Vietnam, US Promote Economic Ties

On July 11, 2012, Secretary Clinton witnessed the signing of two contracts between U.S. and Vietnamese enterprises and congratulated the recipient of a Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program scholarship for young women. 

 

General Electric (GE) signs deal with Cong Thanh, a private Vietnamese company.  Under this contract, GE will supply one steam turbine generator for the 660-megawatt thermal power plant in the Nghi Son Economic Zone, in Thanh Hoa province. The project includes US$36 million in U.S. export content. The power plant will provide needed energy to fuel Vietnam’s economic development. 

 

Another deal is signed between GE and the Vietnamese National Power Transmission Corporation (NPT):  Under this contract, GE will supply electricity transmission capacitors to NPT in a three-phase project worth US$50 million.  The capacitors will help Vietnam increase its energy efficiency and better regulate its national energy grid.  The project will enable development of a smart grid to distribute energy reliably and efficiently to improve residential quality of life and promote economic development. 

 

Through  Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Arizona State University, Intel, and other private sector partners are working with eight Vietnamese academic institutions to improve the quality of engineering education in Vietnam, particularly for women, who are often underrepresented in the field of engineering.