Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy – Commercial Counselor, Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, concurrently in charge of Northern Europe shared with reporters of Industry and Trade Newspaper about this issue.

In 2023, the series of events “Connecting the international supply chain of goods – Viet Nam International Sourcing” was organized for the first time by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in September and the Nordic business delegation very enthusiastically participated in this event. Could you please share a few details about the effectiveness of the series of events in 9 for the Nordic business community?

Although it is difficult to accurately measure the effectiveness of the 2023 event series, it can be seen that the organization of this event has created a necessary platform for connection and cooperation between businesses on both sides.

The Nordic business delegation participating in the event is very diverse in field and scale, from large corporations such as the Port of Gothenburg (Sweden) to service intermediary enterprises such as Nordic Apiary (Sweden); distribution and retail businesses such as FH (Denmark), IKEA (Sweden), or key Asian food import businesses such as Scanesia (Norway), East Asia (Sweden)… Through this event , Northern European businesses had the opportunity to learn more deeply about the Vietnamese market and the potential for cooperation in various fields, from logistics to production.

Specifically, the Nordic business delegation represents many different fields such as Gothenburg Port, the largest seaport in Sweden, transporting more than 800.000 containers/year. Currently, Vietnamese goods entering the Swedish market are often imported through intermediaries. If seaport and airport cooperation is promoted, import and export goods will be transported directly, helping to promote two-way trade between Vietnam and Sweden in particular and the Northern European region in general. The Gothenburg Port Delegation attending the fair has opened a new direction for cooperation between the two sides’ businesses in this field in the coming time.

Large corporations such as FH, IKEA, or major Asian food importers such as Scanesia, East Asia… when participating in the series of events have more or less a more positive view of the Vietnamese market in general. and Vietnam’s exports in particular. A number of contracts were signed immediately after the fair.

The group of intermediary brokerage businesses in the service sector also had some initial positive results, such as Nordic Apiary and Frends, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate with Vietnam’s FPT Group. Northern European businesses have actively attended side seminars to share experiences, new trends, market requirements… with Vietnamese businesses.

With those results, in 2024, it is expected that the Nordic business delegation will continue to participate in Sourcing Fair 2024. What solutions will the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden have to attract Nordic businesses to attend the event? This important?

The Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden has been strengthening promotion and marketing of the event through online and in-person activities to provide detailed information about business cooperation and investment opportunities in the market. Vietnam, opportunity to import high quality Vietnamese goods with preferential tax rates brought by the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the EU (EVFTA).

The trade office also regularly organizes events to introduce Vietnamese goods such as testing products, encouraging Vietnamese people to prioritize trading and consuming Vietnamese goods, and preparing to organize a number of seminars such as “Gateway to Vietnam” or “Vietnam – An Emerging Superpower for Sourcing and Production”…

From the successes of the connection chain in 2023, in the short time the event takes place, what solutions will the Trade Office have to help improve the efficiency of connection between businesses on both sides?

In addition to attending the Sourcing Fair 2024 series of events, the Trade Office designs separate programs for each business group as required. We enhance the effectiveness of connections between businesses by organizing seminars, meetings with potential partners on a large scale, and organizing visits to factories and export production facilities. These activities will help create opportunities for direct exchange and build trusting relationships between businesses.

For Vietnamese businesses participating in the event, what recommendations do you have to improve the effectiveness of connection and business cooperation with Northern European businesses?

To improve the effectiveness of connection and business cooperation with Northern European businesses, Vietnamese businesses participating in the event need to carefully prepare products, packaging and evidence of product quality. Please note, Nordic businesses often care more about the packaging and the content printed on it than the product itself. Telling the story about the origin or meaning of the product along with certifications on standards, product safety, environmental and social responsibility will attract the attention of Nordic businesses.

In addition, actively participating in networking activities and meeting directly with potential partners is also an important factor in building relationships and finding new cooperation opportunities.

Thank you ma’am!