Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Dr Doan Duy Khuong recently received Botswana Ambassador Mothusi Palai and Guatemala Ambassador Herbert Estuado Meneses Coronado in Hanoi.
At the meeting with Guatemala Ambassador Herbert Estuado Meneses Coronado, VCCI Vice President Khuong briefed on socioeconomic development in Vietnam and VCCI development over the past 55 years (1963 - 2018). Vietnam is presently recognised by the international community as a fast-growing economy. Particularly, the Government of Vietnam has special policies for the private sector to develop. This is also considered a leverage for Vietnam's economic development in the future. The Government is gathering resources to build and improve public transportation systems such as elevated railways, rapid-transit buses and underground tubes.
For the time being, Vietnam is home to about 500,000 active enterprises, including private, state-owned and foreign invested ones. About 10,000 of them are VCCI members, which are engaged in key economic sectors such as garment and textile, food, petroleum, gas and electricity. In addition, VCCI is a partner of the Government in formulating business support policies in Vietnam. VCCI has working offices in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and other localities staffed by about 1,000 employees.
Thus, Vietnamese start-ups are mushrooming in agriculture, science and technology, services, tourism and other economic sectors, he said. Vietnam is seeking new markets in addition to expanding existing ones. Hence, this will be a great opportunity to uplift trade and investment relations between Vietnam and Guatemala.
Besides, VCCI Vice President Khuong proposed the two sides need to further increase high-level visits. Guatemala should choose a business representative agency to work as a lead coordinator to inform and promote trade promotion activities for the two business communities, helping them seek business and investment opportunities from each other’s markets. Both sides necessarily have visa preference policies to reduce the time and procedures for Vietnamese businesses seeking investment opportunities in Guatemala.
Guatemalan Ambassador Herbert Estuado Meneses Coronado said Vietnam and Guatemala are currently building initial foundations for diplomatic and economic relations. Guatemalan companies are beginning to look for new markets in the Asia-Pacific region. They are appreciative of Vietnam's economic growth and political stability. Vietnam will be a red address for them to seek investment opportunities in the future.
He added that the Guatemalan Government and the Guatemalan Business Council hope to open honorary consulates in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the coming time to promote bilateral diplomatic and trade relations. As regards passport, the Guatemalan Government is supporting and facilitating official and diplomatic passports. Ordinary passports will also be reconsidered to facilitate Vietnamese businesses to Guatemala to explore business and investment opportunities.
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At the working meeting with Botswana Ambassador Mothusi Palai, VCCI Vice President Khuong said that Botswana is a potential new market for Vietnamese companies to have new business opportunities. This is significant when Vietnam’s traditional markets are showing signs of saturation and narrowing. Meanwhile, South Africa has huge potential demands while requirements for product quality are not as stringent as in Europe, Japan and the United States. This is really a great opportunity if Vietnamese and Botswana businesses can grasp it, he said.
However, compared with other markets, Botswana is relatively new to Vietnamese companies because of geographical barriers and insufficient information about potential goods, consumer needs, laws and liquidity. Therefore, the two sides need to quickly establish communication channels for the two business communities to look up policy and seek investment opportunities more easily, particularly in fields that Vietnam and Botswana have advantages such as agriculture and tourism.
Ambassador Mothusi Palai said that the Government of Botswana is eager to learn about Vietnam's experience in successful economic development, especially in agricultural and food fields. On the cooperation mechanism, the Government of Botswana is considering sending business representatives to Vietnam to discuss cooperation and sign official projects with VCCI in order to boost business cooperation, he said.
Anh Phuong
Vietnamese
