International Official Mission to Vietnam from Luxembourg

During the last couple of weeks and months from February – April, BeLuxCham has been working closely together with the Chambre de Commerce du Luxembourg to welcome the International official Mission to Vietnam from Luxembourg with an official delegation led by H.E. Mr. Xavier Bettel – Prime Minister of Luxembourg, H.E Mr. Lex Delles – Minister of SME’s and Tourism and a delegation of 23 Luxembourg companies.

BeLuxCham organized the business matching event on May 4th and set up over 70 business matching meetings with Vietnamese companies from different industries like logistics, green energy, land development,…

On May 5th, the Park Hyatt welcomed nearly 200 people to attend the business forum in attendance of H.E. Xavier Bettel – Luxembourg Prime Minister, Minister Nguyễn Hồng Diên – Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, Minister Lex Delles – Minister for Tourism / Minister for SME’s, Mr. Võ Văn Hoan – Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, H.E Mr. Nguyen Van Thao – Ambassador of Vietnam to Luxembourg, H.E. Mr. Patrick Hemmer – Ambassador of Luxembourg to Viet Nam, Mr. Vũ Bá Phú – Director General of Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, Mr. Tạ Hoàng Linh – Director General of Market Department Europe-America, Mr. Fernand Ernster – President of Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Võ Tân Thành – Vice President of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam, Mr. Nicolas Mackel – CEO of Luxembourg For Finance, Mr. Gabor Fluit – Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam… to which BeLuxCham’s own chairman – Mr. Bart Verheyen was the MC.

BeLuxCham is extremely proud to have been working together with the Chamber of Commerce of Luxembourg to ensure that this Official International Mission to Vietnam has become a success.

Evoto

The Belgian Embassy in Viet Nam held a ceremony to announce the official logo marking the 50th anniversary of Việt Nam-Belgium diplomatic ties

On 22nd March 2023, the Belgian Embassy in Vietnam held a ceremony in Hanoi to announce the official logo marking the 50th anniversary of Belgium-Vietnam diplomatic ties this year. Addressing the official launch of the logo, Belgian Ambassador to Viet Nam Karl Van den Bossche said that “We are proud to be Belgians in Viet Nam” is our slogan for the 50 years.

Speaking at the event, Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van den Bossche said the logo design contest for the occasion was open for Vietnamese designers and young artists. Through various media channels, the organizing board received 130 entries.
The winning logo is designed by Ms. Lý Khánh Linh, a 22-year-old student from Graphic Design Faculty at FPT University. It was inspired by the famous cultural heritages of both countries with the hope of conveying the message of cultural exchange and friendship. It will be used in all activities of Belgium in Vietnam this year. 

On the occasion of the anniversary, the Ambassador announced that there will be many official visits with the engagement of businesses in the time ahead. 

Specifically, the Majesty the Queen of Belgium will visit Viet Nam in May in her capacity as Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF. And in the third quarter of 2024, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are scheduled to pay a State visit to Viet Nam.

The Ambassador underlined the need to better optimize the country’s great potential towards the final goal of a linkage chain with high-added value.

Along with investing in maritime logistics like the DEEP C Service Complex in the northern port city of Hai Phong, Belgium’s biggest project in Viet Nam, Belgium plans to launch more projects in the connectivity chain in farming and husbandry, such as a cold storage chain in the Mekong Delta which is expected to greatly benefit the agricultural community.

Belgium’s agricultural technology would be useful in helping Viet Nam to raise productivity and profits.

Apart from agriculture, the Ambassador suggested the two countries step up cooperation in green energy and climate change response, pointing to advantages of the collaboration such as new technologies and the EU’s Global Gateway Initiative. 

Besides, Belgium is also a logistics hub and a maritime gateway to Europe, while its pharmaceutical industry supplies vaccines and essential medicines to the world

Belgium is now the sixth largest trade partner of Vietnam in the European Union (EU). With 82 projects worth nearly 1.1 billion USD, the European country ranks 23rd out of 139 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.
Belgium has also been a donor of official development assistance for Vietnam since 1977, with a funding of 20-25 million EUR per year. The country continues supporting Vietnam through tertiary cooperation programs, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Nearly 5,000 Vietnamese students had and are studying in Belgium.

