Vietnam’s new government is sending a clear signal to the markets: growth is back in the driver’s seat. The US-ASEAN Business Council recently led more than 50 leading American companies through Hanoi, and what we encountered was a government in a hurry—and one that knows exactly what it wants from U.S. business.
Even as other senior leaders traveled to Beijing, Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng stayed in Hanoi to meet our delegation. We had a direct and pragmatic discussion focused on next steps. He struck us as a technocrat in the best sense of the word: An official who was practical, impatient with bureaucracy, and acutely aware that economic ambition means little without execution.
Vietnam no longer wants to compete simply on cheap labor or favorable geography. Its new ambition is to compete on speed, talent, technology, and industrial sophistication. The government’s pledge to slash regulations in half—paired with Resolution 57, its national innovation framework—signals a leadership team trying to position Vietnam for the next phase of Asian growth.
Executives in New York, Houston and Silicon Valley need to pay attention to Vietnam. The U.S. is strong in the sectors Vietnam most wants to develop. American firms lead the world in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, and energy innovation. The U.S. private sector spends nearly $1 trillion annually on research and development.
When Hanoi talks about technology partnerships, digital infrastructure, and innovation-driven growth, it is describing areas where the U.S. position is unmatched.
Many of our member companies already rank Vietnam as their top market of interest in Southeast Asia. Officials want U.S. firms to help build Vietnam’s rapidly expanding digital economy, from cloud infrastructure and AI-enabled services to cybersecurity architecture and advanced energy systems.
The opportunity in energy is also compelling. Vietnam’s industrial expansion is boosting electricity demand at the same time as geopolitical disruption is making global energy markets more volatile.
Hanoi sees U.S. energy companies as long-term strategic partners, whether through supplying liquefied natural gas, modernizing the grid, or investing in renewable energy.
Vietnam is signaling that it wants U.S. companies at the table. But a clear opportunity alone doesn’t unlock investment. Can Vietnam create a predictable environment for U.S. companies?
The country’s approach to data clearly illustrates the problem. Vietnam wants to become a first-tier digital economy, yet uncertainty around data localization and cross-border data flows create friction for global technology firms. A country can’t build world-class AI and cloud ecosystems if its regulations are ambiguous.
Vietnam doesn’t need to abandon its security priorities, but it does need rules that are transparent, durable, and commercially workable.
Energy presents a similar challenge. U.S. capital and supply are available, but permitting bottlenecks and tricky negotiations are slowing down major projects. Investors can price risk, but they can’t price inconsistency. Vietnam’s LNG-to-power projects offer a clear illustration: several U.S.-linked developments have faced years of delays due to shifting regulatory requirements and drawn-out power purchase agreement negotiations, leaving investors uncertain about the basic commercial terms needed to move forward.
Vietnam already has the attention of global business, but it needs to convert that interest into committed capital.
Executives should also understand that Vietnam sees U.S. companies as strategic assets, and not just sources of investment.
Hanoi’s balancing act between Washington and Beijing is well known, but seeing that solely as a geopolitical story misses the larger commercial opportunity. Vietnam wants a deeper U.S. business presence because it strengthens the country economically, technologically, and strategically amid intensifying great power competition. U.S. companies can help Vietnam anchor its economy into global supply chains, navigate trade friction with Washington, and accelerate its transition to a high-income economy.
That gives U.S. firms real leverage in discussions with Hanoi.
Vietnam has the scale, talent, and political focus that U.S. investors want. U.S. companies have the technology, capital, and commercial depth that Vietnam wants.
What comes next will depend on Vietnam’s willingness to match rhetoric on reform with durable policy, and on whether U.S. companies move quickly enough to seize the opportunity in front of them.
That window is open now. It will not stay open forever.
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