Hanoi—The US-Asean Business Council (USABC) kicked off its major annual engagement with Vietnam on Monday, leading a delegation of more than 50 US companies to Hanoi for the 2023 Vietnam Business Mission and Health & Life Sciences (HLS) Industry Mission to Vietnam. This is USABC’s biggest delegation to Vietnam in decades, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership.
The delegation met with government officials and key stakeholders across several ministries and agencies to reinforce USABC’s dedication to advancing shared economic priorities with Vietnam. The delegation was co-led by the USABC President and CEO Ambassador Ted Osius and USABC Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director Ambassador Michael Michalak, both of whom are former US ambassadors to Vietnam.
During the Mission, USABC reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Vietnam’s efforts in maintaining macro-economic stability and resilience and its support for Vietnam’s digital transformation strategy and green energy transition. In addition, members proposed new areas of cooperation and highlighted ongoing initiatives in various sectors including agriculture, aerospace, energy, healthcare, logistics, tourism, digital economy, financial services, defense, innovation, and creative economy in Vietnam.
“The American business community considers Vietnam to be a strategic market in the region, and the strength of our delegation this year reaffirms our commitment to long-term investments in Vietnam,” said Ambassador Ted Osius. “Despite the projected headwinds for the global economy this year, US companies continue to maintain their high confidence in Vietnam’s growth prospects and the government’s leadership.”
The Vietnam Business Mission was immediately followed by the Council’s annual HLS Industry Mission to Vietnam. This two-day health-focused mission engaged the Ministry of Health and other government agencies to discuss how businesses can continue to support the government’s efforts to strengthen healthcare in Vietnam, and to share global best practices and public-private partnership models to support the development of sustainable health systems.
“As longstanding partners of Vietnam, the American business community stands ready to work with the Ministry of Health and support the development of Vietnam’s post-Covid healthcare environment, including to increase efficiency and resiliency against future pandemics,” said Ambassador Michael Michalak. “The strong cooperation and regular engagement on health between American businesses and the government of Vietnam stems from our mutual goal of bettering the health and well-being of the Vietnamese people.”
The two delegations met with Cabinet members and senior members of the Vietnamese government, including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue, Minister of Public Security To Lam, Chairman of the Central Party Committee on Economic Affairs Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan, and many other leaders from related governmental and health agencies.
Companies in the Council’s delegation include 3M, Abbott, AES, AIG, Amazon Web Services, Apple, Bay Global Strategies, Bell, Boeing, Boston Scientific, Citi, Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam, DKSH, Energy Capital Vietnam, FedEx, Ford, GE Healthcare, GSK, Illumina, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan, KKR, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, Mastercard, Medtronic, Meta, MSD, MSD Animal Health, Meta, Mondelez, Netflix, Novartis, Organon, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble, Reckitt, Roblox, Salesforce, Samtec, SpaceX, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage, UL Solutions, UPS, Varian Medical Systems, Viatris, Vinfast Manufacturing US, Visa, Vriens & Partners.
