Vietnam's Party General Secretary and State President To Lam met with leaders of international tech giants, including Apple, Meta, and Supermicro, in New York on Monday during his business trip to the U.S. from September 21 to 24.

Speaking with vice-president of global government affairs at Apple Nick Ammann, the Vietnamese leader affirmed that the investment and business expansion of Apple and its partners reflect Vietnam's increasingly important position within the goods supply chain and developing markets for Apple products.

He called on Apple and its partners to support Vietnamese enterprises in improving their production capacity and taking part in global supply chains; study the establishment of a research and development center at the Vietnam National Innovation Center; consider providing scholarships for Vietnamese students majoring in information technology, programming, electronics, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Ammann said Vietnam is not only a great market but also a production base for Apple to supply its goods to the world, stressing that many of Apple's key products are being manufactured in Vietnam.

He added that the group is developing and expanding production in Vietnam thanks to the government’s support.

Ammann spoke highly of the investment prospects in Vietnam, the value of the Vietnamese market in the group’s global strategy, and the country’s potential for engaging more deeply in its supply chain of important products.

At the meeting with Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, Vietnamese Party chief and State President Lam urged the group to continue working with Vietnamese agencies and partners to accelerate the deployment of specific cooperation activities in science, technology, innovation, and AI.

He affirmed that the Party, state, and people of Vietnam are committed to making conditions favorable for U.S. investors, including Meta, so that they can operate effectively and sustainably in the Southeast Asian country.

Clegg shared Meta’s plans to increase production in Vietnam for its Metaverse virtual reality glasses and his own plans to visit Vietnam next week, expressing his hope to have an opportunity to introduce 'Meta AI' to Vietnamese users, helping them to try the tool for free.

The Meta leader also pledged to continue supporting and expanding investment programs and encouraging innovation in Vietnam.

Talking with founder and senior vice-president of business development at Supermicro Wally Liaw, Lam welcomed the firm’s proposal to cooperate with Vietnam in developing AI data centers and AI server system manufacturing ecosystems.

The top Vietnamese official suggested that Supermicro and its partners negotiate a specific road map to implement cooperation projects in Vietnam, including collaborating with partners to explore the potential for expanding investment in the country and transforming Vietnam into a manufacturing hub for the group in the near future.

In response, Liaw said Vietnam is a promising market as it has policies to encourage the development of hi-tech sectors.

He reported that Supermicro recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam’s Sovico Group and expressed his interest in exploring further development and investment opportunities in the country.

During a meeting with Eric Schmidt, former chairman and CEO of Google, who played a key role in developing Google into one of the world's largest technology companies, the top Vietnamese official requested his support for investment, business development, and research in Vietnam's AI and semiconductor sectors.

The official also asked Schmidt to help Vietnam build strong ecosystems, develop high-quality talent, and connect with major global partners to foster related industries.

Schmidt said Vietnam has the potential to become a software hub in Asia and advised the country to focus on setting up more software companies specializing in AI. 

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, his spouse, and an entourage came to the U.S. to attend the United Nations Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly and engage in other working sessions in the North American country.

Lam’s working trip took place as Vietnam and the U.S. are celebrating the one-year anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership and looking forward to welcoming 30 years of the normalization of diplomatic relations in 2025.

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