Carrying the torch in Vietnam’s media

Source: freepik.com

Denny Abdi - Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam

In 2021, I shared thoughts in VIR on Vietnam’s integration into the world, the critical role of economic media in promoting the country’s global vision, and how bilateral relations between Indonesia and Vietnam remain positive despite the pandemic.

Many economists claimed that economic recovery in 2022 would be better but remain uneven. Geopolitical instability has been the top-cited threat, followed by the current recession. As we are witnessing the ongoing energy crisis, the urgency for countries to fully commit and move towards diversified and net-zero emissions sources is an immediate priority.

Moreover, countries in Southeast Asia are among those most vulnerable to climate change, and the region as a whole is still largely dependent on fossil fuels. Energy supply currently is a drama for most countries. Nations are contesting their green energy strategy but still lack implementation. As two robust economies in Southeast Asia, what can Indonesia and Vietnam do to get the ball rolling?

I noted that Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh approved an action plan to reduce carbon emissions in the transport sector as part of a strategy to make good on its climate change commitments. Accordingly, I see two aspects of renewable energy cooperation that Vietnam and Indonesia can explore: transport and solar panels.

Transport accounts for 21 per cent of global carbon emissions. Vietnam’s ongoing production and investment in electric vehicles have made a clear path in green transport on a national and global scale. In addition, to develop clean energy, Vietnam is the tenth-biggest producer of solar power worldwide.

Green transport is an opportunity for Vietnam and Indonesia. They could explore the opportunity to fill the gap in the ASEAN green transport market for four and two-wheeler vehicles, including public transport.

Moreover, pursuing electric mobility could form a symbiotic relationship with the development of solar energy. As country coordinator for the ASEAN-US partnership 2021-2023, Indonesia proposes cooperation to develop the ASEAN electric vehicle ecosystem. As Indonesia will chair ASEAN next year, we will consistently pursue the implementation of this.

Kees van Baar - Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam

VIR is one of the press outlets that helps me get up-to-date and in-depth information on Vietnam’s economic developments.

Our comprehensive partnership and the two strategic partnership arrangements on water management/climate change and agriculture/food security create solid bases for close cooperation across a wide range of sectors, with green and inclusive growth as a common denominator.

Vietnam hosts several Dutch corporates such as De Heus, FrieslandCampina, Philips, Heineken, Philips, and Royal HaskoningDHV. More and more small businesses are exploring doing business in Vietnam, resulting in many companies joining trade missions to Vietnam in the past few years. The growing membership of the Dutch Business Association Vietnam is evidence of the blossoming of business cooperation between our countries.

Entrepreneurs always consult different sources of information before making investment decisions, including local media like VIR. What I particularly appreciate about VIR is that it creates a platform for different stakeholders to reflect and exchange their perspectives, making it possible for businesses to have multi-dimensional information.

Looking ahead, 2023 marks an important year for the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. I hope that in the next year and the years to come, the excellent trade and economic cooperation between our two countries will bloom further, and VIR will continue to be our media partner for business promotion and our countries’ green and inclusive growth.

Arne-Kjetil Lian - Commercial counsellor, Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi

VIR has been at the forefront of the Vietnam media, particularly investment and financial journalism, since its start in 1991. The articles are of good quality and relevant for readers from the international community.

Vietnam’s economic development has been phenomenal throughout this period and especially during the last decade. GDP growth between 5 and 10 per cent on average and around 3 per cent during the pandemic is impressive, and VIR has been a leading force in documenting this for their readers.

Vietnam’s importance both geopolitically and financially is increasing. This should also be further shown in VIR’s articles going forward. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made a bold statement during COP26 in Glasgow last year and included Vietnam among the countries pledging net-zero emissions by 2050. This will be challenging, albeit not impossible, to follow through. Increased focus on renewable energy, circular economy and sustainable business will be paramount in the following years and decades.

VIR should aim to continue to be a spearhead within Vietnamese media, both in pushing this agenda and documenting progress and milestones in this field.

Andrew Goledzinowski - Australian Ambassador to Vietnam

As soon as I arrived as the new Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, the embassy’s economic team put VIR on the top of my list of required reading.

I have already been fascinated by the many stories of dynamism, innovation and progress documented throughout its very informative pages and so I was not surprised to hear that this quality publication has been running for so long. I send my warmest congratulations to VIR on its 31st anniversary.