As multilateral cooperation, the two countries have been working closely together and offering mutual support at regional and global forums such as the United Nations, Francophonie, and Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Both countries assumed the positions of non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and members of the UN Human Rights Council for 2023-2024 and regularly exchanged information.

Hybrid investment promotion seminar in Binh Dinh province, Vietnam – Belgium

During March 23rd – 24th, 2023, Binh Dinh Province Committee – in collaboration with BeluxCham Vietnam, Belgian Vietnamese Alliance, and Becamex IDC Corporation – organized an investment promotion event in Binh Dinh province. The event aimed to connect Binh Dinh provincial government with partners from Belgium, to create an attractive and healthy new investment environment.

On the first day, March 23rd 2023, the delegation of BeluxCham, led by Mr. Karl Van den Bossche – Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Bart Verheyen – BeluxCham Chairman, Mrs. Kim Francois, and BeluxCham members, visited firstly Quy Nhon University

Since its establishment in 1977, Quy Nhon University has grown steadily, in terms of scope, level, and quality of training, as well as the quantity and quality of professors and teachers. Today, the university has 16 faculties with 46 disciplines including pedagogical disciplines, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, economics-finance, engineering, and technology, with approximately 13,000 full-time students.

The IUC program of Quy Nhon University aims to sustainably boost the livelihoods and living conditions of local farmers in the region by enhancing education and research capacities in agricultural, food, environmental sciences and renewable energy.

IUC is short for Institutional University Cooperation. It is an initiative of VLIR-UOS, an organization that supports cooperation between universities and university colleges in both Flanders and a partner university in a developing country to improve its capacity and make the most effective contribution to sustainable development based on the local knowledge economy. IUC programs are one of the most extensive cooperation projects in which partner universities in Flanders and universities in the developing country commit to a 10-year partnership aiming to strengthen the local university. Quy Nhon University is the only university in Asia selected to implement the IUC program. The University’s IUC program has academic participation from 4 Belgian universities, Leuven, Hasselt, Ghent, Antwerp, and 2 colleges including HOGent and VIVES.

After visiting Quy Nhon University, the Delegation had a meeting with Quy Nhon Port. Quy Nhon Port is a national focal port (type 1) of the central South of Vietnam, located in the gulf of Quy Nhon and shielded by Phuong Mai Peninsula, extremely convenient for vessels to anchor all the year round. Because of the natural depth at berths and nautical channels, vessels up to 50.000 DWT (reduced load) easily sail in and out. This port is the gate to the East Sea of Central-South Vietnam, West Highland, and countries in the Mekong delta.

After leaving the Quy Nhon Port, the delegation was welcomed by Becamex VSIP Binh Dinh. Located in the heart of the Key Economic Zone of the South-Central Coast, with easy access to National Highway 19 leading to Quy Nhon city center and seaports, and near the center of Quy Nhon city, Becamex VSIP Binh Dinh’s location provides a perfect competitive advantage for investors. Becamex VSIP Binh Dinh also complies with all environmental and sustainability criteria, in order to create a competitive advantage and provide comprehensive solutions for investors.

Becamex VSIP Binh Dinh Industrial Park has an area of 1,374 hectares, of which 1,000 hectares are allocated for industrial development and the remaining area are allocated for service and urban development, meeting all the land rental needs of investors

The strategic location and lifeline traffic routes help the industrial park become a hub for trade, transshipment of goods and services and expand relations for socio-economic development with regions at home and abroad, especially the South Central and Central Highlands provinces; Southern and Central regions of Laos, Thailand…

In the near future, the cargo capacity of this region will be improved with the deployment of Nhon Hoi port.


