Washington DC (VNA) - Vietnamese Ambassador to theUnited States Pham Quang Vinh has expressed support for the entrepreneurship ofVietnamese students in the US during a recent working trip to Boston,Massachusetts.

On April 7, the diplomat attended the final of thestart-up competition VietChallenge 2018, organised by the Association ofVietnamese Students and Professionals in the US. The event also saw thepresence of Vietnamese Consul General in Houston Luong Quoc Huy,representatives of the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the UN, along withsponsors of the competition.

Opening the event, Vinh spoke highly of thedevelopment of the Association of Vietnamese Students and Professionals in theUS and VietChallenge in recent years, noting that they have not only supportedstudents but also encouraged talents and had many activities turning theirhearts towards the homeland.

He expressed his pride and belief in theenthusiasm, talent and creativity of young Vietnamese, calling on overseas youthsand start-ups of Vietnam to maintain solidarity and make more contributions tothe homeland’s development as well as Vietnam-US relations.

The ambassador said he was happy to see thatVietChallenge, first held in 2016, has become an annual competition attractingnot only young Vietnamese in the US but also those from Vietnam and othercountries. Vinh affirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy and he will continuesupporting these meaningful activities.

This year’s competition drew a record of 201teams from 17 countries and territories. After three rounds of competition,team VIoT became the winner with a project on building smart urban lightingsystem, pocketing a cash prize of 25,000 USD.

Also on April 7, Ambassador Vinh attended aVietnam-US investment workshop hosted by law firm Foley Hoag and VietChallenge.

Addressing the workshop, he highlighted great strides inmultiple spheres of the two countries’ relations since their ties werenormalised in 1995 and lifted to the level of comprehensive partnership in2013.

The diplomat updated US businesses and Vietnamese start-ups aboutthe development of the bilateral relations recently, especially a visit to theUS by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in May 2017 and a trip toVietnam by US President Donald Trump in November 2017.

He also informed the participants about theimprovement of the investment climate in Vietnam, expressing his hope that USinvestors and Vietnamese start-ups will harvest more successes in bothVietnamese and US markets.

The diplomat affirmed that Vietnam’srepresentative agencies in the US are always ready to assist investors andenterprises of both nations in their economic, investment and business cooperation.

At a working session with the Association ofVietnamese Students and Professionals in the US, Vinh appreciated their effortsand creativity. He and other participants also discussed orientations foractivities of the association and young Vietnamese people in the US in the timeahead.-VNA