Australia and Vietnam have never been closer, and it is my deep honor as ambassador to be tasked with taking this relationship to even greater heights. As we look towards 2023 – the year our two countries will mark 50 years of diplomatic relations – I will be working hard to expand existing cooperation and explore new opportunities for mutual benefit.

Economic cooperation – from trade and investment, to knowledge exchange and people-to-people links – is a key pillar of these relations. Australia is proud to be Vietnam’s 10th largest trading partner and we have longstanding investment links in key sectors including education, finance, agribusiness and professional services.

Our jointly produced Vietnam-Australia Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES), released last year, is the strongest reflection yet of our two governments’ confidence in a shared economic future.

Our economies are highly complementary, and there is enormous potential to take the relationship even further, with the EEES providing the foundation to unlock significant opportunities for businesses across the two countries.

In my time here in Vietnam, I am sure I will continue to rely on VIR as a key source of information on the major trade, investment and business developments that are occurring.

Neermal Shunmugam - Charge d’affaires, Embassy of Malaysia to Vietnam

We believe that information gives us more power no matter who we are. The more we know, the more we can effect change on a personal and societal level. One way we acquire knowledge is through the media, which disseminates the information to audiences, thus empowering them.

However, at the same time, they have a great responsibility to honestly educate and inform the public.

We believe that the responsibility of a good media practitioner is to educate and enlighten. Because of this, the media and media professionals should abide by the following golden rules. Firstly, they should base their work on objective facts and truth. Secondly, they should spread friendship, kindness, solidarity and cooperation. Finally, the media agency and practitioners should bear social responsibilities, like other professions.

In Vietnam, the media has a strong state-of-the-art endeavour resulting in a greater impact on sociocultural life. As one of the bright stars in the Vietnamese media, VIR has become the country’s most prominent institution, covering various aspects of daily life, including business and economic issues. It has actively engaged international organisations in the country to produce informative materials to benefit and educate the public.

The Embassy of Malaysia to Vietnam is one of the many organisations benefiting greatly from engaging with VIR. The agency has been instrumental in promoting and elaborating our efforts in Vietnam. Engagement with local media practitioners is always needed to channel information or our efforts to the outside world.

Through our engagement with VIR, we were able to communicate and channel Malaysia’s achievements, leaders’ visits, and activities to readers.

Ramla Khalidi - Resident representative designate in Vietnam, United Nations Development Programme

VIR’s broad coverage of the Vietnamese government’s work on socioeconomic development and pandemic response and recovery provides an important platform for exchanging priorities and opportunities toward global sustainable development goals. This includes diverse perspectives on progress and achievements in implementing key strategies and plans for socioeconomic development, green growth, and climate change, as well as business development in Vietnam.

As a weekly newspaper that provides up-to-date information, VIR has always been a valued resource and a strong supporter of our work and discussions with our Vietnamese partners. I am very pleased to see VIR championing green and low carbon sustainable development and resilience building by serving as a reliable source of information for the public on renewable energy, energy efficiency, green transportation, circular economy, environmental protection, climate change, and disaster risk management.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works closely with the government to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable people and communities in the coastal, central highland, and Mekong Delta regions, as well as accelerating a just energy transition, expansion of renewable energy, and green transport.

Recently, we were delighted to participate in a VIR-hosted talk show on reducing plastic waste through the circular economy, and co-hosted a roundtable on finance and governance accelerators for a just energy transition. The UNDP expresses its best wishes to VIR for continued success.

Tanaka Akihisa - Senior representative Vietnam Office, Japan International Cooperation Agency

Being in charge of public relations activities and many other projects of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Vietnam, acquiring timely and reliable information is a must. In this aspect, VIR is one of the most reliable sources for me, helping me make the right decision in project implementation and planning.

Your excellent analysis of events in the country provides great insights and a treasure chest of knowledge about investment in Vietnam and the region. I like the Investing and Green Growth columns, which I find very informative about official development assistance, foreign direct investment, and other factors of the investment environment.

We emphasise not only infrastructure and human resource development but also the enhancement of such investment, which helps the development of Vietnam. Getting reliable information quickly, especially in private sector activities, is very important.

Your information is a great help to gain new ideas for our future activities that enhance not only the development of the country but also strengthen mutual understanding between Japan and Vietnam. In this regard, I highly appreciate the work of VIR’s journalists, who are very professional. I am very much expecting that this direction will succeed and be further developed.

