“Companies wishing to do long term business with German partners need to keep credibility and honesty,” Do Quynh Mai, Head of the business delegation of Germany’s DEVI Group, said at a recent trade promotion conference held in Hanoi for companies of Vietnam and Germany’s DEVI Group.
DEVI Group consists of many German and Vietnamese experts residing in Germany, operating in many different fields (law, translation, economics, business consulting, project consulting, investment consulting, etc.). One of DEVI Group’s operating objectives is to advise and connect Vietnamese and German businesses to carry out economic development projects in Vietnam.
Ms Mai said, apart from meeting with Vietnamese companies in Hanoi on this visit to Vietnam, the German business delegation had market surveys and tours in some northern and southern provinces and wanted to cooperate with Vietnamese businesses in the fields that Germany is strong at, such as natural resources and environment (clean water, waste treatment, medical waste, industrial waste, sewage); new energy and renewable energy (wind power , solar energy); health (hospital construction and upgrading, equipment and pharmaceutical); vocational and high-level training (training many different industries); construction, design and architecture (residential and industrial housing, traffic), etc.
Germany is now the largest EU trading partner of Vietnam, with a two-way trade turnover rising 15 percent annually. In 2011, German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid an official visit to Vietnam - her first destination in Asian tours. She met with Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung and witnessed the signing of many important cooperation documents. Most noticeably, the two sides concluded the Hanoi Declaration where established a stronger partnership strategy and strengthened bilateral cooperation. “Vietnam and Germany agree to establish strategic partnership and strengthen cooperation in the future, especially in key areas,” said the document. Five key areas of cooperation outlined in the Hanoi Declaration include: Strategic political cooperation; trade and investment; justice and law; development and environmental protection; and education, science, technology, culture, communication and society.
The conference was seen a concrete step to realise the cooperation between the two governments. Speaking to the conference, Mr Nguyen Xuan Tien, Chairman of the Vietnam - Germany Small and Medium Enterprises Association, said: The association wants to serve as a bridge helping Vietnamese and German businesses to start and enhance cooperation. The association attaches particular importance to environmental field (waste disposal, medical waste, and industrial waste), mining, wind-to-power equipment production and human resource training.
Dr Doan Duy Khuong, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said: VCCI always creates favourable conditions for enterprises of the two sides to do business together. He also stressed that when doing business in Vietnam, German companies can easily expand their operations and presence to the ASEAN region.
Quynh Chi
Vietnamese
