On July 6, 2026, the Vietnam Trade Office in Switzerland paid an official working visit to the Executive Board of the Basel Chamber of Commerce (Handelskammer beider Basel - HKBB). The meeting took place at a pivotal moment, following the announcement that Vietnam and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) had concluded negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is expected to be signed soon, paving the way for broader and deeper economic cooperation between the business communities of both sides.  

During the meeting, Vietnam Trade Office held in-depth discussions with Thorsten Hohmann, Member of the Executive Board and Head of Import and Export at HKBB. The two sides exchanged comprehensive information on the roles and responsibilities of their respective institutions and explored practical measures to maximize opportunities arising from the forthcoming FTA.

Representing HKBB, he highlighted the strategic importance of the Basel Chamber of Commerce as the representative organization of one of Switzerland’s leading economic and industrial hubs. With a network of more than 1,900 member companies, the Basel region is widely recognized as the country's innovation powerhouse, accounting for nearly 30% of Switzerland’s total exports, particularly in high value-added industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and life sciences.

To translate the market-opening opportunities into concrete business outcomes, he proposed jointly organizing an online seminar with the Vietnam Trade Office in the second quarter of 2027. The event would provide a comprehensive overview of the Vietnamese market while offering in-depth analysis of business opportunities in sectors where Swiss enterprises possess strong competitive advantages and are seeking to expand their trade and investment activities.

The Vietnam Trade Office also introduced the "Vietnam International Sourcing 2026" programme, organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade under the theme "Connecting International Supply Chains". Recognising the event as a valuable platform for sourcing and business matchmaking, HKBB expressed strong interest and confirmed that it would promptly disseminate information on the exhibition and its business matching agenda to member companies looking to diversify and expand their supply chains in Southeast Asia.

Noting that multinational corporations headquartered in Basel, including Novartis and Roche, currently maintain only limited legal entities and representative offices in Vietnam, despite the country's market of more than 100 million people and its significant potential in pharmaceuticals and advanced technology, the Vietnam Trade Office proposed that HKBB, through its influential role within the regional business community, encourage major Basel-based companies to strengthen trade, investment and technology transfer cooperation with Vietnam.

As these corporations are among HKBB's key members, the Vietnam Trade Office further proposed coordinating with the Chamber to arrange a high-level meeting between the Ambassador of Vietnam to Switzerland and senior executives of leading pharmaceutical companies. The meeting would provide an opportunity to hear directly from businesses about their concerns, expectations and policy recommendations, enabling the Vietnamese Government and relevant ministries and agencies to address regulatory and policy bottlenecks in a timely manner. The ultimate objective is to create a more favourable investment environment that encourages these global pharmaceutical companies to channel greater investment into Vietnam, establish manufacturing facilities and transfer advanced pharmaceutical technologies to the country.

The meeting concluded successfully with both sides reaffirming their commitment to close cooperation, opening a promising new chapter in economic and trade relations between Vietnam and the Basel economic region in particular, and Switzerland as a whole, ahead of the signing and implementation of the Vietnam - EFTA Free Trade Agreement.