I wish my best to all the people who are related with the paper and prosperous future of VIR.

Dang Huu Cu - Communications specialist, Asian Development Bank

In our work at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the press in Vietnam has always played an important role, as it closely follows and reflects up-to-date news on socioeconomic developments, providing outstanding issues in life for policymakers to consider and promptly offer effective solutions.

The domestic press and VIR in particular frequently publish interviews and articles by ADB experts, which encourage discussions about challenges and opportunities in Vietnam’s development process.

These opinion-sharing articles or policy recommendations have helped readers gain a more comprehensive perspective, thereby making positive contributions to the country’s policy development and innovation and creating consensus among the public on new policies.

There are many detailed articles about the successes and impacts of ADB-financed projects. In addition, many news articles frankly point out the mistakes and weaknesses in project implementation.

These stories not only help the project management agency to handle violations but also help the sponsors find out errors in order to coordinate with the management agency to strengthen measures and management tools and boost monitoring and supervision. This ensures transparency and also effectiveness in investment activities.

Occasionally, VIR journalists have asked the ADB to comment on economic development issues. We have always tried to help on issues where we have some expertise.

The questions raised by VIR journalists were most stimulating, and we often found it challenging to prepare a credible response within the required word limit.

I have benefited greatly from the advice of VIR editors on how to present material in a more reader-friendly format.

We would like to thank you all for always accompanying us in the past and look forward to more cooperation to make our communication more effective.

Nguyen Hong Ngan - Senior external relations officer, World Bank in Vietnam

Being one of the first newspapers targeting an expat readership in the business/economic community, VIR has been growing nonstop, providing readers with truthful, insightful, and up-to-date information. It has become an indispensable part of the media landscape in Vietnam and a faithful companion to many international organisations, including the World Bank, and foreign and other enterprises and investors doing business here.

VIR has done commendable work in bringing its readers information, reports and opinions so vital in this age of media. The public has always appreciated the professional quality of the newspaper’s reporting. We are happy to collaborate with VIR all these years, as it has been a great vehicle to communicate government policies, as well as the latest developments in the Vietnamese economy.

Vietnam is entering a new development phase this year, and so is VIR. The public demands higher quality publications, from content to cover and the timely delivery of information. There are a lot of opportunities for the newspaper to continue to explore and grasp to gain a strong foothold with a new generation of readers.

We would like to give special appreciation to the VIR team for helping to promote national development priorities for inclusive, green and sustainable growth, which are also core to the World Bank’s support of Vietnam’s development agenda.

Hong Sun - Vice chairman, Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry

VIR has been always playing an important role as an official, reliable, and prestigious information channel for foreign businesses and investors in Vietnam and those who want to learn about the local business climate in the Southeast Asian country.

Continuous updates on the government’s new investment policies and regulations related to business activities in Vietnam are very important to investors like us.

Through VIR, issues are updated and analysed in the most exact, quick, and complete manner, thus helping us understand more comprehensively new rules and leading to better adjustments and changes in our business governance in line with the local rules.

For instance, during the pandemic, VIR fully covered the government’s latest policies regarding vaccination for businesses, including South Korean ones, to help them stabilise their business activities, as well as national strategies for pandemic prevention and control and the policies about tax reduction, tax extension, social insurance, and other supporting policies for labourers.

In the future, I expect that VIR will continue to keep its role as a reliable information channel and a trusted partner for domestic and foreign investors and businesses and all readers at home and abroad.

To better do the role, VIR should cover more discussion activities and business and investment forums of foreign business associations such as KorCham, the European Chamber of Commerce, and others to reflect their opinions and assessments about the country’s investment policies as a way to promote economic relations between Vietnam and its major economic partners.

Leif Schneider - Senior associate, ACSV Legal

Since I arrived in Vietnam in 2018, VIR has been a regular and valuable source of information about the Vietnamese investment landscape. Across various topics, it provides current and relevant insights about pending foreign investment issues in the country, backed up by reliable research.

I use the online version as a part of my daily morning news digest and regularly quote relevant articles to industry leaders and private and professional investors. As a foreign lawyer in Vietnam and the vice chairman of the Legal Sector Committee of EuroCham, VIR has proven to be an excellent source of information for me and has an outstanding reputation in the Vietnamese business ecosystem.

