Vietnamese Prime Minister met with Tim Cook at Apple Park

AppleInsider

Vietnamese Pham Minh Chinh visited Apple and other Silicon Valley tech giants on Tuesday, a trip that included a meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Apple Park

During his meeting with the Apple chief executive at Apple Park, PM Chinh underscored cooperations in trade, investment, and finance as the driver of a comprehensive partnership between the U.S. and Vietnam, according to Saigon Online.

PM Chinh added that Vietnamese consumers love Apple products -- an interest that will only continue as the global technological economy grows.

The Vietnamese prime minister also expressed his happiness with the fact that the country is becoming more involved with the global supply chain, including Apple products. Apple currently produces several devices in Vietnam, including AirPods and iPad.

Currently, there are 31 companies employing more than 160,000 workers in Apple's supply chain operating in the country.

PM Chinh said he hoped Apple would step up its business activities in Vietnam and that the country could become a "model market" in Asia. Cook, for his part, thanked the prime minister for the favorable business environment in Vietnam.

Cook added that Apple wants to extend its supply chains in Vietnam and further involve domestic companies. He committed to considering an increase in the number of domestic suppliers and the rate of domestic products used in Apple production lines.

Additionally, Cook said he hoped that the Vietnamese government would introduce "even more favorable policies" to attract U.S. high-tech investment, Saigon Online reported.

The Vietnamese prime minister also visited a number of other U.S. technology companies during his trip, including Intel and Google.

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22july2013

I would rather buy Apple products labelled "Manufactured in a free country" than "Manufactured free of certain chemicals." And I would pay more for that.

jumpingcoco

it's a good time to exit China and diversify Apple's assembly lines

viclauyyc

Vietnam is a good alternative for China. But they are still commie. They have a lot more freedom than China but who knows when will them go back to the old way later. 

JWSC

I wonder what those "even more favorable policies" to attract U.S. high-tech investment would be.  Did they talk specifics?

avon b7

"even more favorable policies"

Wink, Wink!

I think I saw the twinkle in Tim's eye from here! 

JWSC

avon b7 said:

"even more favorable policies"

Wink, Wink!

I think I saw the twinkle in Tim's eye from here! 

Well, aside from favorable treatment directly beneficial to the financial interests of Apple, I was really thinking about human rights and a slow but steady move towards democracy.

This is where Apple is getting into trouble with China.  The CCP’s odious mode of operation is having a significant political effect on Apple’s ability to maintain production operations, and it’s going to get worse.  Corruption everyone within the Communist party of both countries is also a significant problem that must be addressed.  Moving from one totalitarian regime to another isn’t much of a long term solution.

This is where Apple’s business interests align closely with the wider move toward democratic values.  If Tim Cook is serious about working behind the scenes to effect change, well, here’s a great opportunity.  We’re watching Apple.

jdw

22july2013 said:

I would rather buy Apple products labelled "Manufactured in a free country" than "Manufactured free of certain chemicals." And I would pay more for that.

How much more though?

I'd LOVE to see Apple start manufacturing here in Japan again.  But even though the Yen is super weak right now at ¥129/US$1, it's still not on the level of China.

But not only is Japan a free country, you'd also get the benefit of their amazing work ethic and zero defect commitment.  Because of that, Apple would get the benefit of the coolness factor too.  It's hard to find things Made In Japan today, but when you do, they are usually of amazing quality and amazingly cool as a result.

Make Apple Cool Again 🇯🇵

radarthekat

The Vietnamese people are industrious, level-headed and very capitalistic, even if the government remains unitary and socialist.  By and large property owners and businesses are allowed to operate in a free market with decent protection of property rights, at least from what I observed in the six months I lived there in 2019.  I was also impressed by the country’s infrastructure development.  Overall a decent place for Apple to diversify its supply chain and  manufacturing base in the region. 

M68000

jdw said:

22july2013 said:

I would rather buy Apple products labelled "Manufactured in a free country" than "Manufactured free of certain chemicals." And I would pay more for that.

How much more though?

I'd LOVE to see Apple start manufacturing here in Japan again.  But even though the Yen is super weak right now at ¥129/US$1, it's still not on the level of China.

But not only is Japan a free country, you'd also get the benefit of their amazing work ethic and zero defect commitment.  Because of that, Apple would get the benefit of the coolness factor too.  It's hard to find things Made In Japan today, but when you do, they are usually of amazing quality and amazingly cool as a result.

Make Apple Cool Again 🇯🇵

Some very high quality and expensive watches from Casio and Seiko among others are made in Japan.  I believe my Mazda is from Hiroshima,  has been great car.