Vietnam urges US firms to boost investment and help prepare APEC Year 2027

Vietnamese officials pressed US business leaders this week to increase investment and to support Vietnam’s lead role in APEC Year 2027 as talks on a reciprocal trade deal with Washington advance.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang met John Goyer, Vice President for Southeast Asia and Oceania at the US Chamber of Commerce, in Hanoi on October 12 for discussions that linked bilateral economic ties, inward investment and preparations for Vietnam’s APEC presidency.

Hang asked the US Chamber to act as a bridge between US and Vietnamese firms and to encourage greater US investment and cooperation across sectors, singling out science, technology and innovation as priority areas.

John Goyer told the meeting the US Chamber stands ready to work with Vietnam and to draw on its international business and expert networks to contribute “practical” support for APEC Year 2027. The meetings took place as Vietnamese officials described near‑completion of reciprocal trade negotiations with the United States.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc said on Oct 14 that Hanoi had sent the final text of a near‑complete trade agreement to US counterparts and that negotiations are nearly finished; U.S. officials quoted in reporting were more cautious about the pace of talks. U.S.

Ambassador Jennifer Wicks described continuing government‑level negotiations and urged Vietnam to strengthen data protection rules so businesses can deploy new technologies, and to adopt predictable pricing and stable rules in the energy sector to attract foreign investment. Vietnam framed the outreach to US business as part of planning for APEC Year 2027.

Nguyen Minh Hang emphasised coordination with member economies, the business community and other stakeholders to prepare both content and infrastructure for APEC activities. The US Chamber presented itself as a potential channel for private‑sector engagement in those preparations, signalling readiness to mobilise its networks to support Vietnam’s APEC presidency.

Vietnam’s economic diplomacy in Hanoi included parallel finance sector engagement with European partners: on October 12 Vietnam’s Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan and Luxembourg’s Minister of Finance Gilles Roth signed an MoU on cooperation between their finance ministries, and Roth highlighted Luxembourg’s capacity to mobilise international investment funds.

Vietnamese officials and US interlocutors separately linked regulatory and market reforms to efforts to attract more foreign capital; U.S. representations urged clearer data‑protection rules and predictable energy pricing as specific reforms that would favour investment.

The interventions by Vietnamese diplomats and ministers combine three objectives: to secure private‑sector support for APEC Year 2027 logistics and programming, to accelerate a reciprocal trade deal that Vietnam says is nearly complete, and to press for tangible policy changes that would make Vietnam a more attractive destination for US and other foreign investors.

Government statements in Hanoi emphasised practical cooperation rather than public deadlines for the trade negotiations, and US business and diplomatic representatives framed their remarks around technical reforms and market access concerns.

What is documented in reporting is limited to officials’ statements, meeting outcomes and the signing of an MoU with Luxembourg; the sources do not provide details of any specific investment pledges from US firms or an agreed timeline for finalising the trade agreement.