Mr. Pham Tan Cong, President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)

Mr. Pham Tan Cong said, over the past few years, enterprises and entrepreneurs have made a greater contribution to Vietnam's socioeconomic development. We are pleased that Vietnam, one of the world's weakest economies, is now ranked in the TOP20 for international trade and the TOP40 for GDP.

How would you assess the development of the business community after 77 years of Uncle Ho's letter to the Vietnamese industry and commerce circle and 18 years of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs' Day?

Today, a large number of Vietnamese entrepreneurs have introduced their brands, products, and services to the international market. They can run big corporations, compete fairly with international firms, and keep an eye on the crucial economic sectors of the nation.

Notably, Vietnamese entrepreneurs have concentrated on long-term goals in addition to short-term ones while thinking strategically about business development. They have painstakingly built their companies using a green, sustainable economic strategy that is founded on business ethics and culture.

In particular, throughout the previous two years of the COVID-19 outbreak, Vietnamese enterprises have demonstrated resiliency, flexibility, creativity, and resourcefulness.

The top 10 outstanding Vietnamese entrepreneurs, as chosen by VCCI in 2022, who contribute an average of over 24 trillion dong to the national budget annually, make over 140 trillion dong in revenue, and employ 94 thousand direct workers, serve as further evidence of the development of the Vietnamese business community. Many businesses and entrepreneurs have set a shining example of national pride, patriotism, and social responsibility while caring for their production and businesses, guaranteeing the lives and livelihoods of their employees, and working to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading across the entire nation. Even corporations have contributed more than 1,200 billion dong to the epidemic response.

What initiatives will VCCI implement soon to support the growth of the Vietnamese business community, sir?

The Resolution of the 13th Party Congress outlined the ambition for the entire country to rise. As a result, Vietnam will reach low-middle income status by 2025 and create a sophisticated industrial base. Vietnam will become a thriving nation with a modern industrial base and a large middle class by 2030. Vietnam will evolve into a wealthy, developed nation by 2045.

The Scientific Workshop “Vietnamese Entrepreneurial Ethics and Business Culture in the New Context”, jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

The Vietnamese business and entrepreneur community was to be developed in accordance with such a vision of the nation. Because only entrepreneurs can arrange the forces to create riches for the country. Therefore, the present urgent and strategic mission to develop corporate ethics and culture has been highlighted by the 7th Congress of VCCI for the years 2021–2026. Vietnam's Code of Business Ethics, created and published by VCCI, has the following 6 guidelines: generating economic benefit for society; abiding by the law; conducting business with transparency, fairness, and honesty; creativity, cooperation, and mutual development; respecting nature and the environment; patriotic, societal, and familial responsibility.

Programs will be offered by VCCI to support and encourage businesses and entrepreneurs to pursue sustainable business practices, with current science and technology serving as a competitive advantage and business ethics and culture serving as a foundation.

Additionally, VCCI will report to the Government about the business practices of firms so that difficulties and challenges may be quickly resolved. Vietnam's investment and business environment will undoubtedly keep getting better as long as the Party and Government continually pay attention to the business community’s opinions.

Would you please describe the message that VCCI is sending to the business community in the current climate on the occasion of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs' Day on October 13?

We wish to convey the message of "creating trust and inspiring" to the business and entrepreneur community by hosting a number of significant events to commemorate Vietnam Entrepreneurs Day on October 13.

Because fostering a culture of business ethics will help to increase trust, market power, and competitiveness. In other words, the value that business ethics and culture bring to organizations is crystallized in the trust of customers. The aforesaid value will create enormous value when it can be crystallized by millions of firms.

As a result, it is first required to motivate all entrepreneurs to follow business ethics and culture collectively and produce positive social change. This motivation should also be shared with young, brilliant people who are pursuing careers in business and other fields.

Thank you so much!