I would appreciate a series of more detailed (and longer) pieces about foreign investment activities and Vietnam’s economic outlook that are backed up by deeper research and a wider variety of sources.

Trang Vo - Head of Business Development and Investment, UOA Group

Having worked and invested in Vietnam for nearly 15 years, I see that VIR is one of the most reliable, trustworthy partners that has contributed great information and resources to the industry.

If VIR can dive into a few specific topics such as real estate investment guidelines or the real estate transactions outlook, these will be good angles to think about. It will be much more precious for businesses like UOA.

With an ambition to expand its project portfolio to include commercial offices, fully-equipped residential buildings, luxury hotels in the city centre, and elderly housing projects, UOA Group expects Vietnam to become its leading market over the next five years.

Vietnam’s optimistic economic outlook, the financial contributions from the industry’s major players, and the proven resilience of the real estate industry have made it way more appealing than ever before.

So to ensure long-term business sustainability, we have and will continue to focus on maintaining a positive operating cash flow, responding to market needs, improving resource efficiency, and delivering value-added properties with hallmark quality while working closely with such prestige media partners like VIR as an effective bridge to promote our brands and share our opinions with policymakers.

Anshul Jain - CEO India and Southeast Asia, Cushman & Wakefield

Mass media is a significant force in modern culture and is always in the midst of transforming to adapt and cater to the constantly growing public interest.

This is true for VIR, a valuable information hub of Vietnam’s investment market for both international and also local business communities.

For the past few years, the newspaper’s role as an information conveyor and connection creator is further enhanced by seminars like the M&A Forum and the Industrial Investment Forum, featuring high-level discussions from senior government and business leaders.

These discussions are immensely beneficial to the growth of the market, and I look forward to seeing many more in the coming time.

We are delighted to accompany VIR to provide insights into the property market and hopes to take this partnership to a new height in the near future.

Takeo Nakajima - ​Chief representative of the Hanoi Office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO Hanoi) and vice chairman of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (JCCI)

The world economy in the last three years has been turbulent, and the business community was unsure what would happen next. So, objective information and data were crucial for decision-making in an uncertain environment.

From 2020 through early 2021, Vietnam successfully controlled the pandemic and surprised the world. But in the latter stage, the fourth pandemic wave hit Vietnam to cause a wide-ranged supply-chain disruption. Then Vietnam changed its policy to pursue economic normalcy with corona in late 2021. This year, Russia’s war in Ukraine, China’s lockdowns, sudden energy price hikes, Pakistan’s financial crisis, and many unprecedented incidents followed.

The business community reads and watches VIR’s extensive news reports, analyses, videos, and infographics to understand what was happening during such crises.

The relations between Vietnam and Japan continued progressing even during the crisis when it was not easy to travel abroad. Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide officially visited Vietnam in October 2020. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh led a big business delegation to Japan the following year to meet new PM Fumio Kishida. PM Kishida came to Vietnam in May. VIR covered these events as cooperation possibilities for Japan and Vietnam limitless. VIR’s coverage of corporate investments, factory openings, mergers and acquisitions, interviews with stakeholders, and regulatory issues is helpful.

I believe reports on business opportunities are valuable information but hard to acquire, particularly in the local areas. Vietnamese unique trends in the digital economy, green, agriculture, finance, and consumer behaviour will provide business hints.

Also, I believe many foreign-invested enterprises want VIR to report obstacles they face and where and how the issues evolve. Currently, the problems these firms tackle are human resource shortages and increasing cost of hiring, electricity uncertainty, price increases of parts and materials, the slower process of permissions, and tax-related issues.

Mauro Gasparotti - Director, Savills Hotels Asia-Pacific

VIR was one of the first newspapers I read when I came to Vietnam. I’ve always enjoyed how it delivers the latest expert analysis and insights across economic sectors.

Hospitality and real estate are changing fast in response to socioeconomic and demographic shifts, and global trends have impacted Vietnam’s hospitality industry enormously. These trends and shifts must be monitored constantly because they present threats but great opportunities if embraced properly.

For the market to make changes successfully, we need information sources like VIR to keep delivering quality materials and updates. It has done a fantastic job in improving transparency in media. It plays an important role in fostering stakeholder communication and serves as a foundation for building trustworthy relationships, which is especially important in hospitality.

