This is the first time the trade minister of Maryland has visited and worked at the Vietnam Trade Office in the US. The two sides had an open exchange, seeking opportunities for cooperation between Maryland and Vietnam. In particular, the representative of the Maryland Department of Commerce is interested in cooperation in trade, agriculture, education, logistics, tourism, investment in smartphone production, etc…
Maryland is located in the Northeast region of the US, with strengths in services such as tourism, retail, media, finance, and education; agriculture, energy, and science and technology. With an area of over 32,000 km2, a population of over 6 million people, and advantages in the seaport infrastructure system, Maryland is aiming to expand and sign cooperation agreements with international partners, including countries in Southeast Asia. Currently, Maryland has 3 free trade zones (FTZ) to attract investment in production.
During the working session, the Vietnam Trade Office proposed to study at the technical level to consider signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the Maryland government based on some MoUs that Vietnam has signed with the states of Virginia, Oregon, and the upcoming one with Washington state. Trade Minister Kevin Andersen highly appreciated the proposal and said he would discuss internally and soon have opinions on this proposal.
The Vietnam Trade Office also invited Trade Minister Kevin Andersen to attend the Vietnam International Sourcing Expo event in June in Ho Chi Minh City. Minister Kevin Andersen said that he and Maryland Governor Wes Moore (a Democrat, taking office since 2023) are very interested in enhancing economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam and will consider the possibility of arranging time to attend.
The Vietnam Trade Office also reiterated the issue of the market economy for Trade Minister Kevin Andersen to be aware of and have appropriate support at the federal level and officials of the US Department of Commerce.
