On 10 November, EuroCham Vietnam attended the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) 2025 under the theme “Businesses Partnering with the Government for a Green Transition in the Digital Era” in Hanoi.
The event welcomed distinguished guests, including:
- H.E. Mr. Pham Minh Chinh – Prime Minister
- Mr. Nguyen Van Thang – Minister of Finance
- Mr. Thomas Jacobs, Acting Regional Director, East Asia Pacific – International Finance Corporation (IFC)
- Ms. Mariam J. Sherman, Country Director for Viet Nam, Cambodia and Lao PDR – World Bank in Vietnam (WB)
- Mr. Ho Sy Hung, VBF Co-Chair – Vietnam Business Forum Consortium
- Along with representatives from Ministries, international chambers of commerce, and businesses
Vietnam’s Dynamic Reform
In his keynote address, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh underlined ongoing efforts to streamline administrative processes, adopt a two-tier local governance model, and accelerate decentralisation.
At the forum, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the spirit of “solidarity for strength, cooperation for mutual benefit, and dialogue for trust-building.” He underlined ongoing efforts to streamline administrative processes, adopt a two-tier local governance model, and accelerate decentralization — shifting from a command-style administration to a service-oriented one.
The Prime Minister credited both domestic and foreign enterprises, along with development partners, for their contributions to Vietnam’s progress. Yet, he also acknowledged remaining challenges — limited technology transfer, weak linkages between domestic and FDI firms, and a shortage of skilled labor for high-tech and green industries.
Vietnam’s Green Transition
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also stressed that green and digital transformation is inevitable, aligning with global trends. Digital advancement, he said, must go hand in hand with green, circular, knowledge-based, and sharing economy models — which require international cooperation in capital, technology, management, and market access.
The Prime Minister called on businesses to take the lead in the green transition, strengthen partnerships, and pursue sustainable development aligned with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards. He affirmed the Government’s commitment to removing bottlenecks and achieving the 2025 development goals, paving the way for the 2021–2025 five-year plan and the 2021–2030 socio-economic development strategy.
EuroCham’s Contribution
Representing the EuroCham, Mr. Bruno Jaspaert highlighted key issues impacting investors, including VAT refunds, customs procedures, land use rights, construction permits, and intellectual property protection.
He acknowledged Vietnam’s remarkable pace of reform in recent years but noted that some new laws and regulations are being introduced so swiftly that even the most agile foreign enterprises face challenges in keeping up. To enhance Vietnam’s position as an ideal investment destination, EuroCham Vietnam has been working on our “Must-win battles” – key priorities essential for Vietnam to further enhance its FDI attraction and business climate.
Besides, he also announced that the Green Economy Forum (GEF) 2025 will take place in Hanoi on November 27 and extended a warm invitation to all attendees to join this upcoming event.
Thank you, to EuroCham Vietnam’s representatives for their valuable contributions:
- Mr. Bruno Jaspaert, Chairman
- Ms. Simonetta Di Domenico, Secretary General
- Mr. Minh Nguyen, Vice Chair
- Mr. Torben Minko, Board Member
- Mr. Søren Roed Pedersen, Board Member
- Ms. Van Nguyen, Head of Hanoi office cum External Relations Manager
