Since the beginning of 2012, the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) of Ho Chi Minh City has stepped up operations, connected and mobilised resources to obtain the highest efficiency in investment and trade promotion activities in the city and assert the leadership of the city in the country's economic development. Vietnam Business Forum interviewed Ms Pho Nam Phuong, ITPC Director. My Chau reports.
Could you brief us on the major activities in investment and trade promotion activities in Ho Chi Minh City since the start of this year?
Right from the beginning of this year, ITPC stepped up investment promotion activities through Vietnamese embassies and trade offices in foreign countries, foreign embassies and trade offices in Vietnam, foreign business associations in Vietnam, and foreign business delegations to the city. In addition, we regularly organised conferences and seminars in Vietnam and in foreign countries to introduce investment opportunities and foreign investors into the city. We underscore investment for nine groups of industries, including finance, credit, banking and insurance; transportation, warehousing, port services, maritime logistics, import and export; post, telecommunications, and information and communication technology; asset and real estate trading; consulting information services, science and technology; tourism; healthcare; and education and training. Besides, we attach importance to attracting investment capital for industries with high content of science, technology and added value like electronic engineering, information technology, pharmaceutical chemistry, rubber, refined food processing, biotechnology, environment-friendly power-saving industry, supporting industries, etc.
Thanks to our activities, many new investors from Japan, the United States, South Korea and China, as well as foreign investors doing business in Thailand and China, are locating their business operations in Vietnam, and in HCM City in particular. This proves that investment - trade promotion activities of the centre are on the right track and have started bearing fruit. From this success, we are proposing the establishment of an industrial park exclusively for Japanese investors in the city.
How has the centre supported investors and businesses to invest in production and promote exports?
The centre attaches much importance to supporting investors and enterprises to increase business operations as well as export by organising many investment and trade promotion programmes in 2012. Since the beginning of this year, ITPC has worked with domestic and foreign partners to plan and organise investment and trade promotion programmes and supported exporters. Specifically, we led a business delegation to the Philippines and another one to Germany to meet with 141 suppliers for the Metro system in Europe, organised an export forum in HCM City, a market survey delegation to Myanmar, HCM City trade and tourism fair in Myanmar to boost exports to these potential markets.
ITPC is currently running the Vietnam Exporters Association (VEXA) - a club comprising HCM City-based enterprises in the export industry. Through VEXA, ITPC has carried out many programmes and measures to support member companies to seek partners and export markets.
To enhance the mutual understanding as well as help quickly solve problems between investors and the government, what changes do you think are needed from the city?
To boost mutual understanding, address difficulties facing domestic and foreign investors and companies, the city government holds monthly direct and online talks with districts; direct talks with department leaders, meetings to discuss solutions to troubles for foreign investors. Through these dialogues, many problems have been satisfactorily resolved for investors to rest assured in doing business in HCM City.
However, I think that the city needs to enhance transparency and review regulations and decisions to eradicate overlapping and troublesome articles. Besides, it should strictly deal with investors violating Vietnamese laws, to build a law-abiding, transparent and sustainable framework.
Alongside with investment promotion efforts, what measures and strategic directions has ITPC taken to enhance the quality of trade promotion activities?
To improve the quality of trade promotion, ITPC has signed cooperation agreements with relevant organs like the Department of Industry and Trade, the Department of Finance, the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association, Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper (Saigon Liberation Daily) to use their strengths for better trade promotion. Additionally, we strongly respond to the “Buy Vietnamese” campaign (a movement that mobilises Vietnamese people to give priority to use Vietnamese goods first) and price stabilisation programme.
The city will change domestic market promotion methods by expanding the scale of market days, increasing the number of participating companies, increasing products, particularly those suitable for suburb residents and workers in industrial parks, stepping up countryside vendor programmes. Not only persuading native Vietnamese people, ITPC also has strategies to convince overseas Vietnamese people to use Vietnamese products by signing a strategic partnership with Sasco Company - the investor of Vietnamese house in Germany (Viethaus) to introduce and promote Vietnamese goods there.
Could you talk about the centre’s upcoming development orientations to enhance operating quality to make the investment environment more attractive in the eyes of investors?
In the context of continuing economic difficulty, as a trade and investment promoter, ITPC will strive to carry out short-term programmes and set up long-term plans to support investors and businesses. It will more closely coordinate with related departments, industry associations, business associations, credit and financial institutions to improve the quality of support services, introduce support service packages to meet the requirements of investors and businesses. It will also advise and recommend programmes and measures in support of investors and businesses to the city’s leaders.
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