More than 100 officials and business people attended this workshop. The event aimed to promote trade and investment between the two countries.
Speaking at the workshop, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Vuong Thua Phong said Belgium was an important partner of Vietnam with two-way trade seeing growth in recent years. The bilateral trade between Vietnam and Belgium significantly increased from several million USD in 2000 to nearly 2.3 billion USD in 2015. The European country runs 65 projects worth 724.21 million USD in Vietnam, he noted.
He also said that Belgian investors are active in major economic sectors in Vietnam like industry, agriculture, and financial services.
Head of Economy, European and International Cooperation unit in East Flanders province Astrid Vliebergh said the province opened an economic office in Ho Chi Minh City six years ago to help Belgian businesses in Vietnam.
Since then, Vietnam has gained impressive economic achievements, she said, noting that some provincial companies promote cooperation in animal husbandry in HCM City and its vicinities.
In December 2016, a delegation of scientists and businesspeople in cultivation will arrive in Vietnam to discuss collaboration in growing flowers and vegetables in Da Lat and HCM City, she revealed.
Participants also commented that Vietnam’s recently-adopted Law on Investment and Law on Enterprises is clear and transparent, while other legal regulations on foreign investment have been revised in line with international standards.
