Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh met with President of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council Alexander Feldman here on Wednesday.

At the reception, which was attended by representatives of 21 American businesses operating in Vietnam, the Vietnamese leader expressed his delight at the fine development of the all-sided cooperation between Vietnam and the United States, noting that there are more American firms to do business in the country.

The Vietnamese government pledged to protect the legitimate rights of foreign investors doing business in Vietnam and it is ready to cooperate with them to handle any troubles occurred, confirmed the deputy prime minister, adding that Vietnam is speeding up necessary procedures to complete the negotiating process for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Feldman said that in the coming years the United States will focus investment in areas that Vietnam is demanding for, such as energy, healthcare and telecom.

As scheduled, the Vietnam-U.S. Trade Conference will be held in southern Ho Chi Minh City, with estimated 70 Vietnamese small- and medium businesses and other American firms.

As of Feb. 20, 2013, the United States ranks seventh among foreign investors in Vietnam, having 648 projects and with total registered capital of 10.5 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.