Clear information helps industry actors make informed decisions regarding real estate development. Real estate developers must stay informed on policy updates and regulation changes so that they can adjust accordingly. From a buyer’s perspective, a trustworthy source of information can motivate them to engage with the real estate market efficiently.

The efforts of VIR, state agencies, local authorities, industry-related organisations, and enterprises have been incredibly beneficial. With continued efforts from these players, I look forward to sustainable hospitality real estate growth in Vietnam.

Michele Wee - CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam

On behalf of Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam, I would like to express my sincere and heartfelt congratulations to VIR on the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the newspaper.

As the leading economic and investment publication in Vietnam, VIR has been playing an essential role in providing the latest updates about Vietnam’s economic developments and its business and investment climate. My colleagues and I have benefited a lot from the news and reports by VIR.

As Vietnam is making efforts to attract high-quality foreign investment and promote green growth and sustainable development, it is important that businesses and investors are aware of the government’s orientations and policies as well as the latest market trends.

VIR has been doing a great job in bridging the information gap. The recent Finance and Governance Accelerators for a Just Energy Transition roundtable hosted by VIR in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam, in which I had the pleasure to share views on sustainable financing, is an example. I hope that you will keep up the good work.

Leveraging our unrivalled strengths of a broad international network and deep local knowledge, Standard Chartered is committed to supporting Vietnam’s sustainable development and driving commerce and prosperity in the country. We appreciate having been featured on VIR to share our thoughts and expertise on topics of interest to benefit the readers. We are looking forward to our continued collaboration.

We wish VIR continued success and further development in your journey to deepen the connection between Vietnam and the foreign business and investor community.

Alex Crane - Managing director, Knight Frank

We have relied on and are grateful for the tremendous support of VIR for announcements and communications from our firm. Critically also, VIR always conveys our opinions verbatim when we make comments related to the news of the day within our industry here.

It is this assurance that VIR enables collaborators to publish honest assessments that keep the newspaper at the top of the game as a source of information which we rely upon as do many other local and international businesses. It is our go-to publication for formal announcements but also as a source of insights as a publication with responsible and accurate journalism.

The two critical points are how to keep the readership engaged and being mindful of how people are consuming information. VIR is very good with the former but may explore more direct communications which may be via direct distributions or with subscription-based receipt of news that readership could opt-in/out of; by business sector or interest, for example.

Social platforms such as YouTube may be interesting too which personally I now use as a replacement for TV news as it is on demand and bite-size. Personally, I enjoy the YouTube news channels of news platforms that started out print-based rather than traditional television news channels.

Craig Martin - Executive chairman, Dynam Capital

VIR is a prestigious business e-magazine which provides a lot of updates and insights into Vietnam’s economic development. In recent times, VIR has also been very active in covering sustainability topics, which contributes to raising awareness of sustainable business practices among the business community here in Vietnam.

As a fund manager focusing on the Vietnamese market, Dynam Capital is happy to support VIR in producing more content around such topics, as we think this must be the time for Vietnamese companies to catch up with the global sustainability trends, not just for marketing and branding purposes, but for building their own capabilities and enhance their competitive advantages at regional and global scales.

The recent focus of VIR’s Green Growth section has been mainly around energy and plastics which are the two hottest issues in Vietnam, but in the future, the newspaper could cover more topics related to governance, labour rights, sustainable supply chains, and so forth to reflect a wide range of sustainability criteria that will contribute to the success of a business.

Also, VIR could have more activities to promote its content through social media channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook to attract more audiences who are active on these channels.

Tim Evans - CEO, HSBC Vietnam

It has been three years since my official appointment as CEO of HSBC Vietnam. These have been three challenging years with lots of changes as all of us have experienced unpredictable and unprecedented events. The special circumstances require exceptional actions. As a member of the banking sector – the backbone of the economy – HSBC Vietnam has acted very swiftly and decisively to adapt to the situation.

Like many other foreign-invested enterprises operating in the country, HSBC Vietnam is fortunate to have a great media group like VIR, along with its member media outlets.

In over 30 years of serving Vietnamese readers and contributing to the development of Vietnam’s journalism, VIR’s reporters have played a key role as enthusiastic conveyors, listening to businesses’ stories and voices, and then sharing them with the wider public.

And vice versa, you have also helped deliver senior guidance from regulators to businesses, helping us plan our strategies more effectively. Beyond that, as the official communication channel of Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment, with your expertise and network, you act as an important intermediary between the local and international corporates, promoting Vietnam’s brand to the foreign business community.

