Google is researching the procedures for opening a representative office in Vietnam to ensure that its compliance with local regulations is in line with its international commitments, Senior Vice President Ken Walker has said.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and Google Senior Vice President Ken Walker at their meeting in Hanoi on December 11

Walker unveiled the move during a reception by Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue for him in Hanoi on December 11, as part of his trip to Vietnam to meet with a number of public agencies and localities.

The official told his host that Google has contacted several Vietnamese startups and noticed an encouraging level in their IT application. Google considers Vietnam a good potential partner concerning innovation and start-ups, he said.

He praised the Vietnamese Government’s ambition of training 1 million international-standard IT engineers, as well as its development approach of creating a favorable business climate and boosting multilateral cooperation.

Deputy PM Hue stated that Google has made significant contributions to Vietnam’s socio-economic growth for years.

He lauded the company’s goodwill in supporting the local digital economy by equipping many pupils and students with programming skills, saying it could help the country develop 1 million well-operated firms in 2020.

Vietnam considers information technology the foundation of development and welcomes Google’s assistance toward the country’s growth and innovation ecosystem, Hue said, adding the Vietnamese Government supports the company’s long-term presence and successful investment.

Hue commended the collaboration among Google, the Ministry of Information and Communications, and other sides involved to ensure cybersafety and to make recommendations to build a decree guiding the implementation of the Law on Cyber Security.

For his part, Walker agreed with Vietnam’s stance on cybersecurity for a stable society and affirmed that his firm will join hands with relevant agencies towards this goal. 

Vietnam vows best conditions for Google: official

Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission (R) receives Kent Walker, Senior Vice President for Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer at Google 

Vietnam always creates favourable conditions for foreign businesses, especially those from the US like Google, to do business in the country, said Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission.

At a reception for Kent Walker, Senior Vice President for Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer at Google, in Hanoi on December 10, Binh, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Party Central Committee, expressed his delight at the successful operation of Google in Vietnam with a range of products becoming popular among Vietnamese consumers and businesses.

He praised Google for coordinating with Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications in building a process of dealing with law violations based on Google’s platforms. He also spoke highly of the US group’s Vietnam Digital 4.0 programme, which aims to provide free training on digital skills for 500,000 medium- and small-sized enterprises in Vietnam in order to help them improve competitiveness and develop business opportunities in the digital economy. 

He asked Google to continue cooperation with and support for Vietnam in information technology development, especially in innovative startup and technological ecosystem development, and human resources training.

During its operation in Vietnam, the group needs to pay more heed to preserving and promoting the cultural identities of Vietnamese people, especially in the context of the booming Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), Binh stated.

For his part, Kent Walker thanked the Vietnamese Party and Government for facilitating his group’s activities. He showed his impressions on the economic achievements Vietnam has made over the past time as well as appreciated the country’s efforts in reforming administrative procedures and improving the business and investment climate. 

Mentioning Google’s determination to expand business operations in Vietnam, he affirmed that the group is willing to support Vietnam in easily engaging in the digitalisation of the economy - one of the important trends of the world today.

VNA