“PCI 2015 surveys showed improvement signs in the Vietnamese business environment. The rate of private companies adding capital investment kept rising slightly (10.9 per cent) and the size of a company averaged VND16.5 billion, doubling it in 2006. In 2015, 49 per cent of respondents said they will expand the scope of business in the coming time - the highest since PCI was announced for the first time five years ago,” said the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) at an event to announce the provincial competitiveness index (PCI) 2015 in March 2016. This was one of many positive and effective activities that VCCI did in the first six months of 2016.
Active involvement in lawmaking and revision
To support companies and improve the investment and business climate, in the first six months of 2015, VCCI joined law drafting committees, project editing teams, and law compiling committees of important laws and policies like the Law on Small and Medium Enterprise Support and the Law on Foreign Trade Administration. The agency organised 260 conferences and seminars on policy and law suggestions and recommendations, which were attended by 37,000 companies. It also collected and integrated opinions of the business community to 57 draft legal documents (including three laws, one ordinance, 26 decrees, three decisions of the Prime Minister, 20 circulars and one joint circular) and three other documents.
The PCI 2015 announcement ceremony, which marked the 11th year PCI was launched in Vietnam, drew the attendance of more than 700 participants. At this event, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) officially announced its continued support and cooperation with VCCI in the next three editions of PCI: July 2016-June 2019.
In carrying out the action programme for the execution of the Resolution 19/NQ-CP of the Government on continued improvement of business environment and national competitiveness in 2016, VCCI implemented contents of the cooperation agreement on coordinated support for companies to deal with difficulties it signed with the General Department of Vietnam Customs; realised cooperation agreement on implementation of the coordinating programme for monitoring of the implementation of key tasks and measures to improve the business environment and enhance national competitiveness in tax and customs fields with six member alliances like the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Ministry of Finance, VCCI, Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, Vietnam SME Association and Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association.
VCCI also studied the construction of Vietnam Business Annual Report 2016, expected to carry the theme of "Corporate Governance". It also published and announced the Vietnam Business Annual Report 2015 themed "Business Development Services". The report partially helped build business development policies, particularly companies engaged in business development services, to enhance the competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises.
Specially, VCCI organised the Prime Minister’s meeting with enterprises in 2016 on April 29, 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City with the theme of "Vietnam Business - Driving national economic development". The event drew the participation of some 700 private businesspeople, 50 FDI companies and 20 business associations. VCCI released a nearly 200-page report on reality and proposed solutions to the Prime Minister and relevant authorities.
VCCI also coordinated with ministries and business associations to enforce the Resolution 09 of the Politburo, the Directive 11 and the Resolution 35 of the Prime Minister on corporate recommendations and authoritative settlements of recommendations. In the first six months, VCCI collected 400 important proposals with connection with production and business operations of enterprises and sent them to relevant authorities.
Focus on trade promotion
In the first six months of 2016, VCCI led 75 business delegations attended by 2,800 companies to foreign countries to survey markets, take part in international conferences, and seek investment and business opportunities. Notably, VCCI and business delegations escorted the President of Vietnam on the visits to Tanzania, Mozambique and Iran, and the Prime Minister’s visits to Russia and attend Russia - ASEAN Summit.
Domestically, VCCI welcomed 190 foreign delegations with nearly 11,000 foreign companies arriving in Vietnam to explore the market and attend workshops and business forums held introduce Vietnam's potential, investment policies and incentives and form places for companies to meet, exchange and seek suitable cooperation partners.
VCCI hosted nearly 260 workshops, conferences, seminars and business meetings with the participation of 37,000 companies. Major events included the 2nd ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Forum and ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Honouring Ceremony; TPP Dialogue; Vietnam - United States Trade and Investment Workshop, and Vietnam - China Business Forum. VCCI also carried out bilateral and multilateral trade promotion activities like Vietnam - Africa - Middle East Business Forum, Vietnam - Japan Business Forum, Vietnam - EU Business Forum, Vietnam - US Business Forum, Vietnam - India Business Forum, and Vietnam - South Korea Business Forum.
VCCI also collaborated the Provincial People’s Committees of Yen Bai, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and other localities to organise talk shows and business meetings to introduce potential, advantages and investment attraction policies; opened domestic and international exhibitions for various industries like machinery, equipment and manufacturing; consulted 4,900 companies; provided information directly for 50,000 businesses; and granted 6,270,000 certificates of origin (C/O) for businesses.
VCCI organised 550 training courses for more than 16,000 businesses, an increase of more than 6 per cent over the same period of last year. Major contents are corporate governance, management skills, marketing, international payments, and domestic and international trade laws.
Particularly, business start-ups were engaged and promoted in 2016. Many entrepreneurs pledged financial support or training for students to start their business initiatives.
In the last six months, VCCI will build action programmes to realise the Resolution 35 on "Business support and development to 2020", and sign commitments on business facilitation for enterprises with Municipal/Provincial People’s Committees (in the third quarter of 2016). It will summarise the realisation of signed commitments, send quarterly reports to the Prime Minister and post information on VCCI’s website. It will also forward companies’ opinions and recommendations to relevant bodies and send monthly reports to this effect to the Prime Minister.
Particularly, VCCI will survey, calculate and integrate official and unofficial expenses incurred by enterprises, compared domestic enterprises with counterparts in the region and the world, and propose measures to cut expenses for enterprises. The agency will continue to advance the implementation of Resolution 09 on building and promoting the role of entrepreneurs; continue to improve the business environment and enhance national competitiveness in 2016; continue to implement national support programmes and projects for enterprises to enhance competitiveness, integration and sustainable development.
Mai Anh
Vietnamese
