BBI: Promoting Investment and Trade Relations and Education Consultation

BBI: Promoting Investment and Trade Relations and Education Consultation

Buildings - und Berating Institute of Training and Consultation was established by Doctor Sigrid Kohl in the state of Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany in 1990. It provides career training services to help improve specialist and managerial skills for graduates and post-graduates, and assist enterprises in personnel management and production rationalisation. BBI also works with international corporations in many fields such as consulting in foreign investment and corporations for German enterprises, technique transfer, and providing German language courses for students before they enter universities or post graduate programs in Germany.

In 1998, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam was studying in Germany. She worked as a trainee in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Promotion Department of Leipzig Labour Office, of which BBI is an assistant partner. At that time, BBI had some customers in Vietnam including Vietnam Textile and Garment Corporation. BBI offered her a position as a BBI representative in Vietnam. Despite being interested in the offer, she decided to remain a while longer in Germany to build her experience and participate in GTZ projects (German Development Corporation organisation).

The BBI Representative in Vietnam provides Vietnamese partners with complete information on opportunities and forecast risks. BBI has also held exchange visits between Vietnamese and German businesses to facilitate understanding and seek business opportunities between the two countries. Each year, the BBI representative office in Vietnam holds a German Produce Show in August or November to help create opportunities for Vietnamese and German enterprises to meet. These activities have been highly appreciated by the two countries.

At present, apart from BBI, IEC Hanoi Company was established in May 2000 to meet demand from enterprises of both sides. The company managed by Mrs. Tam also serves as a representative for some German companies: Spittler Company, and the leading alcohol Hankell und Sochnlein Company in Germany. A show room for products of more than 10 German companies is located at its headquarters at No. 185 Ba Trieu Street.

To encourage foreign enterprises to invest in Vietnam, the Government is trying to improve the investment environment. Developing a service system to assist foreign enterprises before they decide to enter Vietnam is also necessary. The lack of information and consultation on Vietnam’s market and partners, legal system and regulations is a major hurdle facing foreign investors. In this context, the BBI representative office and IEC Hanoi Company try their best to perfect services in promoting investment and trade relations and education consultation between Vietnam and German.

• Minh Nguyet