In October 2025, a high-level delegation from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, led by Chairman of the People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc, traveled to San Francisco for a significant diplomatic meeting with Mayor Daniel Lurie. The meeting, which focused on strengthening the sister-city relationship between San Francisco and Ho Chi Minh City and exploring opportunities for tech investment and innovation cooperation, represented a crucial moment in Vietnam-U.S. relations. For this high-stakes diplomatic event, Bilingva was selected to provide professional Vietnamese interpretation services – ensuring seamless communication between the Vietnamese delegation and San Francisco city leadership.
This assignment exemplifies Bilingva’s proven expertise in diplomatic-level interpretation and our longstanding partnership with the City and County of San Francisco.
The meeting between Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc and Mayor Daniel Lurie, San Francisco’s 46th mayor who assumed office in January 2025, took place against the backdrop of deepening economic and technological ties between the United States and Vietnam.
Mayor Lurie welcomed the delegation, noting that San Francisco is home to over 2,000 startups attracting around 60 percent of the state’s venture capital. He emphasized that the sister-city relationship between San Francisco and Ho Chi Minh City has become a key channel for cooperation in innovation, digital transformation, and climate resilience—all vital to both cities’ growth.
The significance of this meeting cannot be overstated. Trade turnover between the U.S. and Vietnam, which was modest in 1995, has surged nearly 300 times, reaching $155 billion by 2025. Cooperation has expanded into strategic areas, with the United States being one of the leading foreign direct investors and a key partner for Vietnam in science and technology, education, innovation, climate change response, and energy transition.
Mayor Lurie shared that San Francisco welcomes 22 million tourists annually, and there were 600,000 Americans who visited Vietnam in the first nine months of 2025. With four direct flights each week between the two cities and a vibrant Vietnamese-American community of 11,000 residents in San Francisco, cultural, tourism, and business exchanges have great potential to flourish.
Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc emphasized Ho Chi Minh City’s ambition to become a new destination for U.S. tech firms and Silicon Valley innovation.
When world leaders, government officials, and diplomatic delegations meet to discuss matters of international cooperation, economic partnership, and strategic alliances, the quality of interpretation can literally shape the future of those relationships.
Diplomatic interpretation requires far more than linguistic fluency. It demands:
Precision and Accuracy: In diplomatic contexts, a single misinterpreted phrase can create misunderstandings that affect international relations, economic agreements, or policy decisions. Professional interpreters must convey not just the words, but the exact intent, nuance, and diplomatic tone of each speaker.
Cultural Competency: Understanding the cultural contexts of both Vietnam and the United States—including business etiquette, political sensitivities, and communication styles—is essential for accurate interpretation that preserves the meaning and spirit of what’s being communicated.
Subject Matter Expertise: This meeting covered complex topics including technology investment, innovation ecosystems, venture capital, digital transformation, climate resilience, and international trade. Interpreters need expertise in these technical areas to accurately convey sophisticated concepts.
Discretion and Confidentiality: Diplomatic meetings often include sensitive discussions about economic strategies, investment opportunities, and government policies. Interpreters must maintain absolute confidentiality and professional discretion.
Poise Under Pressure: High-level diplomatic meetings carry significant weight. Interpreters must perform flawlessly in high-stakes situations, maintaining composure while facilitating communication between leaders whose decisions affect thousands or millions of people.
Simultaneous Interpretation Skills: For efficiency in diplomatic settings, interpreters often provide simultaneous interpretation, speaking nearly simultaneously with the original speaker. This requires intense concentration, split-second processing, and the ability to convey meaning without delay.
The successful outcome of the meeting – including the signing of agreements and advancement of cooperation initiatives – depended on clear, accurate, and culturally appropriate interpretation that enabled both sides to communicate their visions, understand each other’s priorities, and build trust.
The selection of Bilingva to provide interpretation services for this high-profile diplomatic meeting reflects our established reputation for excellence in government and diplomatic interpretation. This wasn’t our first experience facilitating communication at the highest levels of international diplomacy.
Bilingva has been a trusted language services provider for the U.S. Department of State, providing interpretation for numerous high-level diplomatic events and official meetings. Our experience includes:
Meeting Between the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of South Korea: We provided professional interpretation services for this significant diplomatic meeting between two key U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific region. The meeting addressed regional security concerns, economic cooperation, and historical reconciliation – topics requiring interpreters with deep understanding of East Asian geopolitics, diplomatic protocol, and cultural sensitivities.
Presidential-Level Meeting with the President of Vietnam: Bilingva has provided interpretation services for meetings involving the President of Vietnam and U.S. government officials, facilitating dialogue on the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations. These meetings have covered topics ranging from trade and investment to security cooperation and educational exchanges.
Security Clearances and Background Checks: Many of our interpreters have undergone thorough background checks and security vetting processes required for government work. We understand and comply with all security protocols for sensitive government meetings and classified discussions.
Proven Track Record: Years of successful service to the State Department, San Francisco city government, and other public agencies have established Bilingva’s reputation for reliability, professionalism, and excellence in high-stakes diplomatic settings.
Specialized Diplomatic Training: Our interpreters receive specialized training in diplomatic protocol, international relations terminology, and the specific linguistic and cultural nuances required for government interpretation work.
