EuroCham Central Vietnam: an established Business Forum connecting Businesses and Government

On the 24th November 2017, in Danang – the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) – in collaboration with the EU-Vietnam Business Network (EVBN) – hosted the EuroCham Central Vietnam Business Forum (ECV Business Forum) 2017.

The ECV Business Forum discussed the economics and business opportunities of Danang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue provinces, in a unique discussion on the current state of Central Vietnam’s business potential.
Experts and officials covered cross-cutting business topics from a site-specific perspective, including investment practices, tax incentives, local talent management, real estate development, green building, smart cities, among other. It was a great opportunity to hear from experts and Government in regards to the current state of Central Vietnam’s business potential.

     The second edition of the ECV Business Forum gathered over 60 participants and media

In a spirit of business-to-Government dialogue, the ECV Business Forum is the only event of its kind, with a regional and comprehensive scope, bringing business and investment policy authorities of three Provinces to one event dedicated to the potential of Central Vietnam. The region as presented here, comprising the provinces of Danang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue, is well-positioned to become the next top business, trade, and investment destination in Vietnam. 

Mr. Aymar de Liedekerke Beaufort – CCO of BNP Paribas Vietnam and EuroCham Executive Committee Member – opened the event, also officially launching EuroCham’s new project, the Greenbook and the Greenbook website (www.greenbookvietnam.com) in Central Vietnam Chapter. The two platforms aim to be the no.1 for all information on green business in Vietnam. The speakerships started with Mr. Phuc Nguyen,  – Director at KPMG, who focused on an economic outlook for Central Vietnam specifically, as well on tax incentives for businesses and investors in the area.

   EuroCham Executive Committee Member Aymar de Liedekerke Beaufort led this editon of the ECV Business Forum and presented the EuroCham Greenbook in Central Vietnam

 KPMG Director Phuc Nguyen gave a detailed presentation on the economy of Central Vietnam, tax incentives for new businesses and investors, and other relevant topics

After the economics from the analysts perspective, opportunity was given for the Central region’s top investment officials to speak about the three provinces. Danang’s potential was the first province in focus, in a presentation given by Mr. Le Canh Duong – Director of the Danang Investment Promotion Agency. The latter was followed by an overview on Quang Nam’s investment potential delivered by Mr. Tran Van Phuc – Deputy Director of the Public Administration and Investment Promotion Center of Quang Nam.

  Provincial Government representatives Mr. Tuan (Officer, IPC Thua Thien Hue), Mr. Phuc (Dep. Director, IPA Quang Nam) and Mr. Duong (Director, IPA Danang) spoke about current investment policies and incentives in their provinces

This series of presentations by provincial public officials were followed by Mr. Dave Porter – Head of School at Green Shoots International School in Hoi An  – who gave an overview of fostering High Quality education in Central Vietnam; while Mr. Matthew Powell  – Director at Savills Vietnam – covered Real Estate Development in Central Vietnam.

Dave Porter, Head at Green Shoots Int. School spoke about how high quality education could progress in Central Vietnam

Savills Director Matthew Powell gave a detailed overview of the status and trends in the Central Vietnam Real Estate market

Touching also upon green growth topics, the ECV Business Forum 2017 features the talks of Mr. Tran T. Pham – Vice President of Marketing at NS Blue Scope Vietnam – on green building trends in Vietnam; as well as Mr. Truc Le – Project Leader at Sioux Hi Tech Software – who presented an overview on the apps developed by that company to make Danang a smarter city: the Danabus and the Danang Citizen apps.

NS Blue Scope Vietnam's VP for Marketing Tran T. Pham demonstrated how the added cost of green building materials is minimal, calling for more efficient policies towards sustainable building practices
 

A final panel with all the speakers moderated by Mr. Joaquim Torrinha – Deputy Director of EuroCham – closed the discussion before a Networking Lunch took place.

  As in last year's edition, the ECV Business Forum panel discussion was a lively session, with business community making the most of this opportunity to ask questions directly to Government representatives

At the ECV Business Forum, EuroCham announced the three 2018 EuroCham Central Vietnam Delegates, who will drive the activities of the Chamber in the region. The EuroCham Central Vietnam Chapter was opened in 2016 and was EuroCham’s first ever representation outside of HCMC and Hanoi after 18 years of existence. The ECV Chapter works towards giving the local business community a boost in terms of business events, advocacy support and networking opportunities.

  Jose Sanchez-Barroso (Director, Ket Doan) and Hoa Ly Bui (Area Director, Minor Hotels) were officially presented as EuroCham Central Vietnam Delegates for the 2018 term

This ECV Business Forum took place at the Novotel Danang Premier Han River and gather over 60 participants from diverse fields, including business professionals, government officials, media and diplomats. It was sponsored by Savills Vietnam, NS Blue Scope, and Green Shoots International School, with the support of KPMG.

QUOTES:
Gellert Horvath, Co-Chairman, EuroCham highlighted: “Outside of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Danang and with it central Vietnam is a leading trade and investment destination for European business. What we hear from our [approximately 50] members doing business in the region is that they are very satisfied with their growth and are here to stay. EuroCham realised this promising outlook and the potential of Central Vietnam when we became the first large foreign chamber of commerce to open a representation in Danang in November 2016. We are certain that areas such as ICT; tourism and hospitality; infrastructure; green technology – namely renewable energy and sustainable building; and education will remain strong here in the coming years.  The ECV Business Forum is a good example of how companies with an interest in important projects can ask questions directly to the investment authorities in cities and provinces, while also being able to establish contacts for future partnerships. I am happy to the success of this event, and certain that it will continue to grow every year.”

Phuc Nguyen, Partner Tax and Corporate Services, KPMG Vietnam, said: “Phuc Nguyen, Director of Corporate Services, KPMG Vietnam, said: “Since our Danang office opened in 2015, we have made significant progress in regional trade promotion activities, such as participating in APEC’s side-lines events, investor relations, and working with local partners in promoting the investment environment in central Vietnam at events and in publications. Over the years, we quickly recognized that EuroCham Central Vietnam Chapter’s initiative to assist in the region’s socio-economic development aligns with KPMG’s strategy and core values. We continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with EuroCham, its members, and the provincial authorities of Danang, Quang Nam and neighbouring provinces, to make the initiative a great success.”

Left to Right: Truc Le (Project Leader, Sioux), Joaquim Torrinha (Dep. Director, EuroCham), Le Canh Duong (Director, IPA Danang), Dave Porter (Head of School, Green Shoots Int. School), Matthew Powell (Director, Savills Vietnam), Aymar de Liedekerke Beaufort (Exec. Comm. Member, EuroCham/CCO BNP Paribas), Nguyen Phuc (Director, KPMG), Bui Anh Tuan (Officer, IPC Thua Thien Hue), Tran Van Phuc (IPA Quang Nam)