 On March 24th 2023, Mr. Karl Van den Bossche – Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Bart Verheyen – BeluxCham Chairman, and Mrs. Kim Francois – BeluxCham Executive Director had a greet and meet with Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of Binh Dinh Provincial People’s Committee.

Mr. Pham Anh Tuan said that Binh Dinh has been affirming an important geo-economic and geopolitical position for the Central- Highlands region of Vietnam. Currently, the province focuses on improving technical infrastructure in all fields, including transportation, urban space development, and promoting the development of commerce, tourism, services, and economy. investment attraction. The province is investing in completing the infrastructure of economic zones and industrial parks, of which Becamex VSIP Binh Dinh Industrial Park is one. , Complying with all environmental and sustainability criteria to create profits for the future, it provides competitive advantages and comprehensive solutions for investors.

With its favorable location, development potential and the benefits the province offers for new investors, the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee expressed its hope to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium in Vietnam that Belgian companies come to Binh Dinh to understand the opportunities the province can offer them. The province is committed to having favorable conditions for investors to invest and develop sustainable, long-term effective businesses.

After the meeting, Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Mr. Karl Van den Bossche, Mr. Bart Verheyen, and the delegation joined the Hybrid investment promotion seminar in Binh Dinh province which took place both in Binh Dinh province and Belgium.

Besides the BeluxCham delegation, the hybrid seminar was attended by Mr. Nguyen Van Thao, Ambassador of Vietnam to Belgium; Mr. Andries Gryffroy, First Vice President of the Belgian Senate and Chairman of the Belgian-Vietnamese Alliance (BVA); Mr. Duong Minh Tri, General Secretary of BVA; Mr. Tomaso Andretta, Chairman of EuroCham’s Green Growth Committee; Ms. Maily Nguyen, marketing representative of Becamex in the European market; Mr. Nguyen Van Lang, General Director of Becamex Binh Dinh Joint Stock Company; representatives of leaders of departments of Binh Dinh province; and other enterprises….

The purpose of the seminar is to introduce its position, the socio-economic potential of Binh Dinh province, and its preferential policies, to attract investment from Belgian businesses.

Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, presented important characteristics of Binh Dinh province: its location, its power in natural resources, Binh Dinh’s mineral prospects, socioeconomic growth potential… “Binh Dinh is a strategic province located in the center of the North-South axis; it has a convenient transport infrastructure system, including road, railway, sea, and air; and it is the closest and most convenient gateway to the East Sea of the Central Highlands provinces (Vietnam), Southern Laos, Northeast Cambodia, and Thailand.”

Binh Dinh province has favorable circumstances for further growing its maritime economy, with the potential to become a service development hub for transportation, transshipment, transit of goods, seaports, logistics, and sea and island tourism. The province brings Vietnamese cultural heritage, numerous precious mineral resources, and energy growth possibilities (hydroelectricity, wind power, and solar energy At the same time, Binh Dinh has an abundance of human resources, with a population of approximately 1.5 million people.. There are three universities, fifteen colleges, middle schools, and professional training facilities.…

Furthermore, Binh Dinh continues to concentrate on encouraging prospective investors and powerful brands to engage in important projects in five major areas, industrialization; tourism; high-tech agriculture; harbor and transportation services; and urban economy linked with the urbanization process. It prioritizes attracting initiatives that provide cutting-edge technology, high cerebral content, environmental friendliness, resource efficiency, and economic benefits.

Mr. Bart Verheyen, Chairman of BeluxCham, stated in this seminar that BeluxCham is ready to assist Belgian businesses looking to invest in Vietnam. BeLuxCham will celebrate its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of providing outstanding services to its members. Over the years, the Chamber has been dedicated to promoting trade and investment between Belgium, Luxembourg, and Vietnam, creating a valuable platform for its members to engage and expand their business activities.
BeLuxCham has been instrumental in organizing numerous events, from business seminars to B2C trade fair, to promote networking and foster business relationships. Through their initiatives, members have been able to connect with potential business partners, exchange ideas, and explore new growth opportunities.
In addition to organizing events, BeLuxCham provides a range of services to its members, including business support, market research, and legal advice. Through these services, members have access to valuable resources that can help them navigate the complexities of doing business in Vietnam.
BeLuxCham’s commitment to its members and to promoting trade and investment between Belgium, Luxembourg, and Vietnam has been unwavering over the past 20 years. As the chamber looks towards the future, it remains dedicated to providing valuable services and opportunities to its members, helping them to succeed in the ever-changing business landscape of Vietnam.

