Apple CEO Tim Cook spent his second day in Vietnam to discuss investment issues with the country's prime minister and show developers the Apple Vision Pro app. During his two-day visit to Hanoi, Tim Cook met again with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. They discussed Apple's increased investment in Hanoi and the government's creation of a working group to help Apple expand.
In a press release posted on Apple's Vietnamese-language website, Tim Cook said: "Vietnam is a vibrant and beautiful country, and there is no place like Vietnam. I'm so excited to be here to connect with students, creators, and customers and learn more about the diversity of the ways they use our products to accomplish extraordinary tasks. "
He continued, "At Apple, we're always committed to building deep connections and delivering more benefits to the people in the places where we operate. From partnering with local suppliers, to supporting clean water supply projects and educational opportunities, we are committed to continuing to strengthen our ties with Vietnam.
Apple says its annual spending in the country has more than doubled since 2019, meaning it has spent nearly 400 trillion VND (about $16 billion) on its local supply chain. Currently, Apple has also directly provided more than 200,000 local jobs.
Cook has not posted any images of his meeting with the prime minister, but he has been documenting his trip to Hanoi.
In addition to the developers, Cook will meet with more musicians, artists, and dancers. He wrote: "It's incredible to see the vibrant Vietnamese hip-hop culture! "
Cook visited the Hanoi Star School, which could be his last stop in the country. While it has not yet been reported whether other Apple executives accompanied Cook, an image from the school shows Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives. As always, Apple did not announce Cook's schedule in advance, but it is reported that his visit to Vietnam will last two days.
As Apple struggles to wean itself off its past over-reliance on Chinese manufacturing, Vietnam's importance to the company is growing. Recently, Apple has also moved some iPad development efforts to Vietnam.