On July 12, Chairman of VCCI (Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry) Pham Tan Cong had a meeting with the Danish Industry (DI) led by Ms. Benta Toftkær, Director of DI in India. During the meeting, both sides discussed the prospects of cooperation between DI and VCCI related to promoting green economy, particularly the National Business Initiative (NBI) and the Joint Energy Transition Project (JETP) that DI is currently implementing.

Chairman of VCCI, Mr. Pham Tan Cong, expressed strong support for the projects led by DI, stating that VCCI is also deeply interested in green transition and sustainable development. VCCI not only has offices dedicated to sustainable development but also leads two crucial indices in Vietnam's economy, namely the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) and the Green Index.

In the discussion with Ms. Toftkær, VCCI's leadership highlighted the significant potential for cooperation between VCCI and DI in the field of green transition. DI's projects can align with the activities of VCCI's member associations nationwide, particularly in key sectors such as electronics, information technology, aquaculture, and agriculture.

With technical support and funding from Denmark, these initiatives are entirely feasible, and after successful implementation within these associations, they can be expanded further across Vietnam. VCCI will be responsible for guiding and supporting the industry associations in this process

Both parties believe that after more than 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations, the prospects for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries are still very promising.

Mr. Pham Tan Cong expressed the desire to collaborate and learn from DI, stating that the successful cooperation between Vietnam and Denmark is attributed to their shared goals towards common social and community activities.

Currently, Denmark is an important partner of Vietnam in Europe and the Nordic region. The bilateral trade turnover in 2021 reached nearly $600 million, and in 2022, Denmark ranked third among countries investing in Vietnam with the $1 billion Lego Factory project, bringing the total Danish investment in Vietnam to $1.78 billion.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Vietnam and Denmark have maintained a close cooperative relationship. Vietnam continues to be a significant partner of the Danish government in various fields such as green growth, energy, water, health, education, food safety, culture, and trade.

The representative from DI, Ms. Bente Toftkær, expressed great excitement about the cooperation prospects between the two entities, affirming that DI is a highly ambitious organization when it comes to sustainable development. Currently, DI is implementing several sustainable development and green transition projects in major economies like India. Through this meeting, Ms. Toftkær also expressed the desire to further promote cooperation on this matter with Vietnam.

According to Ms. Toftkær, DI is very interested in Vietnam's Green Transition. Leveraging Danish companies' strengths in this area, DI is confident that it can assist Vietnam, especially VCCI, in building public-private partnership models and providing recommendations to support Vietnam's green transition goals.

VCCI and DI commit to implementing many collaborations towards sustainable economics in the future.

DI's leadership stated that both DI and VCCI share many similarities in terms of organization, activities, and culture, which creates favorable conditions to further promote cooperation between Vietnam and Denmark in the coming time, especially in trade and sustainable development in Vietnam. She mentioned that not only Danish companies but also the Danish government and embassy are very interested in this matter, and there will be many opportunities for cooperation between the two sides in the future.

In 2021, Vietnam and Denmark celebrated 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations. Over the past half-century, the relationship between the two countries has become increasingly close and solid based on genuine friendship, sincerity, and shared interests. The Comprehensive Partnership between the two nations serves as the foundation for cooperation in various fields, such as energy, healthcare, agriculture, education, and notably in green growth. The Danish government has committed to allocating at least 1 billion USD to developing countries, with Vietnam being one of the priority partners, to cope with climate change.

Source: TRUONG DANG (Business Forum Magazine).