VCCI

   VCCI Ho Chi Minh City branch is a branch operating in Ho Chi Minh City and 6 southern provinces: Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Long An, Tay Ninh. The wide operating area comes with many difficulties and challenges, but over the years the Branch has always strived to improve itself to better fulfill assigned tasks, strengthen industry and regional linkages, maintain the role and mission of representing a community of "Strong Enterprises, Prosperous Nation".

First-line offline promotion channel

   Immediately after the liberation of the country (1975), the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam sent leaders and experts from the North to take over the facilities and employ a number of experts from the Saigon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This marked the beginning of the development of the Chamber of Commerce Branch in Ho Chi Minh City; in 1982, the Branch changed its name to VCCI Ho Chi Minh City Branch until today.

   At that time, VCCI Ho Chi Minh City branch was still under the Ministry of Foreign Trade and operated as a frontline promotion channel to help businesses and business delegations from countries outside the socialist bloc access the Vietnamese market, especially in the context that the country was in the early stages of the renovation - opening up and the economic embargo imposed by the US government on our economy had not yet been lifted. Regarding professional work, the most typical activities of the Branch were trade and investment promotion and the organization of domestic and foreign fairs and exhibitions. In the context that most countries outside the socialist bloc at that time did not have the conditions to set up trade offices in Ho Chi Minh City, every time countries had business delegations coming to the City, they often chose VCCI Ho Chi Minh City branch as the focal point, the starting point to help arrange meetings and work with partners and relevant units in the area. The Branch also supported and provided providing a full range of services for business delegations from visa application procedures, residence registration, travel permits to translation and interpretation, arranging working programs with relevant units and organizations. In return, the Branch also helps import-export enterprises in the City as well as provinces in the Branch's operating area to access and expand foreign markets. During this period, businesses often consider the Branch's office as a transaction address with international partners and businessmen.

Strengthening the capacity to connect the business community

   From 1993 to present, along with the country's opening-up and integration process, VCCI Ho Chi Minh City branch has also had a strong transformation, making practical contributions to the country's economic innovation, building a market economy institution, international economic integration and improving the investment and business environment.

   With its focal role, the Branch has taken advantage of technical and financial support from international organizations to help strengthen the capacity to build market economic institutions, especially strengthening the capacity to connect the business community. While the specialized departments of the Branch are still operating steadily (issuing certificates of origin of goods and commercial documents; being a focal point for dialogue with international organizations to exchange and introduce the development dynamics of the business environment in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces,...), the activities of the Branch's Small and Medium Enterprise Support Center have made outstanding progress through a series of projects sponsored by international organizations. Thereby, there has been a spillover effect contributing to the formation and development of a new class of businesses. For example, the project of a series of seminars introducing the Business Incubator model (DN) (Incubator) by the zDH organization of the Republic of The German support has contributed to raising awareness for relevant units of Ho Chi Minh City, which is the premise leading to the birth of Quang Trung Software Park and later business incubators in the area. The project, sponsored by the International Labor Organization (ILO), trained a team of source lecturers to implement the training program "Starting a Business and Improving Your Business" (SIYB). This is also the premise for developing the start-up movement and enhancing business capacity. The project "Poverty Reduction through Integrated Small Enterprise Development" (PRISED), also sponsored by the ILO, introduced the value chain linkage model that the Branch was assigned to implement to support Binh Phuoc province, and implemented Business Week in Dong Nai, Ben Tre, Binh Duong provinces, etc., contributing to strengthening regional connectivity. In 2014, the Branch signed a cooperation agreement with the United States' USAID organization. Ky and Amcham Ho Chi Minh City implemented the VTFA project - Trade Facilitation Alliance. Thereby, building a dialogue mechanism between enterprises and Customs, helping to practically improve the investment and business environment, especially in the field of customs clearance of import and export goods, helping to enhance the overall national competitiveness.

   As the country increasingly integrates deeply into the world economy, especially after participating in new-generation free trade agreements, the role of facilitating trade and building harmonious labor relations is increasingly being paid attention to. In response to this need, the Office of Labor Users of VCCI, Ho Chi Minh City branch, was established in 1998 and is currently playing an important role in activities to strengthen the capacity to perfect institutions and build harmonious labor relations in enterprises.

New landmark, new vision

   At the 7th National Congress of VCCI (term 2021 - 2026), VCCI officially changed its name to Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry. With the vision of "Strong enterprises - Prosperous nation", the mission of "Connecting and promoting the development of enterprises, business associations that are sustainable, civilized, integrated and on par with the world" and as the new name shows, the core development orientation of the entire VCCI system. VCCI Ho Chi Minh City branch, as the leading branch of the system, is also transforming in a new direction of promoting industry and regional linkages and further, not only stopping at the traditional trade promotion role but also contributing to promoting and supporting key industrial production sectors towards modernization, international competition and increasing added value, striving for Vietnam to become an industrialized country by 2021. 2030.

   The Branch's most recent activities such as organizing the first annual Gala Dinner (early 2023); VCCI leaders meeting with leaders of provinces and cities in the Southeast Key Economic Region; meeting with members of VCCI - Ho Chi Minh City branch, etc. have also partly affirmed the process of gradually realizing that orientation. After completing the new leadership and personnel team, VCCI Ho Chi Minh City branch is also preparing for many breakthrough development activities. Standing in Ho Chi Minh City and the most dynamic Southern Key Economic Region in the country requires the Branch to constantly strive to improve, deploy activities across all professional fields; participate and have a voice at forums, conferences, and seminars to enhance the image and position of the Branch in the business community.

   Moreover, in the context of mature industry business associations and regional linkages requiring new solutions and new visions, VCCI Ho Chi Minh City branch will have appropriate strategies and plans, turning that vision into specific actions through projects, programs and activities. These are also the foundations to ensure the successful implementation of VCCI Ho Chi Minh City branch's activities in the coming time, contributing to enhancing the image and position of VCCI in general and the Branch in particular.