5:13:12 PM | 1/12/2009
Never before has the Vietnamese business community encountered such a volatile year as in 2008. Likewise, economic analysts project 2009 to be another strenuous and tension-filled year, in which the business community will have to conjure the skill and shrewdness needed to overcome the bumps in the road ahead. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, the Vietnam Business Forum had an interview with Dr Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), about operations of VCCI and its supports to the Vietnamese business community.
The year 2008 marked an important milestone of the VCCI history as it successfully organised the fifth Convention. Could you speak about the results of the Convention?
The organisation of the fifth VCCI Convention was the key task of VCCI in 2008. The meeting reviewed the implementation of tasks of the fourth term (2003-2008) and put forth orientations and tasks for the fifth term (2008-2013).
The Convention took place on September 11 and 12 and honourably drew the attendance of leaders of the State, the Party, ministries, branches, central political and social associations, provincial/municipal People's Committees, diplomatic delegations, international organisations in Vietnam and 358 representatives of business communities. The Convention elected the Steering Committee with 77 members, in which 71 members are company leaders or association leaders of all economic sectors and six members are VCCI officials.
The Party, the State and the fourth Convention completed all of its prioritized tasks; thus, during the fifth Convention, VCCI was conferred the laudatory writing frame by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh Medal by the State and other noble rewards from the Party and the State to VCCI's units and individuals. This is a noble reward and a source of spiritual stimulus for VCCI to heighten its role, prestige, and position in Vietnam and internationally. The development of the business community and Vietnam's economy shall advance more speedily and assuredly due to the mission of VCCI.
Last year, global and Vietnamese economies underwent wide fluctuations, sending many enterprises into difficulty. So, what did VCCI do to assist Vietnamese enterprises in trading and investment promotion activities?
In 2008, VCCI received more than 300 foreign business delegations with nearly 10,400 businesspeople to survey the market and seek investment and business opportunities in Vietnam- an increase of 20 per cent against 2007-and sent 82 Vietnamese business delegations with 4,800 businesspeople to foreign conferences, market surveys, trade fairs and exhibitions-a rise of 46 per cent in delegation number and 20 per cent in company number over 2007. Many large companies accompanied State and Party leaders to visit other nations including
"the President's visits to Austria, Greece, Norway, Russia and Mongolia
" the Prime Minister's visits to the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the United States
" the National Assembly Chairman's visits to Australia, Japan, South Korea, Hungary, Romani, Bulgaria and France
" Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung's visits to Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Many economic contracts were signed with values of up to billions of US dollar.
VCCI held many seminars, conferences, talks and meetings with Vietnamese and foreign enterprises. VCCI hosted 470 gatherings for nearly 48,000 enterprises to approach markets, seek partners and investment - business opportunities, organised 22 domestic exhibitions for some 3,000 attending enterprises, a rise of 15 per cent against 2007, opened four trade fairs in other nations for 3,222 participating enterprises (up 15 per cent against 2007), gave consultancy to more than 3,000 enterprises, provided information to nearly 26,700 enterprises, granted 550,275 certificates of origin (C/O).
VCCI has maintained the operating efficiency of Vietnamese business forums with key markets. The Vietnam - China Business Forum organised the seminar on Vietnam - Guangxi investment and trading and the conference on developing economy with the Chinese market. The Vietnam - Africa Business Forum organised the meeting for Vietnamese rice and cashew nut exporters with Guinean enterprises. The Vietnam - EU Business Forum and the Vietnam - Japan Business Forum opened seminars on business development in the EU and Japanese markets and issued the guide books for enterprises to penetrate these markets. Moreover, VCCI chaired and collaborated the opening of the Vietnam - France Business Forum within the framework of the second Vietnam - France senior council meeting and the organisation of the Business Forum with Vietnam within the framework of the 18th Global Summit of Women in Hanoi, which drew more than 1,000 delegates with many being leaders of leading groups and investors in the region and the world. Business forums are the channels for companies to exchange information and promote investment and trade ties.
Regarding business training, development and assistance, VCCI organised many training programmes and classes for business leaders. Are these programmes effective for enterprises?
Training activities have been developed in both scale and quality. In 2008, VCCI organized about 960 training courses for some 50,000 business executives, a rise of 21 per cent over 2007. Training contents and methods have been continuously altered to meet the higher and more diversified demand of enterprises.
VCCI continued carrying out small and medium enterprise supporting projects in many places in Vietnam. VCCI coordinated with agencies, universities and specialists to open training courses in Vietnam and other nations for governance skills and business arts.
In addition, VCCI joined hands with the Central Youth Union to prepare the launching of a youth employment project with the purpose of carrying out business surveys and collecting business leaders' comments on the quality of newly recruited labourers graduated from universities and vocational schools. VCCI also organised training programmes for young enterprises and business associations, prepared the debut of business consulting and assisting programme and the businesswoman training programme, and assisted the formation of Businesswomen Association and businesswoman clubs in provinces and cities.
