Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second from right) meets OV businessmen (Photo: VNA)

At a working breakfast with representatives from several OV-owned enterprises in the fields of finance and technology, the PM shared the difficulties and challenges of OVs and OV businessmen in the US caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government leader expressed his respect and gratitude for their contributions to Vietnam’s pandemic prevention and control, both materially and spiritually.

He expressed his hope that OV entrepreneurs will stay healthy, enjoy better business, respect local law, and contribute more to the homeland as well as the Vietnam- US relations.

The Vietnamese Party and State always consider the OV community as an integral part of Vietnam, and have set forth many guidelines, policies and specific measures to create more and more favourable conditions for them to visit the homeland and engage in investment and business, scientific - technological cooperation, and cultural - art activities, the PM said.

He instructed relevant agencies to consider and build virtual working mechanisms to facilitate contact with OVs. 

OV businessmen made recommendations on policies to attract talents, promote the image of Vietnam, and mechanisms and policies of the Party and State to global investors, as well as proposals on specific projects and programmes underway in the country.

Receiving Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Operations at Microsoft Asia Pacific Sandy Gupta and other leading officials of Microsoft, PM Chinh congratulated Microsoft on its successes in recent times and its implementation of a digital transformation programme globally, including in Vietnam. He said he hopes Microsoft will effectively implement its programmes in Vietnam and contribute recommendations to help Vietnam effectively implement its digital transformation programme and build a digital government, a digital society, and digital citizens.

Microsoft executives said that this century is Asia's century and Vietnam is a big contributor.

As Vietnam has a young population and is a dynamic country ready to accept new technologies, Microsoft wishes to build digital skills for everyone, both in the public and private sectors; and develop data science in Vietnam. Currently, Microsoft is coordinating with the country's Ministry of Information and Communications to implement these programmes, and wants to cooperate with Vietnam in digital transformation, network security and helping the country achieve the goal of reducing gas emissions to zero by 2050, thus helping it build a green economy, digital economy, sustainable development, they said.

The same day, the Vietnamese Government leader also met Prof. Dr. Ruth O’Hara, chair of the 2021-2022 Faculty Senate of the Academic Council of Stanford University and Senior Associate Dean for Research in the Stanford University School of Medicine, and several professors of the university.

He proposed the Stanford University help Vietnam build the Big Data, together with cooperation in AI training. He also sought the university's assistance in carrying out agreements reached during his trip, particularly in building institutions, sharing pandemic control experience, training human resources training, and researching and producing medical equipment and medicines. 

The US professors appreciated Vietnam's work to fight COVID-19, and stated that Stanford University and Vietnam have a lot of potential for cooperation. They suggested some specific projects such as a program to protect Vietnamese brains, prevention of liver cancer caused by viruses, and a training programme for AI engineers.