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Tech companies Apple ( AAPL ), Amazon ( AMZN ) among participants, list says

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More than 60 large companies to join the mission,

organisers say

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Energy firms Excelerate Energy ( EE ), GE Vernova ( GEV ) to attend

By Francesco Guarascio

HANOI, March 14 (Reuters) - Top U.S. tech, defence and

energy companies including Boeing ( BA ) and Apple ( AAPL ) will join a large

business mission to Vietnam next week, a list of participants

seen by Reuters shows, in a possible sign of confidence as the

Southeast Asian country seeks to avoid U.S. trade tariffs.

The annual mission organised by the US-ASEAN Business

Council, an advocacy group, takes place this year as Vietnam is

reviewing its duties on U.S. goods, including on liquefied

natural gas, agriculture and high-tech products, while U.S.

President Donald Trump threatens to impose more tariffs on

trading partners.

Executives from more than 60 U.S. large companies will

travel to Vietnam next week, according to the organisers.

Among them are companies already with large operations in

the country, including Apple ( AAPL ), Intel ( INTC ), Coca-Cola

and Nike ( NKE ), and also corporations that may seek to

expand into Vietnam's booming economy, including Boeing ( BA ),

Amazon ( AMZN ) and Bell Textron, according to the list seen by

Reuters.

Other participants will be Excelerate Energy ( EE ), a

provider of floating terminals for liquefied natural gas, and GE

Vernova ( GEV ), which have both signed provisional deals with

Vietnamese companies for the supply of gas equipment, according

to a statement on Friday by PetroVietnam Power, a

state-controlled energy firm.

Vietnamese officials have repeatedly said they want to boost

imports of LNG products and services from the United States as a

way of reducing the country's trade surplus with Washington,

which totalled more than $123 billion in 2024.

The U.S. companies will meet top Vietnamese officials,

including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the General

Secretary of the ruling Communist Party To Lam, according to an

internal agenda seen by Reuters.

U.S. companies in Vietnam have voiced concerns about their

operations in Vietnam, a key manufacturing base for

multinational companies, if Trump imposes tariffs on the

country.

Exxon Mobil ( XOM ), which controls Vietnam's largest

although so far untapped gas field, is also joining the mission,

the list shows.

Boeing ( BA ), which has agreements with two Vietnam airlines for

the sale of up to 250 planes, is also attending, as it did in

past years, according to the list.

Boeing ( BA ) and Bell Textron are among companies that have been

in talks for years with Vietnam for the possible sale of

helicopters and other military equipment.

Big U.S. financial firms are also on the list, including

JPMorgan ( JPM ), Visa, Mastercard ( MA ) and Warburg

Pincus.