Party General Secretary & President Tô Lâm (right) had talks with Thomas R. Hardy, Acting Director of the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), in New York, on September 21. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee and President Tô Lâm met with Thomas R. Hardy, Acting Director of the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), in New York on Monday (local time).

The Vietnamese leader spoke highly of USTDA’s role in promoting economic, trade and investment ties between Vietnam and the US, particularly through project preparation, feasibility studies, technical assistance and connections between US businesses and infrastructure projects in Việt Nam.

He affirmed that Việt Nam attaches great importance to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the US, expressing his hope that economic, trade, investment and science-technology cooperation will continue to serve as an important driver of substantive, effective and sustainable development of bilateral ties.

Highly valuing USTDA’s long-term cooperation with Việt Nam in energy, power grids, aviation, smart cities and digital infrastructure, General Secretary and President Lâm said these programmes have helped Việt Nam access US technologies, management expertise and advanced solutions.

He said that Việt Nam is entering a new phase of development, with major demand for strategic infrastructure, energy, transport, logistics, digital transformation and high technology, he noted, adding that these are areas in which the US has considerable strengths and USTDA has relevant experience and support tools.

Hardy hailed Việt Nam's socio-economic development achievements and bilateral relations. He affirmed that USTDA regards Việt Nam as an important partner in the Indo-Pacific and values its cooperation with Vietnamese agencies and businesses over the years. 

USTDA wishes to continue working with Việt Nam to prepare and develop high-quality projects that meet the country’s development priorities while creating greater opportunities for US technologies, equipment, services and businesses to further participate in the Vietnamese market, Hardy said.

The agency stands ready to deploy such tools as feasibility studies, technical assistance, pilot projects and trade missions, supporting projects from the preparation stage through to their readiness to attract financing and move into implementation, he added.

Regarding future cooperation, General Secretary and President Lâm called on USTDA to strengthen coordination with Vietnamese ministries, sectors and businesses to identify a number of strategic, high-impact projects for targeted support, particularly in energy and power grids, digital infrastructure and data centres, aviation, seaports, logistics and modern transport.

He urged the agency to further play its “pathfinder” role from the project preparation stage, helping Vietnam gain early access to US standards, technologies, management expertise and resources.

The top Vietnamese leader also called on USTDA to pay greater attention to emerging, technology-intensive and high-value-added areas such as artificial intelligence, secure digital infrastructure, smart grids, energy security and solutions supporting the green transition, while strengthening links between leading US technology, finance and infrastructure companies and Vietnamese partners.

Hardy agreed with the orientations outlined by General Secretary and President Lâm, affirming that USTDA stands ready to work closely with Vietnamese agencies to identify suitable projects and mobilise its project-preparation support tools.

He said Việt Nam's substantial infrastructure development needs, combined with US strengths in technology, governance and high-quality solutions, offer significant opportunities for new cooperation.

USTDA will strengthen coordination with Vietnamese agencies and businesses, focusing on concrete, feasible projects with strong spillover effects, while connecting Việt Nam's development needs with US technologies, resources and businesses, Hardy affirmed.

Such efforts will contribute to deepening economic, trade and investment cooperation and adding further substantive content to the Việt Nam–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he added. — VNS