VCCI also continued implementing small and medium enterprise supporting projects in many places in Vietnam. In 2008, the first National SME Week was opened. This is an important and outstanding event with many SME supporting activities like exhibitions, talks, seminars and training courses. SMEs were provided more opportunities to connect with domestic and foreign companies. The event was a business forum for SMEs to exchange experience, seek answers to investment and trading difficulties and put forth proposals concerning the completion of legal framework and the improvement of the skills of the human resources through exchanges and training programmes. The National SME Week attracted the participation of more than 1,100 enterprises in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The event was incorporated with many seminars on SME development policies, Vietnamese SMEs in the global value chain, supporting industry development, promotion of financial instruments to enhance the competitiveness, SMEs' capital approach, local economic development and businesswomen in the integration process. In addition to forums, the SME exhibition was also an activity to popularise and introduce products of domestic and foreign companies. National SME Week reached its goals and set the standard for similar events in the future.
To protect legitimate rights and interests of businesses, VCCI received their petitions and feedbacks concerning difficulties and shortcomings in their operations and sent proposals to the Government. How did VCCI carry out this work last year?
VCCI reviewed hundreds of complaints and queries from enterprises and sent proposals to relevant ministries, agencies and localities for settlement. VCCI also coordinated with competent ministries, agencies and foreign institutions to provide and exchange two-way information to eliminate trade frauds, assist enterprises in studying antidumping, anti-subsidy and self-protection in international trade and expanding export. Furthermore, VCCI was a member of compilation boards of 12 legal documents, collected constructive ideas from nearly 1,300 business representatives and specialists and raised its opinions to 52 different legal document drafts like the draft Corporate Income Tax Law, the draft VAT Law, the draft Special Consumption Tax Law, draft decrees on administrative procedure streamlining, draft legal assistance to enterprises and others. Legal drafting gathered the participations of thousands of enterprises.
Amidst the Vietnamese economic turmoil last year, VCCI conducted many surveys on corporate operation and production assessments to lay the groundwork for advising and proposing measures to the Government to support corporate business development, rein in inflation, and stabilize macro economy.
To ensure the quality of consultancies sent to the Party and the State, VCCI maintains a dialogue between enterprises and government agencies. VCCI cooperated with ministries, braches, to successfully organise many dialogues including the commercial counsellor meetings in northern, central and southern regions; the dialogue conference for enterprises and ambassadors; the business dialogues on tax and customs procedures in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Activities and events organised by VCCI are very attractive to enterprises and necessary to boost the relations between government agencies and businesses.
2009 is an important transition year of quick and sustainable growth to realise the economic and social goals, tasks and norms in the five-year period from 2006 to 2010. Could you tell operating orientations of VCCI in 2009? What will VCCI do to assist the business community?
The year 2009 is the first year to implement the Resolution of the fifth Convention of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. At the same time, before the quick development and the demanding requirement of the business community, VCCI, with its higher role and position, needs to continue renovating its organization and operation by: directing grassroot operations; connecting with businesses; completing its role as a national representative for the business community, business associations, entrepreneurs and employers; actively taking part in the process of building and completing socialist-oriented market economic regime and creating a conducive business environment for the development of enterprises; assisting the development of the business community, the expansion of businessman force, the international integration of businesses and the establishment of harmonious labour relationship; heightening the corporate social responsibility to eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, solve social issues, protect the environment and sustain the development.
To realise its goals, VCCI will focus on the following tasks:
- Continuing to advise the Party and the State on lawmaking and business environment improvement; actively taking part in and mobilising enterprises to contribute their opinions to the construction of the Party and the State's policies, guidelines and legal documents on business development, business climate improvement and protection of legitimate rights and interests of enterprises; continuing the building and launching the provincial competitiveness index (PCI); assisting localities to better the investment and business environment; developing the economy, attracting investment and assess the impact of PCI on rated provinces; and continuing the implementation of lawmaking programme of VCCI.
- Enhancing political activities, tightening business linkages and expanding cooperative ties. VCCI will further disseminate legal documents to the business community in various forms, especially to remote areas. It will continue holding talks for local authorities, lawmakers and enterprises. At the same time, VCCI will take on the chairmanship of ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and carry out activities in the frameworks of APEC/ABAC, ASEAN/BAC and ACMECS to ensure the continuity and volume up the voice of Vietnamese enterprises in the regional business community.
- Continuing to maintain and diversify forms, methods, contents and beneficiaries of the businessman training programmes. Additionally, VCCI will construct and propose the Government to carry out the national programme for businessman training with the intention of creating models to link SMEs and big enterprises and economic groups, which will enhance the corporate linkage efficiency in the integration process. VCCI is also building and implementing corporate culture projects and activities; assisting local governments to create favourable business climates to develop SMEs according to the PRISED and GTZ projects; building value chains and supply chains; developing business connections and developing the "action plan for developing industrial subcontracts in Vietnam."
- VCCI will continue maintaining and accelerating operations of business forums and councils with China, Africa, Japan and the EU. It will form the Vietnam - US Business Forum and promote the formation of Vietnam - India, Vietnam - GMS business forums and many others.
Especially, VCCI will carry out trade promotion programmes approved by the Government for 2009, building and submitting the project on annual CEO conference in Vietnam to the Prime Minister - a move to link leaders of the government units, economic organisations and companies in Vietnam and the world to meet, exchange, and discuss measures to improve the business environment.
Reported by Lan Anh
Vietnamese
