This statement was made by Mr. Pham Tan Cong, President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and Chair of ABAC Vietnam, ahead of the upcoming Third ABAC Meeting to be held in Hai Phong City, Vietnam.

Active participation across all activities

He said, 2025 holds special significance as the world has entered the accelerating recovery phase in the wake of the pandemic and multidimensional crises. The meeting portrays the core spirit: Businesses are not only key economic players but also bridges between economies, between growth and sustainability, between innovation and international cooperation, aligning with the current direction of the Vietnamese business community - one that is actively globalizing, deeply integrating and ready to face new challenges.

ABAC Vietnam, the representative voice of Vietnamese businesses in APEC, currently has three members: Mr. Pham Tan Cong, President of VCCI; Mr. Dang Thanh Tam, Chairman of Saigon Invest Group; and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, Chairman of SOVICO Group.

In 2025, ABAC Vietnam has been actively taking part in building the content, bringing initiatives into five ABAC’s specialized working groups, including Regional Economic Integration Working Group - promoting free and sustainable trade and investment; Sustainability Working Group - focusing on circular economy, climate action and green business; AI and Digital Innovation Working Group - bridging the digital divide across economies; Finance and Economics Working Group - advancing inclusive and green finance; and Biotech and Healthcare Working Group - enhancing public health capabilities and supply chain security.

In addition to participating in ABAC’s official meetings, ABAC Vietnam plays a key coordinating role in preparing content and logistics to support Vietnam’s senior leadership at the APEC CEO Summit 2025 and the ABAC Dialogue with APEC Leaders, both scheduled to take place in November 2025 in South Korea. These are important forums where policy proposals from the business community, including Vietnamese businesses, can be directly presented to APEC leaders.

The third ABAC Meeting 2025 in Hai Phong is part of a series of events leading up to Vietnam’s assumption of APEC and ABAC chairmanships in 2027.

“The third ABAC Meeting in Hai Phong is not only a major milestone in this year’s ABAC Agenda but also a significant opportunity for Vietnam to demonstrate its active, reputable and responsible role within APEC. This is also a good chance for Vietnamese businesses to directly contact international partners and ABAC members, including presidents and CEOs of world-class corporations, to boost business connections, promote the investment environment and work together toward a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable APEC region,” said Mr. Pham Tan Cong.

The opportunity for business networking and investment attraction

To capitalize on the presence of ABAC delegates in Hai Phong City, the Hai Phong People’s Committee has worked closely with VCCI and ABAC Vietnam to organize meaningful sideline events to boost networking, promotion and investment cooperation.

Notably, the Investment and Trade Promotion Conference is expected to bring together around 700 participants who are APEC business leaders, ambassadors and trade counselors from APEC economies with representative agencies in Hanoi, business associations, and international investors. The event will showcase Vietnam’s investment environment, with a focus on Hai Phong.

The Welcome Gala Dinner, to be hosted by Hai Phong City, will serve as a cultural and diplomatic highlight, showcasing Vietnamese hospitality and providing an exchanging and networking space for APEC and Vietnamese business communities. At the same time, it will also promote Hai Phong as a prime destination for economic, investment, cultural and tourism cooperation.

An exhibition zone will feature Hai Phong City’s economic achievements and signature products. Delegates will also visit key economic zones, industrial parks and outstanding businesses in the city in order to provide ABAC members with opportunities to experience distinctive products of Vietnam’s northern coastal region.

Through these activities, Vietnamese businesses will have the chance to meet leading corporations, investors and economic entities from the region to expand their partner networks, exchange strategic ideas and shape long-term cooperation opportunities.

On this occasion, the Hai Phong People’s Committee is expected to hand 19 investment certificates to both domestic and foreign investors engaged in industrial zone infrastructure and seaport development, with a total registered capital of about US$10 billion. The city will sign six memorandums of understanding on urban development research valued at nearly US$5 billion.

According to Mr. Bui Ngoc Hai, Deputy Director of the Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority, this is a golden opportunity to elevate the image and position of Hai Phong City and Vietnam in the context of international integration.

“Hai Phong wants to instill confidence in investors and CEOs from the 21 APEC economies attending the third ABAC Meeting that it is an open, dynamic city that delivers on its promises. The city will continue to nurture this trust because only when there is trust can investors feel secure in choosing Hai Phong as their investment destination,” he affirmed.