Vincom Mega Mall Royal City (pictured) was developed by VinGroup with overseas Vietnamese shareholdings. Overseas Vietnamese have contributed significantly to advertising and promoting Vietnamese exports on the world market. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuan Anh
LAM DONG (VNS)— The increasing investments by Viet Kieu (Overseas Vietnamese) in their homeland is contributing significantly to the country’s economic development, the second meeting of local and Overseas Vietnamese businesspeople heard yesterday.
Speaking at the meeting titled “Uniting Vietnamese Businesspeople’s Strength – Opportunities for Business, Investment Cooperation” in Da Lat, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Thanh Son said the investments indicate trust in the Communist Party and Government’s policies.
“While the global economic crisis has had an impact on local and overseas businesses, many Vietnamese businesspeople have been self-motivated, turning challenges into opportunities, and continued to grow their businesses,” Son, who is also Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, said.
The seminar, aimed at enabling local and Overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs to share their experiences in combating business-related difficulties, was attended by some 400 people.
According to figures from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese living abroad have invested around US$8.6 billion in 51 provinces and cities.
The investments were mainly in tourism, construction and property, processing for exports, and aquaculture and seafood processing and from Overseas Vietnamese in the US, Canada, Australia, Russia, France, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.
Overseas Vietnamese are now major shareholders in some big lenders like Techcombank and VP Bank, property developers like VinGroup and Me Linh Plaza, tourism groups like Furama and SunGroup, and waste treatment firms such as the HCM City-based Viet Nam Waste Solutions Co.
“These figures indicates the great potential of the Overseas Vietnamese business community,” Son said.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese firms’ overseas investments too have been rising. In addition to traditional markets like Cambodia, Laos, and Russia, they have also been investing in the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Europe. The major investors include PetroVietnam, Vinamilk, Viettel, Hoang Anh – Gia Lai, and Rung Hoa – Da Lat.
Efforts from both sides
“The Overseas Vietnamese Business Association is willing to stand side by side with local and Overseas Vietnamese business people,” Bui Dinh Dinh, deputy chairman and secretary of the association, said.
Overseas Vietnamese businesspeople have contributed significantly to building the image of the Vietnamese business community and advertising and promoting Vietnamese exports on the world market.
In response to the incentives offered by the Government, Overseas Vietnamese have invested in their homeland to contribute to the country’s economic development, he said.
“[Their] efforts to unite with the local business community have been shown and enhanced.”
Chu Van Dan, chairman of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Czech Republic, said: “We are willing to create favourable conditions for local businesses to export and produce goods in the Czech Republic as well as Europe.”
But they should make greater efforts to build brands for Vietnamese goods and provide standard quality and transparent origins to make Vietnamese goods more prestigious in world markets, he said.
To Hoai Nam, deputy chairman and secretary of the Association of Vietnamese Small and Medium Enterprises, said the administrative formalities – one of the major “barriers” facing business communities — have been greatly simplified and improved.
For his part, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said the results of the campaign to unite local and Overseas Vietnamese business communities, especially subsequent to the first meeting of the two communities in 2011, should be reviewed to further strengthen their ties.
He urged delegates to list difficulties and advantages from the co-operation, propose measures to boost Vietnamese production and exports, and help Viet Nam with the transfer of technologies and management skills and restructuring its economic development model.
He also sought suggestions on mechanisms and policies required to better exploit the potential of the business communities to develop the country. — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News