US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper speaks at the conference to begin registration for the SelectUSA Investment Summit 2024. (Photo: VNA)

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper highlighted the growing importance of US-Vietnam ties, especially since the two countries upgraded the bilateral relations from a Comprehensive Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in September last year.

He said the SelectUSA Investment Summit 2024 remained the largest event to promote foreign direct investment in the US and a celebration of successfully connecting international companies, US economic development organisations and industry experts.

Knapper said since the first time a Vietnamese delegation joined the summit in 2016, Vietnamese businesses have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the US economy.

He encouraged Vietnamese businesses to join more than 2,300 international participants coming from 83 international markets at this year's event to explore investment and cooperation opportunities in key industries including energy, automotive, healthcare and financial services, among others. Participants will have opportunities to meet with representatives from Governors’ and Mayors’ economic development teams across the US.

The ambassador highlighted SelectUSA Tech, an important part of the SelectUSA Program, that provides support to tech startups, that are developing innovative tech products and services and planning to expand to the US market within the next two or three years.
Speaking at the conference, Tran Manh Hung from Baker McKenzie, said Vietnamese businesses that are interested in investing in the US must pay special attention to the country’s complex regulations, especially in areas related to intellectual property and personal data.
SelectUSA is the US government programme led by the US Department of Commerce that focuses on facilitating job-creating business investment in the US and raising awareness of the critical role that economic development plays in the US economy. Since its inception, SelectUSA has facilitated more than 200 billion USD in investment, creating over 200,000 US jobs.