Promoting Vietnam - Sweden relations in the fields of trade and investment

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy - Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, concurrently in charge of the Northern European market, had an interview with reporters of the Industry and Trade Newspaper about this issue.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy - Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Head of Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, concurrently in charge of the Northern European market

The Vietnam – Sweden Business Forum was recently held on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Vietnam – Sweden diplomatic relations. How effective has the forum been in promoting Vietnam – Sweden relations, especially in the fields of trade and investment, Madam?

The Vietnam - Sweden Business Forum, organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden in collaboration with the Trade Office and FPT Corporation on September 6, with the theme "Digital Transformation, Green Transformation and Innovation", has created an important driving force to promote trade and investment relations between the two countries.

Through the forum, Vietnamese and Swedish businesses had the opportunity to meet directly, share experiences and establish strategic partnerships, thereby expanding cooperation in the fields of technology, clean energy and innovation. Vietnamese businesses learned a lot from Sweden, a leading country in digital transformation and sustainable development, especially in applying technology to production and minimizing environmental impact. This knowledge helps Vietnamese businesses improve their competitiveness in the international market, especially in Europe.

The forum is also an opportunity to discuss investment policies, facilitating new cooperation projects in the fields of high technology, renewable energy and logistics.

The highlight of the event was that FPT Corporation opened its first representative office in Sweden and affirmed its commitment to long-term investment in this country, with plans to open a second office in Stockholm this year.

In addition, the signing of five memorandums of understanding (MOUs) at the forum opened up specific prospects for cooperation in both the service and import-export sectors, helping to continuously expand and sustainably develop trade and investment relations between the two countries in the coming time.

Immediately after the forum, Syre flew back to Vietnam to prepare for its investment plan in the textile recycling sector, an industry with great potential for growth in the context of global focus on sustainable development. At the same time, MSC, the world’s largest container shipping line, announced its new SWAN service, which will directly connect Gothenburg and Vung Tau by 2025, creating great opportunities for trade and logistics between the two countries. These commitments not only deepen the cooperation but also open up many development opportunities in the near future.

It is known that within the framework of the forum, a signing ceremony of 5 MOUs took place, including 4 MOUs related to trade and logistics. In your opinion, how will these MOUs contribute to promoting the export of Vietnamese goods to the Swedish market in particular and Northern Europe in general?

The MOUs signed within the framework of the Vietnam – Sweden Business Forum play an important role in promoting the export of Vietnamese goods to Sweden and the Nordic region. The first two MOUs were signed between the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, Business Sweden and ARC Financial Group, focusing on the Nordic business organization participating in the Vietnam International Sourcing Fair organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade every year, which will help Vietnamese enterprises bring goods directly to foreign distribution channels. This opens up great opportunities for Vietnamese goods to quickly and directly access importers, reducing dependence on intermediaries, thereby increasing competitiveness.

Meanwhile, the remaining two MOUs, signed between the Port of Gothenburg, the Hai Phong Department of Industry and Trade and Saigon Newport Corporation, focus on seaport and logistics cooperation. This is a key factor in raising the import-export turnover between Vietnam and Sweden to a new level, which is facing difficulties due to the lack of direct flights and direct seaport connections. Currently, goods from Vietnam to Sweden in particular and Northern Europe in general must go through intermediate countries, increasing costs and transportation time. The presence of MSC's SWAN shipping line connecting Gothenburg and Vung Tau directly by 2025 as mentioned above, along with the MOUs signed at the forum, is the result of the tireless efforts of the Embassy and the Trade Office of Vietnam in Sweden.

Five MOUs were signed within the framework of the Vietnam - Sweden Business Forum (Photo: Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden)

These agreements not only facilitate the export of goods but also expand the possibilities for cooperation in the fields of logistics and infrastructure, thereby promoting trade and investment relations between the two countries.

In the coming time, what specific activities will be implemented to implement the MOUs?

In the coming time, the MOUs will be implemented through many specific activities to enhance cooperation and promote exports between Vietnam and Sweden. Specifically, the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden will coordinate with Business Sweden and ARC Financial Group, the two partners who have just signed the MOU, to organize a delegation of Nordic businesses to attend the Vietnam International Sourcing Fair 2025, from September 4-6, 2025. This will be an important opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to introduce their products and connect directly with international distributors, expanding export markets.

At the same time, the Trade Office will work with the Port of Gothenburg to develop a detailed plan to connect the port with import-export businesses in both Vietnam and Sweden, focusing not only on developing the supply chain but also helping businesses of the two countries to access each other's markets more deeply. The implementation of these MOUs also includes connecting import-export businesses of Vietnam with other Nordic countries, such as Denmark and Norway, to ensure sufficient new cargo volume to attract shipping lines, encouraging the development of new shipping routes between Vietnam and this region, similar to MSC's upcoming SWAN route. All these activities will contribute to concretizing the commitments in the MOU, while creating momentum for sustainable development of trade relations between Vietnam and Sweden, as well as expanding to the Nordic countries.

With the signed MOUs, especially the 2 MOUs of the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, in your opinion, how should Vietnamese enterprises approach to take advantage of the opportunity to bring Vietnamese goods deeper into the Swedish market? What solutions will the Trade Office have to support enterprises in achieving this goal?

To take advantage of opportunities from signed MOUs, especially the two MOUs of the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, Vietnamese enterprises need to have a specific and flexible approach strategy to promote goods into the Swedish market.

First, businesses need to focus on improving product quality to meet the high standards of the Swedish market, especially in areas related to sustainable development, green products and environmental friendliness. These are important factors in the consumption trends of Sweden and the Nordic countries.

Second, businesses need to actively participate in international trade fairs right in Vietnam such as the International Sourcing Fair, to introduce products and connect directly with importers and partners. This is an opportunity not only to promote products but also to help businesses better understand market needs and trends, thereby orienting business strategies more effectively.

On the part of the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, we will continue to act as a bridge between businesses of the two countries, organizing trade connection events, seminars, and partner connection programs (B2B). The Trade Office will also support businesses in updating market information, consulting on export strategies and providing legal support to help businesses access the market more easily through the website www.vietnordic.com and the Trade Office's Facebook page www.facebook.com/Nordicmarkets/.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/thuc-day-quan-he-viet-nam-thuy-dien-trong-linh-vuc-thuong-mai-dau-tu-345533.html