The Vietnamese Government has paid great attention to strengthening cooperation with the US as well as partnership between Vietnamese localities and US states in areas of shared interests, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives Nebraska Governor John Pete Ricketts in Hanoi on September 6

Receiving Nebraska state’s Governor John Pete Ricketts in Hanoi on September 6, PM Phuc said that Vietnam always considers the US as one of its most important partners, and wants to promote the comprehensive partnership between the two countries in a practical and effective manner for the sake of their people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in Asia-Pacific.

Over the years, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries have been expanding, with two-way trade surpassing 60 billion USD, the PM noted.

Vietnam is working to balance the bilateral trade, he said, showing his delight that Nebraska has exported many kinds of goods to Vietnam, including beef, with growth of 125 percent over the previous year.

The PM also expressed his hope that through the visit, the Nebraska delegation will get better understanding about Vietnam, thus helping to further foster the Vietnam-US relations, especially in economy, trade and investment.

For his part, Ricketts affirmed that the US and Nebraska state in particular are keen on boosting relations with Vietnam. He noted that Nebraska is accommodating a large number of Vietnamese people.

He said that Nebraska is the strongest state of the US in terms of beef export, with its export turnover to Vietnam tripling as compared to the past.

Highlighting Nebraska’s strength in agriculture, the governor said that cooperation in the field has been discussed with the Vietnamese ministries and sectors during his visit.

He proposed that the two sides work together to remove difficulties and obstacles to boost trade and investment ties, while suggesting the organization of an investment promotion conference between the two sides in Nebraska, thus helping to accelerate the partnership between the two countries.

Agreeing with Ricketts’s idea, PM Phuc said Vietnam always creates optimal conditions for products of the US and Nebraska in particular to enter in the country. Vietnam has demand for cooperation in agriculture where Nebraska has strength, he said.

The government leader lauded the cooperation among agriculture universities of the two nations, describing that this is a right direction for the sustainable development of the sector and providing safe products for consumers.

PM Phuc expressed his hope that Nebraska will work as a bridge to connect Vietnam and the US as well as businesses of both sides to further develop bilateral relations.

He also expected that the governor will help to expand bilateral cooperation not only in agriculture but also other sectors such as finance-banking, education-training, science-technology, health care, and security-defence.