Language Expertise: We maintain a network of highly qualified interpreters in languages critical for U.S. diplomatic relations, including Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and many others. Our interpreters are not just bilingual – they’re experts in the formal registers, technical vocabularies, and cultural contexts required for diplomatic work.
Quality Assurance: We employ rigorous quality control measures, including interpreter vetting, ongoing training, and post-event debriefing to ensure consistent excellence in every assignment.
Rapid Response Capability: Diplomatic events often require quick turnaround times. Our established relationships with qualified interpreters and streamlined coordination processes enable us to respond rapidly to urgent requests from government agencies.
Understanding of Protocol: We understand governmental and diplomatic protocols, including proper forms of address, meeting etiquette, confidentiality requirements, and the specific needs of different types of diplomatic events.
The Ho Chi Minh City delegation meeting represents just one example of Bilingva’s ongoing partnership with the City and County of San Francisco. For years, we’ve been a trusted vendor providing comprehensive language services across multiple city departments and for various official functions.
Emergency Response Services: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bilingva provided critical language services to San Francisco’s Emergency Operations Center, ensuring that public health information, testing services, vaccination programs, and emergency assistance reached all San Francisco residents regardless of language. When a recent fire in the Tenderloin displaced 70 residents, we immediately provided Spanish interpreters to support the Human Services Agency in helping displaced families access emergency services, housing assistance, and recovery resources.
City Department Support: We provide ongoing interpretation and translation services to various San Francisco city departments, including the Human Services Agency, Department of Public Health, Department of Emergency Management, and others. Our services help ensure that city programs and services are accessible to San Francisco’s incredibly diverse population.
Official City Functions and Diplomatic Visits: The Ho Chi Minh City delegation meeting is one of many official city functions where Bilingva has provided interpretation services. As San Francisco maintains sister-city relationships and hosts international delegations, our interpreters facilitate these important diplomatic exchanges.
Community Meetings and Public Hearings: We support the city’s commitment to inclusive governance by providing interpretation services for community meetings, public hearings, and civic engagement events where diverse residents participate in local decision-making.
Compliance with Language Access Laws: San Francisco has strong language access ordinances requiring city departments to provide language services. Bilingva helps the city meet these legal obligations while ensuring that all residents can access city services, participate in civic life, and communicate with government officials.
Local Presence and Understanding: Based in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2005, we have deep knowledge of the city’s demographics, community dynamics, and specific language needs. We understand San Francisco’s unique linguistic diversity and cultural landscape.
Proven Reliability: Through years of partnership on everything from routine service delivery to emergency response to high-profile diplomatic events, we’ve demonstrated consistent reliability, quality, and professionalism.
Comprehensive Language Coverage: San Francisco is one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world. We provide interpretation services in over 200 languages, enabling the city to serve all residents effectively.
Flexible Service Delivery: We offer multiple service modalities—phone interpretation, on-site interpretation, translation, and conference interpreting – allowing city departments to access the right type of language support for each situation.
24/7 Availability: City needs don’t operate on a 9-to-5 schedule. Our round-the-clock availability ensures that when emergencies arise or urgent needs emerge, language services are immediately accessible.
Cultural Competency: Our interpreters don’t just translate words – they bridge cultural differences, understand community contexts, and facilitate genuine communication between city officials and diverse residents.
Vietnamese is a tonal language with six distinct tones, making it linguistically complex and requiring interpreters with exceptional ear training and pronunciation skills. Beyond the linguistic challenges, effective Vietnamese interpretation requires:
Regional Variation Awareness: Vietnam has three main dialect regions (Northern, Central, and Southern), each with distinct vocabulary and pronunciation. Ho Chi Minh City, located in Southern Vietnam, uses Southern Vietnamese dialect. Our interpreters understand these regional variations and can communicate effectively with speakers from any part of Vietnam.
Formal and Informal Registers: Vietnamese has complex systems of pronouns and forms of address that vary based on relative age, social status, and relationship context. Diplomatic interpretation requires mastery of the formal registers appropriate for government officials and business leaders.
Cultural Context: Understanding Vietnamese culture, history, business etiquette, and political context is essential for accurate interpretation that preserves meaning and intent. Our Vietnamese interpreters bring this cultural expertise to every assignment.
Technical Vocabulary: For meetings focused on technology, innovation, investment, and economic development, interpreters need extensive technical vocabularies in both languages. Our interpreters stay current with evolving terminology in technology, business, and international relations.
U.S.-Vietnam Relations Context: Interpreters working on diplomatic assignments between the U.S. and Vietnam benefit from understanding the history and current state of bilateral relations, including trade agreements, security partnerships, and areas of cooperation and tension.
Need diplomatic or government interpretation services? Contact Bilingva to discuss your needs. Whether you’re hosting an international delegation, participating in diplomatic negotiations, or conducting official government business requiring interpretation, our experienced team is ready to support clear, accurate, and culturally appropriate communication at the highest levels.
Learn more about our work with government agencies: Explore our partnership with the City and County of San Francisco and discover how we’ve supported public service agencies in delivering equitable services to diverse populations.