Leaders of some 25 Sweden-related businesses in Ho Chi Minh City and the neighbouring provinces met the Ambassador of Sweden and the Trade Section at the Embassy on 20 October to dicuss the new initiative – Business and Development Council, introduced by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs earlier this year.
Ambassador Staffan Herrström, the host of the meeting and his guests discussed their expectations on how to make practical use of this new initiative and the supports the Swedish businesses could get from the Embassy.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Herrström praised the success of the Swedish businesses in Vietnam. He added: “It is encouraging to see that to date the bilateral trade between Sweden and Viet Nam almost doubled compared to that in 2005. There are potentials for further increasing the bilateral trade. We all understand the importance of effective communication by having more frequent discussions for sharing business experiences and problem solving either among Swedish businesses themselves or joining efforts with other Nordic and European businesses through available dialogues.”
At the meeting, the businesses expressed their views on the business environment in Viet Nam in the long-term perspective and highlighted some potential business areas of mutual interests for Sweden and Viet Nam. Sweden’s environmentally friendly technologies are among the areas where the Swedish companies can contribute to Vietnam’s development through their businesses. Corporate social responsibility was also discussed at the meeting.
Ambassador Staffan Herrström voiced the Embassy’s readiness to work together with the Swedish business community in Vietnam to strongly promote Sweden’s corestone values.
The meeting was followed by the mingle, giving the participants the opportunity to further elaborate on common issues.
