On 25th August, EuroCham and the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City (ITPC) have officially met at the local EuroCham Office. EuroCham was represented by its Vice Chairmen – Mr. Vo Quang-Hue and Mr. Tomaso Andreatta -, accompanied by EuroCham Secretariat officers, Sector Committees’ representatives, as well as EuroCham’s partner organisation, the EU-Vietnam Business Network (EVBN). The meeting focused on facilitating the continuous cooperation between EuroCham and the ITPC HCMC in the near future, in order to establish joint activities that can be of benefit to both European and Vietnam enterprises.
Mr. Pham Thiet Hoa, Director of the ITPC, stressed the fruitful exchange between the two entities regarding investment and trade promotion for the City. ITPC encouraged EuroCham to continue to support in attracting investors to HCMC by reinforcing the promotion of upcoming ITPC-led conferences and trade fairs. The ITPC Director also expressed a particular interest on the development of the local pharmaceutical and green growth-related sectors, including sustainable agriculture and building materials. Mr. Pham said to be looking forward to cooperating with EuroCham’s concerned sector committees and experts in developing activities in this context.
Regarding trade promotion activities, ITPC expressed their willingness to co-host with EuroCham more investment conferences and B2B events in industries such as food processing, health supplements, and crop devices. Conversely, support in communicating European events to Vietnamese companies was also requested to EuroCham, in order to help interested Vietnamese businesses to find favourable conditions for participation.
In response to the appeal from ITPC, Ms. Almut Roessner, EuroCham Executive Director, mentioned that EuroCham cooperates closely with EVBN in matters of Vietnam trade and investment promotion in the EU. It was also stressed that EuroCham members work actively to always encourage the Vietnamese Government to intensify promotion activities towards potential investment sources, namely towards European businesses.
In the same vein, Ms. Delphine Rousselet, EVBN Project Director, presented the four upcoming trade missions that will be organised by EVBN. These missions, taking place in HCMC, will focus on healthcare, energy, food and beverage, and lifestyle – sectors which are among the interests of ITPC. EVBN stated that it would appreciate the support of ITPC in bringing Vietnamese enterprises to these events and contribute to enhancing their interaction with visiting EU companies.
The meeting also covered the topics raised by Eurocham Sector Committees, including Green Growth and Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Tomaso Andreatta, Chairman of the Green Growth Sector Committee, referred to the power production and usage in HCMC, in connection with the support the ITPC provide to the Sector Committee in presenting proposals to the Government in this regard. Mr. Andreatta also took the opportunity to discuss a possible contribution of European businesses to a higher technological standard for the City, towards a more efficient infrastructure – to which a relocation of HCMC port to Cai Mep could also be linked to.
In turn, the Pharma Group Sector Committee, through its Senior Director, Mr. Jan Rask Christensen presented the intention of the group to cooperate with the Vietnamese Government towards a sustained access to high quality, safe and innovative medicines. The Pharma Group believes that its members can contribute to transforming Vietnam an ASEAN hub for innovative pharmaceuticals and asked the ITPC to support EuroCham in delivering this message of availability to the Government.
EuroCham Vice Chairman Mr. Vo Quang-Hue discussed the “smart city” future of HCMC and how such a shift could help transform it into an attractive investment destination. Mr. Vo also expressed his willingness to assist in connecting the ITPC and the German Business Association (GBA) in Vietnam towards future joint activities.
Finally, Mr. Phan Thiet Hoa shared with EuroCham’s representatives the current plans the City is to carry out to promote tourism on the two sides of the Saigon River, as well as other projects. Mr. Phan announced that the IPCT will also organise an investment conference with the ambition to promote investment in HCMC, for which EuroCham was officially invited to participate.
