In 2007, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) organised a host of practical activities to boost trading promotion activities for companies in Vietnam. On the occasion of the traditional lunar New Year, ViB Forum reporter Lan Anh had an exchange talk with Mr Hoang Van Dung, Vice Chairman of VCCI, on this issue.
Could you tell us the trade promotion between VCCI and domestic enterprises in 2007?
In 2007, VCCI’s trading and investment promotion activities were renovated to focus on general promotion activities, combine sector-based promotion activities with market-based promotion activities, combine supports for small and medium enterprises with large enterprises, and call investment from giant multinational corporations.
In 2007, VCCI continued implementing agreements and cooperation programmes with ministries, localities, business associations and social organisations in the country. It concentrated on training activities, economic, business information database building activities and integration introduction activities. Particularly, VCCI cooperated with 46 provinces and cities to carry out a programme to assist local enterprises to apply IT in the integration and development period. In addition to signed agreements, VCCI inked a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Hanoi University to assist enterprises to develop human resources last year.
Could you speak about the significant results that the training and development of enterprises have gained?
Training activities were developed in both size and quality. In 2007, VCCI organised 700 training courses for 44,500 business managers, an increase of 15 per cent over 2006. Training contents and methods were updated regularly to meet the growing demand by enterprises.
Besides, VCCI continued carrying out projects to assist small and medium enterprises to develop local economy and encourage the establishment of small enterprises to reduce poverty. It also launched Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programmes to train new enterprises. Regarding giant firms and foreign-led enterprises, VCCI cooperated with domestic and international partners to organise many senior business administration programmes.
To encourage business and production expansion activities and honour enterprises, VCCI hosted a programme to vote for 100 top business awards in 2007 on the occasion of Vietnam Businessmen’s Day (October 13), the Golden Rose Award for 36 best businesswomen on the occasion of the International Women’s Day (March 3) and Corporate Social Responsibility Award.
To assist enterprises to obtain sustained development was a core task of VCCI in 2007. Apart from the annual corporate social responsibility awards, VCCI also organised training programmes on labour safety and sanitation, hosted corporate social responsibility seminars, produced film on “Labourers’ health - Sustainable success of enterprises” and built internal bulletins and website for social corporate social responsibility and sustained development of enterprises.
VCCI also expanded activities to help enterprises in integration. Especially, it helped businesses overcome commercial barriers to increase export. When the dumping threats increased, it opened the website on this issue at
www.chongbanphagia.vn, which welcome over 100 visits a day. This website is being upgraded with an English version. Besides, VCCI also organised 10 seminars on commercial barriers and anti-dumping in various localities. It also published books on “Notable anti-dumping cases in EU and China” and “Anti-dumping conflicts in WTO.” VCCI also took part in the study and check of laws on competition issues, subsidies and commitments in the WTO environment as well as in international market.
The cooperation and trade promotion between home and foreign enterprises has brought good results. How do you access this?
In 2007, VCCI continued attending meetings and assisting businesses to catch up with cooperation frameworks with international and regional organisations such as APEC BAC, ASEAN, ASEAN+3, ASEAN BAC, GMS and AJBM. It cooperated with ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) to organise the first ASEAN Business Award in Singapore. VCCI also released the first ASEAN ABAC bulletin in September 2007 to provide VCCI members and companies in Vietnam in a bid to introduce more about ASEAN and promote regional integration.
In 2007, VCCI organised 403 business delegations for 9,120 businesspeople to attend international conferences, survey markets and participate in exhibitions. Many big enterprises accompanied the Party and State leaders during their foreign trips. They followed the President to Laos, Cambodia, China, the US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, they accompanied the State leaders to India, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar and Brunei. They followed the State leaders to attend the ASEAN Leaders Summit in the Philippines, attend the 62nd United Nations General Assembly Meeting, and to visit France. They accompanied the Vice President to attend the Global Summit of Women in Germany. The results of their diplomatic visits have got bigger and bigger, proven by contracts with higher value. In 2007, companies accompanied State leaders signed contracts worth of dozens of US dollars in 2007. They inked deals worth of US$1.15 billion with Russian firms, US$3.6 billon with Czech Republic firms, US$4.5 billion with Japanese firms, US4.58 billion with Indian firms and US$285 million with Australian and New Zealand companies.
On the other hand, VCCI also successfully organised the Vietnam Days programmes in South Korea and France. These programmes helped popularise the national image, business environment, companies and products of Vietnam in the global business community. During these events, contracts worth of billions of US dollars were signed.
VCCI, concerned agencies and enterprises received many foreign enterprises and businessmen coming to Vietnam to carry out market researches. Could you elaborate the results?
VCCI received as many as 607 business delegations consisting of nearly 26,600 businesspeople visiting Vietnam to survey the market, seek investment and business opportunities in 2007. VCCI also organised 180 seminars, conferences, talks and exchange meetings for 25,330 Vietnamese and international companies in a bid to assist them to seek partners, markets and investment and business opportunities. It hosted 26 domestic trade fairs drawing the participation of 2,800 enterprises (an increase of 20 per cent against 2006), 12 exhibitions in other countries for 6,700 companies, advised 3,100 enterprises (34 per cent), provided information for 17,450 companies (an increase of 32 per cent) and granted 527,850 certificate of origins (an increase of 13.5 per cent against 2006).
Besides, VCCI also cooperated with the Hanoi People’s Committee to host ASEAN 100 Forum and ASEAN Capitals Forum, which draw a wide attention of companies, policymakers and politicians.
In addition, VCCI continued organising the Vietnam Business Forum with major trade partners such as Vietnam-China Business Forum, Vietnam-Africa Business Forum, Vietnam-EU Business Forum and Vietnam-Japan Business Forum. During these forums, VCCI helped enhance cooperation between Vietnamese companies and foreign partners through its trade and investment promotion seminars, business forums, exchange meetings, information provision, publication and training activities. At present, VCCI is working to set up the Vietnam-US Business Forum, Vietnam-India Business Forum and GMS Vietnam.
Quynh Chi
Vietnamese
