Nebraska Governor leads delegation on first trade mission to Vietnam

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen will lead a delegation to Vietnam in a week-long visit starting Sunday, to grow trade opportunities that will benefit the U.S. state, his office announced Saturday.

“I’m excited to have Vietnam as my first trade mission,” Pillen said in the announcement. “Southeast Asia is an important market for Nebraska, and we are primed and ready to meet demands for agricultural goods.”

Pillen's trade mission has multiple stops scheduled across Vietnam. Other members of the team include Nebraska Department of Agriculture director Sherry Vinton, chancellor Joanne Li of the University of Nebraska - Omaha, and agriculture-related business, academic and government representatives.

“Vietnam is an important and growing export market for Nebraska processed feed like corn gluten, soybean meal and distillers grains,” said Pillen.

“We are positioned well to meet growing demands for agricultural products and identify other, yet untapped, opportunities to partner with Vietnam going forward.”

Events during the trade mission include visiting a large grocery distribution center, product demonstrations, meetings with Vietnamese trade officials and a stop at the Vietnam University of Agriculture. His office did not tell the name of the distribution center.

“Nebraska has had many positive visits and exchanges with Vietnam over the years. This visit is another step in strengthening that bond,” said the governor.

Earlier this year, a delegation including Nebraska business leaders and representatives from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) went to Vietnam to discuss both business and educational opportunities.

Pillen’s office said the total export value to Vietnam from Nebraska in 2021 exceeded $946 million. “With a growing population of 104 million, the country buys a significant quantity of dairy products, eggs, dry edible beans, as well as beef from Nebraska."

On Friday, the 7th Singapore Regional Business Forum was held in Hanoi as the inaugural edition outside Singapore. The Singapore Business Federation, the event organizer, and the Singapore Furniture Industries Council also organized separate business missions to Hanoi in conjunction with the forum.

On June 22-24, a 205-strong business mission accompanied South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Vietnam to accelerate bilateral trade ties. They included top South Korean conglomerate chiefs like Samsung Electronics executive chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group executive chairman Chung Euisun, and LG Group chairman Koo Kwang-mo.

Samsung’s Lee got a surprise when Yoon and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong congratulated him on his birthday during a state dinner in Hanoi on June 23.

Vietnam’s capital city is home to Samsung Electronics’ new $220 million R&D center, which was launched by Lee in December last year as a global R&D facility of Samsung.

The tech giant has to date invested around $20 billion in the country, and around half of Samsung smartphones are made in Vietnam.