Speaking at the event, Ms Tran Thi Lan Anh, Secretary General of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), described the strong turnout of Myanmar business delegates as an encouraging sign for the economic relationship between both nations.

Vietnam and Myanmar share a long-standing friendship, having celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2025. Bilateral ties were officially elevated to a Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership in 2017.

Built on this foundation, bilateral economic ties have yielded tangible results. Numerous Vietnamese enterprises have established a solid presence in Myanmar across key sectors, including telecommunications, banking, real estate, agriculture, and services. Alongside these traditional pillars, new avenues are opening up in agri-processing, logistics, digital transformation, science and technology, and education.

However, the VCCI Secretary General noted that current achievements represent merely the starting line, given the vast untapped potential between the two business communities. Two-way trade reached nearly USD 592 million in 2025, with both nations now eyeing a bilateral trade target of USD 1 billion.

To realise this ambition, key priorities include increasing direct business engagements, fostering a deeper understanding of market demands, and establishing long-term mutual trust. Notably, the presence of over 200 Myanmar enterprises at the forum signals growing commercial interest in the Vietnamese market, paving the way for targeted deal-making, partnership expansion, and concrete joint ventures.

A major driver lies in the complementary nature of the two economies. Myanmar boasts rich natural resources, agricultural prowess, and an abundance of raw materials such as rice, pulses, maize, produce, seafood, and rubber. It also offers a market of over 50 million consumers and a strategic location bridging Southeast and South Asia.

Vietnam, conversely, excels in industrial manufacturing, food processing, machinery, materials, textiles, consumer goods, technology, telecommunications, and retail distribution networks. Effective integration of these strengths could elevate business cooperation beyond basic trade transactions toward building integrated Vietnam–Myanmar value chains.

Agriculture serves as a prime candidate for this approach. Myanmar holds a competitive edge in land availability and raw commodity output, whilst Vietnamese firms bring expertise in mechanisation, processing, preservation, logistics, branding, and market access. Synergies here could span the entire chain, from production and processing to distribution, serving not only domestic markets but also the broader ASEAN region and RCEP signatories. Similar collaborative prospects exist in logistics, telecoms, digital transformation, energy, food processing, textiles, tourism, and services.

Crucially, driving bilateral trade is not a one-way street of exporting Vietnamese goods to Myanmar; the VCCI is equally keen to see more Myanmar products enter the Vietnamese market. In the first seven months of 2026, Vietnam imported USD 107 million worth of fruit and vegetables from Myanmar – a 31.5% increase year-on-year, accounting for roughly 61% of Vietnam's total imports from the country. This underlines Myanmar's growing importance as a key supplier of agricultural produce to Vietnam.

“The VCCI hopes to see high-quality Myanmar products become household names among Vietnamese consumers, alongside an increasing number of Myanmar companies establishing a presence, finding local distributors, and building networks in Vietnam. Equally, more Vietnamese firms are expected to secure reliable partners in Myanmar, widening the scope for inter-business collaboration," Ms Tran Thi Lan Anh said.

To translate this potential into binding contracts, joint investments, and operational projects, Ms Tran Thi Lan Anh highlighted three strategic imperatives for the business communities and their representative bodies:

First, enhancing substantive, regular connections: The VCCI aims to partner with the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) to organise targeted trade missions, B2B matchmaking, and sector-specific networking while assisting Myanmar firms in exploring the market, sourcing partners, and connecting with local authorities and trade associations.

Second, shifting from simple trade to value-chain integration: Businesses should pursue joint investments, co-production, shared processing, and joint market exploitation to establish a more sustainable foundation for economic ties.

Third, resolving operational bottlenecks: Immediate efforts must focus on addressing practical challenges, including access to reliable market data, trusted partners, streamlined payment mechanisms, efficient logistics, and clear regulations.

In this endeavour, the VCCI and UMFCCI will continue to serve as a bridge connecting businesses with one another, as well as with their respective governments.

Direct discussions at the forum provided a platform for both sides to clarify market access requirements and identify actionable next steps. Reaffirming its commitment, the VCCI pledged to remain a dedicated partner to the UMFCCI and the broader Myanmar business community, actively driving the flow of enterprise, investment, goods, and tourism between the two countries.

The forum concluded with the signing and exchange of several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) across multiple sectors.