Nike appreciates Vietnam’s economic resilience: executive

Nike Inc. chief operating officer Andy Campion has spoken highly of the Vietnamese economy’s bounciness under Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s effective administration.

At his meeting with the PM in Hanoi Thursday, the COO said the government and PM have recently taken proper administrative measures to fuel the country’s economic resilience.

Campion also expressed his thanks for the government’s active and effective assistance for the American sportswear maker to quickly and safely resume operations amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The COO said Vietnam would play an increasingly important role in global supply chains.

PM Chinh praised Nike’s contributions to Vietnam’s exports and job creation. He highlighted with delight the vigorous growth in the Vietnam-U.S. relationship, including bilateral trade rising over 18% year-on-year to $105 billion in the first 11 months of this year.

The U.S. has been Vietnam’s largest export market for many years; and major U.S. technology corporations like Apple, Dell, General Electric, Intel, and Microsoft have invested in the Southeast Asian country, helping Vietnam penetrate global supply chains, Chinh said.

The leader asked Nike to promote the use of scientific and technological advances in its production and business activities in Vietnam and assist it to improve management capacity.

Nike is also expected to provide policy advice, train human resources, and boost green growth and digital transformation, thus helping Vietnam develop a circular economy and secure deeper engagement in global supply chains, the PM added.

Vietnam is building a fair, transparent, and stable business climate, effectively dealing with administrative procedures, and reducing input costs for enterprises and investors, Chinh reiterated.

Campion said Nike produced about 600 million pairs of footwear each year, with half made in Vietnam, while half of the materials for Nike’s global supply chains were also sourced from the country.

The Nike executive highly valued Vietnam’s human resources, saying staff in Vietnam were the ones with the best skills among Nike’s personnel worldwide.