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Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm meets with Vice President, Global Government Affairs at Apple Nick Ammann. — VNA/VNS Photos Lâm Khánh

NEW YORK — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm met with leaders of global technology firms and investment funds on Monday in New York as part of his trip to the US to attend the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

In a meeting with Apple representatives, Lâm said he appreciated its recent successes in the world and in Việt Nam, confirming that the investment and business expansion of Apple and its partners in Việt Nam reflect the country's increasingly important position both in terms of strengthening the goods supply chain and developing markets for Apple products.

Việt Nam has recently established a working group to implement cooperation with Apple, the leader said, adding that he expects it will be an effective cooperation mechanism that brings practical benefits to both sides.

He said that he hopes Apple, with its resources, experience and reputation, will engage in developing science and technology and innovation in Việt Nam, as well as promoting cooperation with the National Innovation Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

He called on Apple and its partners to support Vietnamese enterprises in improving their production capacity and participating in the global supply chain and to consider setting up a research and development (R&D) center at the NIC and providing scholarships for Vietnamese students in the fields of information technology, programming, electronics, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI).

Apple Vice President Nick Ammann said that Việt Nam is not only a great market but also a production base for Apple to supply its goods to the world.

He emphasised that many of Apple's key products are currently being manufactured in Việt Nam, and thanks to the support of the Vietnamese Government, the company is expanding production.

Ammann also spoke highly of the investment prospects in Việt Nam, as well as the value of the Vietnamese market in the group’s global strategy and the country’s potential for engaging more deeply in Apple's supply chain.

Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm meets with President, Global Affairs at Meta Nick Clegg.

​​At a meeting with the leaders of Meta Group, Việt Nam’s top leader said that the country identifies the digital transformation as one of the most important driving forces for its development in a new era.

Lâm stressed that cooperation in science, technology and innovation is seen as an important pillar in Việt Nam - US relations and that ample room remains for their cooperation in the years to come.

He called on Meta to continue working with Vietnamese agencies and partners, especially the NIC, to promote cooperation activities in the fields of science and technology, innovation, AI and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Lâm also pledged that the Party, State and People of Việt Nam will create favourable conditions for US investors, including Meta, to invest and do business effectively and sustainably in the country.

For his part, Meta's President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg shared the company’s plans to increase production in Việt Nam for Metaverse virtual reality glasses, the group's latest focus after the traditional fields of social networks and messaging applications.

Revealing a plan to visit Việt Nam next week, Clegg said he hopes to have the opportunity to introduce 'Meta AI' for Vietnamese users to try for free, helping smart phone owners access the AI 'super tool'.

The Meta leader also committed to support and expand investment programmes and encourage innovation in Việt Nam in the near future.

Việt Nam's top leader Tô Lâm had talks with Wally Liaw, Founder and Senior Vice President of Business Development at Supermicro

In a meeting with Wally Liaw, Founder and Senior Vice President of Business Development at Supermicro, Lâm welcomed the IT corporation's cooperation proposal on developing AI data centres and AI server system manufacturing ecosystems.

The Vietnamese leader suggested that Supermicro and related partners soon negotiate a specific roadmap to implement cooperation projects in Việt Nam.

Liaw said that Việt Nam is a market with great potential, especially when its policies encourage the development of hi-tech fields.

He noted that the company has just signed a memorandum of understanding with Việt Nam’s Sovico Group. Liaw also said he appreciated the development and investment opportunities in Việt Nam, and vowed to continue cooperating with the country to support the development of AI.

Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm meets with Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone Stephen Schwarzmann.

In a meeting with Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman and CEO of Blackstone, a global private equity firm, the Party General Secretary and State President said he hopes Blackstone will expand its investment in Việt Nam in science, technology and innovation and offer capital for Vietnamese technology enterprises and start-ups.

Lâm said green growth and sustainable development are important pillars in Việt Nam's current development, adding that the country identifies foreign investors as playing a major role in implementing these goals.

He said he hopes Blackstone, with its network of partners and customers, will support Việt Nam in accessing preferential loans and financing as well as attracting foreign investors to help fund the country's green and sustainable development.

The Vietnamese leader also said he appreciated Blackstone’s plan to invest in energy transition projects in Việt Nam, asking the corporation to coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant agencies and partners to better implement investment activities in this field.

For his part, Schwarzman expressed the firm’s desire to expand its investment in Việt Nam.

Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm meets with Jake Siewert, Managing Director and the Head of Global Public Policy and Political Risk at Warburg Pincus.

​At a reception for Jake Siewert, Managing Director and Head of Global Public Policy and Political Risk at Warburg Pincus, one of the oldest and largest private equity funds in the world, Lâm lauded the fund's effective investments and business activities globally and in Việt Nam.

The country's top leader said Việt Nam has announced a plan to implement a political declaration on establishing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), which would help the nation realise its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

Việt Nam therefore hopes Warburg Pincus will work with domestic partners to help implement projects in renewable energy and carbon recovery and storage, as well as grid infrastructure upgrades, governance capacity building and human resources training, Lâm said.

Siewert said that Warburg Pincus has invested about US$4 billion in Việt Nam so far, making the country its third largest investment destination in Asia, after China and India. He noted his firm wishes to learn about more investment opportunities in Việt Nam, particularly in green finance and renewable energy.

Also on Monday, Lâm met 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.

He asked Schmidt, who is now a consultant for Google and related partners, to continue to back hi-tech investment and business activities as well as research and development in Việt Nam.

Schmidt said he believes that Việt Nam can absolutely become a software centre of Asia, emphasising the most optimal path for Việt Nam now is to establish software companies specialising in AI. — VNS