Vietnam pioneers in exporting green transport

Attending the opening ceremony of Green SM in Laos were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security of Laos, General Vilay Lakhamphong; Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung; Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Vientiane City - Mr. Anouphap Tounalom and many representatives of relevant ministries and branches of Laos and Vietnam.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security Vilay Lakhamphong and delegates pressed the button to launch the SM Green electric taxi service.

Every driver is a "green ambassador"

On the afternoon of November 9, more than 150 VinFast VF 5 Plus cars in the signature green-blue color of the Xanh SM brand lined up neatly, soothing the scorching sun of the capital Vientiane (Laos). From now on, Vientiane residents and international visitors to Laos can easily book Xanh SM taxis through the Xanh SM Laos application on the App Store and Play Store like technology-based ride-hailing companies, or they can also rent cars directly on the street. Laos is the first foreign market in GSM's plan to reach Southeast Asian countries, launching the "Go Green Global" strategy.

With plans to expand operations nationwide, Xanh SM is expected to create thousands of new jobs in Laos, opening up attractive career development opportunities for local people without requiring investment capital, optimizing income and being professionally trained. In particular, each Xanh SM Laos driver will be oriented to develop into a "green ambassador" directly connecting customers with the brand, contributing to enhancing the green - clean, environmental image of Lao tourism.

Speaking at the event, Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Vientiane City - Mr. Anouphap Tounalom said that in Laos, the trend of using electric vehicles is increasing, especially in big cities like Vientiane. The launch of the SM Green Taxi service in Laos is a commendable step, not only helping Lao people and tourists from now on have more quality means of transportation, but also actively contributing to environmental protection, helping the Lao government to complete the national goal of having 30% of the total number of vehicles in circulation be electric vehicles by 2030.

In addition, in the context of Laos's economic difficulties, the appearance of Xanh SM helps create jobs and income for people, contributing to economic development, especially at a time when the country is actively preparing for the ASEAN Chairmanship Year and Laos National Tourism Year 2024.

"We welcome pioneering enterprises like GSM to invest in Laos and contribute to the Lao government's sustainable development goals. We are committed to providing the best support to create a favorable business environment for GSM to develop strongly in Laos," said Mr. Anouphap Tounalom.

Also at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung affirmed that the presence of GSM in particular and VinFast electric vehicles in general will be a source of inspiration and a starting point for many other investment activities of large Vietnamese enterprises and economic groups in Laos in the future. Thereby, further strengthening the close relationship between Vietnam and Laos that has been formed throughout history.

Bringing green Vietnam image to the world

From the business perspective of the enterprise, marketing expert Vu Quoc Chinh, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, analyzed: GSM is taking full advantage of the world's first multi-platform green transport model to find export routes. On that path, the most favorable market is neighboring countries such as Laos. Because there is no seaport, the cost of gasoline and oil in this country is quite high, while the price of electricity is low, creating an advantage for the development of electric vehicles. Therefore, in terms of business strategy, this is a very wise move of the enterprise, and at the same time contributes to solving the problem of developing the electric vehicle market in Vietnam.

SM Green electric taxi fleet at the event

"However, Laos currently has very convenient traffic connections to China - the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer and also has a large electric vehicle inventory. In a small market like Laos, Vietnam's competitive pressure is very large. But whoever comes first will have the advantage. As long as the penetration speed is fast, it will be successful," Mr. Chinh acknowledged.

Expanding the perspective, Dr. Vo Tri Thanh, Director of the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy Research, said that service export is not a new factor for Vietnam. We have exported many types of services such as tourism, logistics, telecommunications, banking, etc. However, we mainly export goods and have a trade deficit in services. Meanwhile, developed countries often have a trade deficit in goods (to enjoy cheap prices, less environmental impact due to production, etc.) and often have a trade surplus in services due to abundant financial resources, high-value currencies, and possession of modern science and technology. Therefore, Xanh SM once again brings Vietnam's taxi service back to conquer the Lao market, associated with a new step to improve service quality, keeping up with new trends in the world, which will contribute to expanding Vietnam's service export market, creating a trend of diversifying the types of services brought to the world.

In addition, Xanh SM is associated with the name of Vingroup Corporation with the strategy of investing in an ecosystem from production to electric car services, green services... penetrating many regions in the world, which will also contribute to building the image of the national brand in the international arena. Lao people are not the ones who use taxis much, but the capital Vientiane and some major cities of this country are increasingly attracting many international tourists. Therefore, the Vietnamese electric taxi brand in Laos not only serves Lao people but also contributes to promoting the image of Vietnamese enterprises and Vietnamese brands to friends around the world.

Citing the story of exporting electric cars to the US market, listing on Nasdaq and this time exporting electric taxi services to Laos, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dinh Thien, former Director of the Vietnam Economic Institute, affirmed that this is a very respectable and valuable action of the enterprise. They dare to do, dare to accept the risks of a pioneer to affirm the brand as well as the image of the country, the image of Vietnam. Vietnam's automobile industry, compared to the world, is far behind.

Even in the Lao market, their car culture is ahead of Vietnam. VinFast cars and the newly launched SM Green taxi service do not choose to follow, compete in the same segment but "hit" the newest market, the most advanced technology of mankind: electric cars, green services. This proves that they are very confident in their strength, in the world's green trend, as well as having prepared many conditions for these competitions. These factors combined together can create victory.

"Electric cars and electric taxi services are the trend of the times, extremely promising worldwide. This trend will develop very quickly and strongly. In Southeast Asia, GSM is the leading enterprise in this service field, so if it can move quickly and catch up with the trend, it will have a very good advantage in the future. With practical and great benefits, enterprises like GSM and VinFast need strong spiritual support from consumers, followed by policy support. This is not only the brand of an enterprise but also the representative image of Vietnam going out to the world", Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dinh Thien emphasized.

This is a project that contributes to further tightening the increasingly fruitful Laos-Vietnam relationship. The investment from a large Vietnamese corporation in Laos will encourage more other companies to invest in Laos. The Vientiane market will be the first base for further expansion to many other provinces of Laos. I believe that GSM will receive much success in its investment and development in Vientiane.

Mr. Viengsavanh Vilayphone, Vice Chairman of the Laos - Vietnam Cooperation Committee

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/viet-nam-tien-phong-xuat-khau-giao-thong-xanh-185231110234503001.htm