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| US Consul General in Vietnam Susan Burns answers questions from The Gioi & Viet Nam Newspaper on the sidelines of the Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum. (Photo: Ben Thanh) |
In your opinion, how does the upgraded Vietnam-US relationship contribute to sustainable growth in Vietnam?
First of all, we are very pleased with the upgrade of our relationship during the historic visit of US President Joe Biden last week. In fact, I think the upgrade of our relationship from Comprehensive Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has created a new framework to strengthen the existing cooperation in many different areas.
A big part of that is certainly in the economic realm. There is nothing that our two countries are doing in this area that is not related to sustainable development. Because, in parallel with Vietnam’s strong commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, American businesses always want to be able to develop and grow sustainably in the world. In my opinion, this is a “rare” opportunity and we are very keen to seize it.
In your opinion, how are Vietnamese and US businesses cooperating to promote sustainable economic growth?
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung co-chaired a business conference, attended by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. At the event, US companies such as Microsoft, Meta and NVIDIA shared some ways they can increase investment in the high-tech sector in Vietnam.
I think this is a very important point and in fact they have been here before. Cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) is also key. Ultimately, we want to support Vietnam in creating more jobs and gradually becoming a knowledge-based economy and at a higher level.
Can you name some initiatives and partnerships that promote cooperation in emerging technologies and sustainable development?
One area of particular interest to us in Ho Chi Minh City is the semiconductor sector. During the meeting last week, the leaders of both countries also mentioned the minutes of cooperation in the field of climate change. These relate to human resource development and this is certainly a key aspect in moving the cooperation between the two countries forward.
What can both sides do to create an environment for young Vietnamese people to have the skills to take on more highly skilled jobs in the semiconductor field?
Our recent $2 million grant is part of this workforce development effort. Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak with eight different semiconductor companies in Vietnam. Some, such as Synapse and Marvell, are looking to expand their operations and hire more Vietnamese engineers as your country becomes more prominent in the semiconductor industry. This shift in the semiconductor sector will be critical to growth, especially in the South.
Furthermore, I think that as these businesses grow, they will definitely want to use green energy. Every American company I have met in Ho Chi Minh City has said they want to install solar panels on their roofs. Green energy is important for growth and I am glad to see the city focus on this issue at the Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum.
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