In the coming developing years of VIR, HSBC Vietnam hopes that you can continue to convey information on global developments to the local market and build even stronger collaboration with corporates and financial institutions and leverage their rich expertise in different aspects of the economy through opinion editorials, in-depth interviews, and talk shows.

Moreover, VIR should continue to deliver the newest policies or directions, as well as help businesses voice their ideas, thereby increasing better mutual understanding. In this fast-growing economy with a young population, VIR may look to quickly capture any new trends and adapt to suit young people’s tastes and the way that they consume information.

On the occasion of the 31st anniversary of VIR, on behalf of all people at HSBC Vietnam, I would like to express our appreciation to VIR and its journalists. I wish you all greater success, persistence, and resilience to continue your respectable career and mission of levelling up Vietnam’s journalism.

Nobuaki Hoshino - General director, JGC Vietnam

VIR is a reliable source of information to update and consult insightful analysis on areas of our interest such as energy, infrastructure, green development, and foreign investment. As a contractor, we have gained more bases to evaluate and come up with appropriate business strategies in Vietnam.

JGC Vietnam is a Japanese enterprise with more than 22 years of experience in the Vietnamese market, and we realise the positive values that VIR brings to companies and society.

We would like to sincerely thank VIR’s contributions in the journey of the past 31 years.

In the coming time, we do hope VIR will organise more forums with many trending topics on investment, clean energy, industry, infrastructure, and M&A. Companies will have more opportunities to meet and share experiences together. And through that, VIR will further enhance the role of an important information bridge between parties in various fields in the Vietnamese market.

Federico Vasoli - Managing partner, dMTV Global

VIR is turning 31 – an anniversary to celebrate, not just because few businesses last past their infancy but also because it is just a few years younger than doi moi, hence the VIR’s history de facto coincides with that of Vietnam’s spectacular economic and social growth.

It is healthy for any society to have quality media and VIR has indeed been contributing to raising the bar of the economic discourse, by informing an international-minded audience with English-language news that provides insightful information about a variety of industries and economic matters.

Foreign analysts, traders, and investors alike benefit greatly from VIR’s hard work, especially in a country like Vietnam where gathering reliable information from the right sources is not always easy, at least for non-savvy users.

Now that Vietnam’s growth is an established accomplishment, hopefully, it will continue steadily and constantly. It may be equally useful for readers to benefit from a comparative perspective focused on business indicators, best practices, and legalities in neighbouring jurisdictions as well as key partner countries of Vietnam.

Vietnam is positioning itself as a manufacturing powerhouse. But I also witness at dMTV Global more and more Vietnamese companies approaching foreign customers and markets. Access to accurate information is fundamental for all these companies to prepare their strategies.

I hope everyone at VIR and other media outlets keep up with this great track record. Special thanks for graciously giving me once again the opportunity to contribute and wish you a happy anniversary.

Kent Wong - Head of Banking and Capital Markets, VCI Legal

On behalf of VCI Legal, I would like to send our best wishes and congratulate VIR on its many successes and accomplishments so far.

VIR is an invaluable source of information for the legal community in Vietnam. The foreign investor community regularly reads VIR to keep on top of the latest insights on trade and investment. Our members wish to read more about what is happening in the National Assembly, upcoming legislation, regulatory developments, the effects on enterprises, and the implementation at local and national levels.

We look forward to many more editions in the future that will benefit the readership and generate discussions that will make a difference for the business community. Congratulations on your 31^st anniversary, Vietnam Investment Review.

Phil Harman - Team leader, GREAT

The Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) programme is keen to continue to cooperate with VIR to promote our objectives and help empower ethnic minority women.

On the occasion of VIR’s 31st anniversary, we are happy to reflect on our cooperation which has included trips to Bac Ha and Van Ban districts, as well as Lao Cai, during the past year. Our biggest impression of VIR is its professionalism and enthusiasm.

To meet GREAT’s ethnic minority women beneficiaries working in the agriculture and tourism sectors, we often need to go to remote areas including passing very difficult roads, walking a very long distance, climbing high mountains, and wading streams.

VIR reporters have always been enthusiastic and keen to join more business trips so that they have material for articles on the work of GREAT to economically empower ethnic minority communities.

