At an April 5ceremony in Hanoi marking the 20^th anniversary of AmCham Vietnam, Hai said that AmCham has been the driving force in the betterment of US-Vietnam trade and investment relations over the past 20 years.

He expressed his hope that the chamber will continue to fulfill their role for the success of the US business community and the continued advancement of the fine cooperative relations between the two countries.

Last year witnessed an important landmark in Vietnam-US relations as leaders from two countries agreed to lift their ties to the level of a comprehensive partnership, brightening the horizon for future bilateral relations.

Hai proposed AmCham expand its role and serve as a diplomatic bridge linking the US business community to Vietnam and the Southeast Asian region, paving the way for increased economic investment and expansion.

He emphasized that the Vietnamese Government always creates the best possible conditions for the two business communities to cooperate by accelerating reforms, economic restructuring, improving transparency, and simplifying administration procedures.

Over the past 20 years, AmCham has made a significant contribution to promoting bilateral ties in spheres ranging from normalizing relations, signing trade agreements, to approving the permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) and Vietnam’s entry to World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The chamber is working hard to accelerate the two countries’ continued negotiations to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.

US investment in Vietnam currently stands at US$11 billion with two-way trade turnover rising more than 50 fold from 1994 to an all time record high of US$30 billion in 2013.