Meet Europe 2018 attracts over 200 companies from Europe and Vietnam

Meet Europe 2018 attracts over 200 companies from Europe and Vietnam

Besides, Meet Europe 2018 event saw the presence of more than 200 Vietnamese government officials, including over 30 provincial leaders.

At the event, Vietnamese businesses and EU partners discussed issues, created linkages, and widened economic, trade, and investment co-operation. This was a good chance for Hanoi and the surrounding provinces to seek co-operation opportunities with foreign partners and lure investment into sectors of their choosing.

In the framework of the conference, companies met one-on-one with the leaderships of more than 30 Vietnamese provinces. Accordingly, Vietnamese localities were updated on the situation, prospects, opportunities, and challenges of co-operation between Vietnam and the EU, especially in the context that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is expected to be signed this year.

Besides, more than 70 B2G (business-to-government) meetings dedicated to potential business and investment opportunities were organised at Meet Europe 2018, a record number of encounters between the private sector and provincial leaders.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his pleasure with EuroCham’s survey results that 90 per cent of existing European firms intend to maintain and expand their operations in Vietnam. The PM expects the figure to increase to 100 per cent at the next survey.

Speaking at the conference, EuroCham co-chairman Nicolas Audier said that Meet Europe 2018 was a unique event, confirming that EuroCham’s tireless efforts at advocacy are taken on board by the Vietnamese government. "We believe that through the message Europe is reliable, innovation-driven and sustainable, European businesses can help Vietnam to develop in a smart and methodical way," he said.

The conference’s Thematic Session handed the stage to European companies that have been successfully doing business in Vietnam. The case-studies presented covered several areas, such as automobile, wine and spirits, renewable energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and Industry 4.0.

Siemens Vietnam’s president and CEO Thai Lai Pham said, “Meet Europe 2018 was an excellent event to show what Siemens as well as other European companies have been bringing to Vietnam in terms of next generation technology, operations, and training. Vietnam must reform its energy production and consumption and renewables, which are inevitable pieces of the puzzle. But the country cannot make such a shift alone, it needs partners. We are pleased to show what Siemens Vietnam has been producing in this fields and how it can keep contributing to this change moving forward.”

Meanwhile, vice president and managing director of Bosch Vietnam Guru Mallikarjuna stated, “As one of the leading global suppliers of technology and services in Vietnam, we appreciate the chance to discuss the changes which the industrial landscape must undergo to be prepared for the fourth industrial revolution. A key moving part of this process is vocational training, the on-going development and technological education of staff, and a correct and rewarding shift in the skills and qualifications available on the labour market. As a hi-tech company, Bosch has always taken a proactive approach to train skilled workforce and we leave this event more certain of the role we can play as partners for Vietnam.”

The conference was organised by the Hanoi People’s Committee in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the European Union Delegation, and the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) to promote investment and trade between Europe and Vietnam, including Hanoi.