Since its establishment, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has gone through 50 years of accompanying the business community and entrepreneur force, and giving a helping hand to national economic development. Before new changes and challenges, Vietnamese enterprises are experiencing a tough time, and more than ever, with its position and responsibilities, VCCI is also making a great effort to go along with enterprises to get through this difficult time and grasp new opportunities.
First obstacles
On April 29, 1960, the Standing Committee of the Governmental Council approved the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. After nearly three years of proactive preparation, on March 14, 1963, the first meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was organised in Hanoi with 93 initial members, mainly importers and exporters. The Congress passed the Charter and elected the Management Board which directed the chamber’s operations. The results of Congress and the Charter were approved by the Governmental Council with Decision 58-CP dated April 27, 1963 signed by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong. And, April 27, 1963 marked in the history of the Vietnamese economy and business community the founding date of the current Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In all periods, no matter how hard it is, VCCI always has practical contribution and support to the business community and entrepreneur force of Vietnam. In the first period from 1963 to 1974, VCCI built up its apparatus and operation in the state of war. At that time, VCCI mainly undertook two important tasks: Promoting trade investment - boosting relations between Vietnamese businesses and the economy with other nations, and participating in legal and political fights against the economic blockade on our economy imposed by the United States.
In the second period from 1975 to 1982, after the southern liberation, VCCI took over the Saigon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, made it the VCCI - HCM City Branch, and expanded operations nationwide. But VCCI still operated under the subsidy mechanism.
In the third period from 1983 to 1993, VCCI adopted the self-financing mechanism and adapted to the market economy.
In the fourth period from 1993 to the present, VCCI has become a national agency representative of the business community in Vietnam in the context of completing the market mechanism and deepening international economic integration.
Positive and recognised contributions
VCCI Vice President Hoang Van Dung said, in the past years, VCCI has summarised practices and gathered feedback of businesses and entrepreneurs to contribute to the building of policies and laws on economic and business development and the perfection of market economy in Vietnam. This year, VCCI contributes its ideas to more than 60 draft legal documents and international agreements, organises 1,564 workshops and conferences on law and policymaking (an increase of 4 times over the previous term). VCCI surveys and makes annual and other periodic reports on enterprise status and proposes timely solutions and policies to the Government. Spring/Autumn Economic Forums organised by VCCI in coordination with the Economic Committee of the National Assembly and annual Vietnam Business Forums (VBF) co-chaired by VCCI in coordination with international business communities in Vietnam are the biggest and most reputed economic policy dialogues in Vietnam. Many opinions and recommendations proposed by VCCI from these meetings are adopted by the Party, National Assembly and the Government.
One striking result in the 2008-2013 tenure was VCCI proposed, led and submitted a scheme that served as the foundation for the Politburo to issue Resolution 09/NQ-TW on construction and promotion of entrepreneurs’ roles in the period of accelerated industrialisation, modernisation and international integration - the first-ever Party document on entrepreneurs in the past 80 years. This was a breakthrough step in ideology as it asserted the role and position of the entrepreneur force and business community in Vietnam. The resolution defines that building a powerful Vietnamese entrepreneur force is the responsibility of the entire political system and proposes consistent solutions to build and develop the business community and entrepreneur force in the new context.
Particularly, at National Assembly’s forums, VCCI President recommended adding businesspeople and businesses to the Constitution, asserting the State policies on encouragement, facilitation and protection of all production and business organisations and individuals and particularly focusing on the mainstay force – enterprises with modern, professional, transparent and highly competitive production and business models administered by entrepreneurs. The recommendations were received by the National Assembly and entrepreneurs and enterprises were officially added to the new Constitution for the first time in history.
In addition to advising on the improvement of institutional environment and economic policies of the country, VCCI actively and effectively participates in international integration policy study and canvassing. VCCI has studied and consulted for Government delegations when they took part in negotiations of important international trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, agreements in the framework of Doha Round, and bilateral trade agreements with the EU, South Korea and other partners.
VCCI Vice President Dung said that enterprise training and development and entrepreneur force construction have made significant progress in both quantity and quality. In the 2008-2013 tenure, VCCI has organised 6,071 training courses for nearly 305,665 trainees from enterprises nationwide, an increase of 90 percent in classes and 73 percent of trainees compared with the previous term. VCCI has also implemented numerous innovative programmes and projects to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), develop supporting industries, focus on remote and rural area development, and sustain business development. Trade and investment promotion activities have been innovatively and comprehensively carried out at the national level. VCCI also connected and supported SMEs with big enterprises.
To date, VCCI has established close cooperative relations with 120 chambers of commerce and industry and trade - investment promotion agencies in the world. VCCI has admitted nearly 3,500 members, raising the total membership to over 100,000, including over 11,000 direct members.
Supporting corporate restructuring to enhance competitiveness
VCCI Vice President Dung said, in the coming years, especially in the early years of the sixth term of the VCCI Congress, difficulties will still stalk the economy and business community. Thus, the two core tasks of the next VCCI term are proposing to the Party and the State policies and institutions and carrying out activities, in its function and capacity, to remove difficulties and support businesses to survive and sustain production and business activities to contribute to growth. Besides, VCCI will also support enterprises to accelerate corporate restructuring to enhance competitiveness and sustain development.
VCCI also lays out seven tasks for the upcoming term, particularly continue to research and propose policies and measures to effectively implement Resolution 09-NQ/TW of the Politburo on building and promoting the role of Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the period of accelerated industrialisation, modernisation and international integration; and continue to deploy activities to improve the business environment, especially local business environment.
Besides, VCCI will support enterprises to carry out effective restructuring; take part in policymaking; effectively perform the role of employers’ representative at the national level; expand and improve the quality of trade-investment promotion activities, increase opportunities of business development for enterprises and enhance business support service system; and continue to renovate operations of VCCI organs towards increased flexibility and professionalism.
Quynh Chi
Vietnamese