BeluxCham launched the first In-House

The first BeluxCham In-House series was launched on Wednesday, 29 March 2023 at Belgo Belgian Craft Beer Brewery with Joon Solutions as our first spotlight member. Marco Sollie, COO, and co-founder, presented and discussed with co-members and guests about the topic “Data strategy for business leaders – ask better questions, set target outcomes”. Which, Data strategy is a roadmap for how a company gathers, saves, and manages data to best benefit its business goals.

We want to thank our attendees for contributing to making our first in-house series activity a success.

This series is part of our 20 years anniversary of BeLuxCham in Vietnam, in which we put one of our members in the spotlights and have them share their expertise with fellow BeLuxCham members and friends.

Over the next few months, we will provide a range of speakers who will share best practices on specific topics chosen by members.

#20yearBeluxCham#BeluxChaminhouseseries#BeluxCham#beluxchamteam#beluxchamvietnam#datastrategy

BeluxCham AGM 2023

The BeluxCham Vietnam Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on Wednesday, 22nd February 2023 at Belgo – Le Ngo Cat in the presence of H.E. Mr. Karl VAN DEN BOSSCHE – Ambassador of Belgium in Vietnam, Mr Marc Rifflet – Deputy Head of Mission, Mr. Gricha Safarian – Honorary Consul of Belgium in Ho Chi Minh City, Ms Eve Devoldere – Trade and Investment Counsellor for the Flemish Region (FIT), and Mr. Jean-Pierre Muller – Trade and Investment Counsellor for the Wallonia Region (AWEX) the.

The meeting started with a general meeting and was followed by a networking event.

During the general meeting, Mr. Bart Verheyen – Chairman of BeluxCham- shared the highlights of 2022 and presented an outlook on 2023’s upcoming events.2022’s financial report and 2023’s budget proposal were presented by Mr. Erwin Debaere – Treasurer of BeluxCham. Mrs. Evelyne Kestelyn – Secretary-General of BeluxCham shared the insights gathered by the membership survey that was recently conducted to better understand how BeLuxCham can constantly improve itself and provide a better service for its members.

The MOU signing ceremony of the Functional Cooperation Agreement between The Belgian and Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam and Belgian Vietnamese Alliance (BVA) formalized the partnership between both organizations to collaborate and develop further activities to support the bilateral trade relationship between Vietnam and Belgium, and bring more benefits to both organizations’ members.

BeLuxCham is proud to announce the results of the election of the BeluxCham Vietnam Board, held during the AGM, for 2023 and 2024:

• Mr. Bart Verheyen

• Mr. Guy Balza

• Mr. Ludo Drijbooms

• Mr. Erwin Debaere

• Ms. Evelyne Kestelyn

• Ms. Mimi Vu

• Ms. Tran Huyen Nhung

• Mr. Stefan Poppe

• Mr. Koen Soenens

• Mr. Drik Boydens

• Mr. Michel Bertsch

We would like to give a special thanks to our AGM sponsors:

– AB InBev – Hoegaarden

Belgo Belgian Craft Beer Brewery

Once again a big thank you to all our members for attending the AGM, and for your continuous support and contribution over the past year. We are excited to see you at our upcoming events.

Photographer – Sang Nguyen Corporate Photography

#AGM#beluxchamvietnam#networking

Check out pictures here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xC2IUkqXCXkVDrhvpkU7B32cAdRb-_a4?usp=sharing