Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had meetings with overseasVietnamese (OV) and US businessmen and scientists in San Francisco on May 17morning (US time) within the framework of his working trip to the US toattend the ASEAN-US Special Summit.

At a working breakfast withrepresentatives from several OV-owned enterprises in the fields of finance andtechnology, the PM shared the difficulties and challenges of OVs and OV businessmenin the US caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government leader expressed hisrespect and gratitude for their contributions to Vietnam’s pandemic preventionand control, both materially and spiritually.

He expressed his hope that OV entrepreneurs will stayhealthy, enjoy better business, respect local law, and contribute more to thehomeland as well as the Vietnam- US relations.

The Vietnamese Party and State always consider the OVcommunity as an integral part of Vietnam, and have set forth many guidelines,policies and specific measures to create more and more favourable conditionsfor them to visit the homeland and engage in investment and business,scientific - technological cooperation, and cultural - artactivities, the PM said.

He instructed relevant agencies to consider and build virtual working mechanisms to facilitate contact with OVs. 

OV businessmen made recommendations on policies to attracttalents, promote the image of Vietnam, and mechanisms and policies of the Partyand State to global investors, as well as proposals on specific projects andprogrammes underway in the country.

Receiving Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Operationsat Microsoft Asia Pacific Sandy Gupta and other leading officials of Microsoft,PM Chinh congratulated Microsoft on its successes in recent times and itsimplementation of a digital transformation programme globally, including in Vietnam.He said he hopes Microsoft will effectively implement its programmes in Vietnam andcontribute recommendations to help Vietnam effectively implement its digitaltransformation programme and build a digital government, a digital society, anddigital citizens.

Microsoft executives said that this century isAsia's century and Vietnam is a big contributor.

As Vietnam has a young population and is a dynamic country ready to accept new technologies, Microsoft wishes to build digital skillsfor everyone, both in the public and private sectors; and develop data sciencein Vietnam. Currently, Microsoft is coordinating with the country's Ministry ofInformation and Communications to implement these programmes, and wants tocooperate with Vietnam in digital transformation, network security andhelping the country achieve the goal of reducing gas emissions to zero by 2050,thus helping it build a green economy, digital economy, sustainable development,they said.

The same day, the Vietnamese Government leader also met Prof.Dr. Ruth O’Hara, chair of the 2021-2022 Faculty Senate of the Academic Councilof Stanford University and Senior Associate Dean for Research in the StanfordUniversity School of Medicine, and several professors of the university.

He proposed the Stanford University help Vietnam build theBig Data, together with cooperation in AI training. He also sought the university's assistance in carrying out agreements reached during his trip, particularly in building institutions, sharing pandemic control experience, training human resources training, and researching and producing medical equipment and medicines. 

The US professors appreciated Vietnam's work to fight COVID-19, and stated that Stanford University andVietnam have a lot of potential for cooperation. They suggested somespecific projects such as a program to protect Vietnamese brains, prevention ofliver cancer caused by viruses, and a training programme for AI engineers./.