For GREAT, VIR is an important and useful external information channel for the business community and international organisations in Vietnam.

VIR has done a very great job reporting on activities and issues relevant to the business community in Vietnam, promoting inward foreign investment and advocating for supportive economic policies.

Tharabodee Serng-Adichaiwit - Senior vice president and general manager, Bangkok Bank Vietnam

VIR has been the most economic news source that I continue to read over the past 17 years, and I can say that I never miss any week. I can get useful economic data, industry information, and connection sources from VIR articles, which are very helpful for my business.

Most of my understanding of Vietnam was attained from reading VIR. In some weeks, if I don’t have enough time to go through the whole content, reading the briefing box in each column greatly helps.

The newspaper could add more content on industry-specific information whenever possible, such as demand, supply, and future forecasts. This shall greatly help foreign investors to receive a good referral for their business.

VIR has played a key role in helping foreign investors to clearly understand Vietnam, and with such useful information, they are confident to invest in this country.

Dao Duc Long - Director of Project Development, Minh Duc Green Tour JSC

Although we have been doing business in many different fields, this is the first time that we are cooperating directly with a press agency to broadcast our project, and so we chose VIR. In addition to being one of the largest and most reputable economic newspapers, we also share mutual points with VIR.

Meanwhile, our main business is currently in the high-end hotels and tourism sectors. VIR is a long-standing newspaper and has wide coverage in both agencies, businesses, aircraft, and more.

With 31 years of development and growth, I believe VIR has completed its mission thoroughly to provide Vietnamese and foreign readers with the most useful information about Vietnam’s economy and at the same time bring to many investors attractive investment opportunities.

I hope Minh Duc Green Tour and VIR will have a long-term and strong cooperation. Through VIR’s information channels, I expect that our dedicated projects will have the opportunity to gain more customers’ attention.

Nitin Kapoor - Chairman and general director Vietnam and Asia Frontier Markets, AstraZeneca

We offer our congratulations to VIR on your 31st anniversary.

Throughout all these years, the newspaper has been playing an essential role in informing the government, business, entrepreneurs, associations, diplomatic leaders, and others about Vietnam’s developments.

This is especially the case when it comes to the economic and healthcare advancement journey that AstraZeneca is proud to support as a long-term partner.

Personally, I read the publication on a weekly basis in order to get the most important updates on the country’s economy and cross-sectoral, cross-border partnership activities.

As Vietnam continues to thrive and transform, we are confident that VIR will continue to build on its strengths and remain trusted as a leading English-language newspaper in Vietnam with high-quality, reliable, and timely news.

Again our congratulations from the AstraZeneca team on VIR’s anniversary.

Duc Tran - Chairman and CEO, VIISA Ventures Capital

Vietnam is a rising star and will emerge as the third-largest startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia in 2022. Thanks to the country’s remarkable economic progress over the last decade, investors from all over the world are starting to take notice of Vietnam and its vibrant startup community, along with Singapore and Indonesia. One of the significant factors contributing to Vietnam’s startup potential is the strong increase in digital demand in the post-pandemic era.

We can help local startups by providing capital, access to our extensive business network, and insights gained from years of conducting business in Vietnam. Our mission is to inspire Vietnamese entrepreneurs and support their businesses to raise living standards for the whole society.

VIR serves as a bridge helping international and domestic investors and businesses entering this dynamic market to better connect with their local counterparts.

In its role as the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s press office, VIR and other members in its outlet have consistently shown their value by providing timely and comprehensive updates on all matters pertaining to Vietnam’s vibrant business climate.

As a platform for local and international investors to share information, VIR material should encourage dialogue about the country’s rapidly evolving economic climate.

Matsumoto Nobuyuki - Chief representative, JETRO Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam is attracting a great deal of investor interest. According to a survey conducted by JETRO last year, respondents who answered yes to whether or not they are considering business expansions in Vietnam were the most compared to other ASEAN countries. This indicates that Japanese investors are also highly interested in Vietnam as a whole.

There is a great distance between this interest and actual investment, and the provision of accurate information is one of the factors necessary to bridge this distance. Therefore, we look forward to VIR’s future efforts, including seminars on the investment environment, business matching, and reports on investment trends by various companies.

Vietnam and Japan will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year. JETRO would like to continue the deep cooperation with VIR to promote both trade and investment for strengthening the economic relationship.