The minister affirmed that the Vietnamese andUS economies are complementary to each other and still hold much potential forcooperation and development in the future.

USABC President and CEO Ted Osius, who is a former US Ambassador to Vietnam, said US firms strongly believe in Vietnam’s growthprospects and always want to seek business and investment cooperation chancesin the country.

Many business delegationsof the USABC have come to Vietnam in the past, but this time, there are up to 50 firms,including major ones like Boeing, Coca-Cola, CitiBank, Meta, SpaceX, Netflix,Abbott, and AES, operating in various sectors, which once again demonstrates USenterprises and investors’ interest in Vietnam, he went on.

At the meeting, representatives of USenterprises expressed the intention of setting up or expanding investment andbusiness activities in Vietnam.

Minister Dung said Vietnam alwayshopes to attract investment from the US, and that US businesses’ contributionsto bilateral investment and trade ties are considerable, via not only economicpartnerships but also policy opinions and proposals about investment climateimprovement and policy and law perfection submitted to the VietnameseGovernment.

The US currently has 1,223 valid projects worth over 11.4 billion USD inVietnam, ranking 11th among the 142 countries and territoriesinvesting here. Meanwhile, it ranks 10th among the 80 countrieswhere Vietnamese firms are investing in.

Bilateral trade hit a record of over123 billion USD in 2022, up 11% year on year, turning the US into the secondbiggest trading partner of Vietnam, and Vietnam the eighth largest one of theNorth American nation./.