On 29 October 2020 Business Sweden together with the Embassy of Sweden organised a workshop on the topic ‘Enhancing Competitiveness of Supporting Industries in Vietnam’, followed by a fieldtrip to Deep C Industrial Zones in Hai Phong.
The workshop took place on Tuesday and involved 20 companies, government representatives, business associations and media. Opening remarks and welcoming was held by Björn Savlid, Sweden’s Trade Commissioner to Vietnam, together with Ann Måwe, the Ambassador of Sweden. Invited to this occasion was also Ms. Le Huyen Nga, from Vietnam Industry Agency at MOIT who shared information on the governments new policy to promote supporting industries, resolution No. 115/NQ-CP.
The main intention was to connect Swedish companies with both newly established and well-known manufacturing companies in Vietnam, to showcase potential partners and facilitate new collaborations. ABB, Atlas Copco, Ericsson and Hexagon, all with presence in Vietnam, represented the Swedish corporate side. These companies are world leaders in their respective field and during their presentations they shared their latest technologies and products, as well as ongoing projects and investments.
From the manufacturing side, KIMSEN, HTVJ, FUMEE and MEECO had been selected to present their products and future expansion plans, from 11 other companies participating in the workshop.
The field trip to Hai Phong took place on Wednesday and, apart from receiving first-hand information on investment inquiries after Covid-19, we were invited to a site visit at the Deep C Industrial Zones and the newly built Lach Huyen deep seaport.
Hans Kerstens, Business Manager at Deep C, shared positive figures on a growing interest from European companies to invest in manufacturing in Vietnam. He also announced several interesting sustainability projects by Deep C, such as their wastewater treatment plant (first ISO certified in northern Vietnam), their upcoming solar panel installation and their road, made of recycled plastic. The interest in Hai Phong has grown rapidly in recent years due to its logistical advantages. The city has two international airports, a seaport with direct shipment to Europe, Canada and USA, as well as expressways to Hanoi and soon to China.
The workshop and ensuing field visit are part of Business Sweden’s and the Embassy’s efforts to further incorporate Vietnamese companies into Swedish companies’ value chains. Furthermore, it adds to increase trade opportunities between Sweden and Vietnam in the light of the EU-Vietnam Free trade agreement, EVFTA.
