Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (8th from the R) and Head of the EU Delegation to Viet Nam Ambassador Julien Guerrier (7th from R), Ha Noi, March 2, 2025 - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The event drew the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, Head of the EU Delegation to Viet Nam Ambassador Julien Guerrier, representatives from embassies of EU nations and 16 European firms.

Pham said that Viet Nam is determined to become a major economic, trade and investment hub of the Southeast Asia by 2030.

The EU's investment in Viet Nam now tops US$30.4 billion, ranking 6th among foreign investors in Viet Nam while the two-way trade reached US$68.5 billion last year.

Pham said that the Vietnamese Government is committed to resolving these obstacles based on principles that benefit both European businesses and Viet Nam's economic growth.

He took the occasion to call on EU's businesses to expand their operations in Viet Nam, positioning the country as a key production and supply chain hub.

Pham also urged European investors to expand high-quality investments, boost advanced technology transfer, and support skilled workforce development in Viet Nam in such areas as green economy, digital economy, circular economy, creative economy, knowledge-based economy, sharing economy, new energy, development of financial centres, green finance, marine economy, biotechnology, and healthcare.

The Government chief also suggested the EU's businesses urge nine remaining EU member countries to early ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA); push the European Commission's removal of the IUU "yellow card" against Vietnamese seafood exports and maintain official development assistance (ODA) for Viet Nam through bilateral cooperation channels./.