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Reuters

Vietnam’s president and ruling Communist Party chief To Lam is set to meet representatives from several US corporations, including Google and Meta, during a visit to the United States next week, two people briefed about the plans said.
Meta’s Facebook has in the 100-million-people country, one of its largest user bases worldwide, and Google makes its smartphones there through suppliers and plans a large data centre, according to reports last month.
In his first trip to the United States since he was named in early August as head of the party, the country’s most powerful job, Lam is scheduled to meet representatives of Google and Meta, the two people said, with one noting each of the companies would have a separate meeting with him. Neither said what will be discussed.
Another two people familiar with the plans said Lam will also attend on Monday a business forum with other US business representatives.
All the four sources declined to be identified because the information was not public.

The US-Asean Business Council (USABC), which is one of the organisers of the September 23 event, declined to share a list of participants.
Google and Facebook did not reply to requests for comment.
In two large US business missions the USABC lobbying group organised in Vietnam over the last 18 months, it brought in dozens of top US corporations including defence firms, energy and tech companies.
Among firms who attended both recent missions to Vietnam, are power company AES, aviation giant Boeing, payment company Mastercard and Amazon, including its cloud computing subsidiary Amazon Web Services, according to lists of participants.
US companies see Vietnam as a manufacturing hub and a market for their products. Apple’s suppliers complete many of the company’s products there, Intel has a large chip assembling factory, and defence firms have been long in talks to sell security equipment to Hanoi.
Lam’s trip to the United States has not been formally announced, but officials said he would travel there on Saturday to speak at the United Nations General Assembly where global leaders meet for their annual get-together on Sept 22-23. He will fly to Cuba later in the week in the final leg of his trip.
Columbia University has announced an event with Lam on Monday in New York.


The US and Vietnam boosted their diplomatic ties last year as Washington sees the Southeast Asian nation as a strategic partner to reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturing. The US is also seeking closer ties with Hanoi on sensitive industries, including undersea cables.
However, it is not clear whether Lam will meet US President Joe Biden.
A spokesperson for the White House declined to comment about Lam, but said Biden planned to meet several foreign leaders at the United Nations.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry and the president office were not immediately available for comments.
Lam met Chinese President Xi Jinping last month in his first trip abroad after his appointment as party chief.
He also plans a state visit to France in early October, an official said.


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Vietnam

Vietnam’s President To Lam is scheduled to meet representatives of Google and Meta in his first trip to the United States since he was became president in early August. Photo: EPA-EFE

Google makes its smartphones in Vietnam through suppliers and is planning a large data centre there. Photo: Reuters

Philippines, Vietnam agree to bolster defence ties amid maritime security concerns

Vietnam’s Defence Minister Phan Van Giang (left) and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro hold documents they signed after a bilateral meeting at the Department of National Defence in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Vietnam’s Defence Minister Phan Van Giang (second from left) salutes Philippines military honour guards at the Department of National Defence in Quezon City on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Philippine coastguard personnel wave flags as a Vietnam Coast Guard patrol ship makes a port call at the Port of Manila on August 5. Photo: EPA-EFE

How Asean anchors Vietnam’s diplomatic dance between China and the West

An honour guard raises an Asean flag outside the foreign ministry in Hanoi on August 8 to mark the 29th anniversary of Vietnam’s accession to the bloc. Photo: EPA-EFE

A member of the Philippines’ coastguard and a Vietnamese coastguard vessel both fire water cannons during joint drills near Manila Bay, the Philippines, on August 9. Photo: EPA-EFE

Vietnam’s deputy foreign minister Do Hung Viet (left) embraces Laos’ top diplomat at an Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in Vientiane last month. Photo: AFP

Vietnam’s Do Hung Viet interacts with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the Asean ministers’ meeting in Laos last month. Photo: Reuters

Vietnam’s To Lam is ruthlessly cementing control and reshaping the party in his image

To Lam, Vietnam’s president and general secretary of its Communist Party, in Hanoi on August 3. Photo: AFP

Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang (left) with his Chinese counterpart Wang Xiaohong in Beijing, China, on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

To Lam during a press conference at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on August 3. Photo: AFP

Le Minh Hung, the Vietnamese government’s top prosecutor, in Hanoi in May. Photo: EPA-EFE

As South China Sea stakes ratchet ever higher, Vietnam seeks out calmer waters

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Vietnam’s To Lam after a signing ceremony in Beijing on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

A member of the Philippine coastguard salutes as a Vietnamese vessel sails past after joint exercises on August 9. Analysts say Hanoi seeks to detach South China Sea disputes from its overall relationship with Beijing. Photo: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Vietnam’s To Lam after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Filipinos wave flags as a Vietnamese coastguard patrol ship makes a port call in Manila on August 5. Photo: EPA-EFE

Chinese land reclamation at Johnson South Reef in 2014. The area was the site of a skirmish in 1988 that left dozens of Vietnamese troops dead. Photo: Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs/Handout via AFP

A Chinese coastguard vessel sails near a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters off Vietnam’s coast in 2014. Photo: AFP

Two women pass a board on a street in Hanoi featuring a map of Vietnam and the Vietnamese for ‘Spratly Islands’ in 2014. Photo: EPA-EFE

Workers inside a packaging factory in Ho Chi Minh City. An estimated 60 per cent of China’s lost trade with the US has been absorbed by Vietnam. Photo: AFP

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To Lam’s trip to the United States has not been formally announced, but officials said he would travel there on Saturday to speak at the UN


To Lam’s trip to the United States has not been formally announced, but officials said he would travel there on Saturday to speak at the UN.


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