On 10 September 2020 the Swedish embassy together with Business Sweden travelled to Ho Chi Minh city. Due to the Covid-19 situation it was their first visit in almost seven months. Usually the team normally visit HCMC every 4-6 week.
The team expressed the positive result of the visit in a statement that said:
We were extremely pleased to be back and to meet with the Swedish companies and business leaders again.
This time we visited the offices of Astra Zeneca, ABB and Oriflame. We also had meetings with Atlas Copco and IKEA. We discussed with them how the pandemic had affected their businesses and what their plans were for the coming months.
Reassuring to learn that despite the difficult times, most of the Swedish companies are managing well. Extra noteworthy is of course AstraZeneca’s vaccine against Covid-19 that is currently in phase 3 trials. In our discussions, we also talked about how we could continue to work together on our three promotion themes; Innovation, Sustainability and Safety.
As usual when visiting Ho Chi Minh City the embassy also organised a business breakfast. This time we made an effort to practice social distancing and allow for 30 participants only (local authorities decided only on Monday 7 September to allow for greater numbers to gather). The embassy informed about our consular work during the most busy months in this regard; March and April. We also made a thorough presentation about the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and what it means in terms of business opportunities and broader discussions on sustainability and social dialogue.
We look forward to be back again in October, to continue the dialogue.
