©Reuters. FILE PHOTO: People walk behind the Meta Platforms logo during a conference in Mumbai, India, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas//File Photo
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By Francesco Guarascio
HANOI (Reuters) – A large U.S. business delegation, including Meta, Boeing (NYSE:) and wind energy firm GE Vernova, will visit Vietnam this week in a sign of continued corporate interest in the Southeast Asian nation after that Washington improved relations last year. About 50 companies will participate, according to organizer US-ASEAN Business Council, which brought a similar-sized business delegation to Vietnam last year.
Also participating are conglomerate Koch Industries, safety standards firm UL Solutions, insurance group Chubb, gaming company Roblox, weather forecasting provider ATMO and energy firm AES (NYSE:).
Many of these companies are already active in Vietnam.
Meta’s Facebook (NASDAQ:) has over 60 million users in the country, making it one of the largest markets globally.
Boeing signed a preliminary agreement with national carrier Vietnam Airlines last year to sell 50 of its 737 planes.
US President Joe Biden last year improved relations with Vietnam and pushed for greater cooperation in the semiconductor industry. Organizers said, however, that no semiconductor companies will participate in this week’s trade delegation.
The business mission will meet with local authorities from Tuesday to Thursday. On Monday, a smaller delegation of security firms plans to discuss possible business opportunities with representatives of Vietnam’s defense ministries and police, according to organizers.