Việt Nam and the US have witnessed thriving trade and economic co-operation after one year since the two countries upgraded the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development, according to US business insiders.

President and CEO of the US – ASEAN Business Council (USABC) Ted Osius, who is also former US Ambassador to Việt Nam, said that positive progress has been seen in the collaboration, with two-way trade topping US$100 billion, turning Việt Nam into the US’s largest trading partner.

Delegation exchanges as well as investment and co-operation activities have been vibrant over the past year, he stressed.

US corporations have been interested in the Vietnamese market, which boasts a young and industrious population, and sound economic growth, he said, highlighting studies showed that the Vietnamese economy could expand 6.6 per cent in the next decade.

The USABC leader held that the upgrade of the relations has fostered the two countries’ confidence in each other, and further deepened their partnership.

Furthermore, travelling between the two nations has been enhanced, with more than 30,000 Vietnamese students going to the US for study, he said, expecting better results for the next year when the two sides will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the nomalisation of the diplomatic relations, the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Việt Nam, and the 80th anniversary of Việt Nam’s independence.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) Kishan Alexander, a world insurance specialist, said the upgrade of the relations has helped promote connectivity between enterprises of both sides, underlining the ACCC and his insurance firm are seeking suitable cooperation opportunities with Vietnamese businesses, particularly in the areas of automobile and solar energy. — VNS