On the morning of September 10, the Northern Coastal Branch of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) organised the Northern Coastal Regional Members’ Conference to gather members’ comments on the draft documents and conduct the consultation and election of delegates to attend the 8th VCCI National Congress for the 2026–2031 term.

VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh chairs and delivers remarks at the conference.

The Northern Coastal Regional Members’ Conference focused on the following key activities: discussing and providing comments on the draft documents for the 8th VCCI National Congress; conducting the consultation and election of delegates representing members in the Northern Coastal region to attend the 8th VCCI National Congress; and listening to contributions from representatives of business associations in the area.

Connecting the Business Community

In his opening remarks, VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh emphasised that the 8th VCCI National Congress for the 2026–2031 term is a major event marking a new stage of VCCI’s development amid a new national context, as the country enters a new era with increasingly demanding requirements for reforming the growth model, enhancing competitiveness and productivity, promoting digital and green transformation, and deepening and broadening international integration.

VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh (centre), Acting Director of the VCCI Northern Coastal Branch (left), and Hoang Van Anh, Head of the VCCI Membership Affairs Department (right), chair the conference

In the new phase of development, the business community is facing numerous challenges as well as opportunities, while also confronting significant difficulties. This requires VCCI to continue making strong innovations in its mode of operation and improving the quality of its representative role to protect the legitimate and lawful interests of the business community. At the same time, VCCI needs to further strengthen its role as a bridge between the business community and the Party, the State, and State management agencies.

Therefore, VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh expressed his wish that the contributions made at the conference would be substantive, frank and responsible, and grounded in the practical needs of enterprises.

VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh emphasised: “VCCI looks forward to receiving specific proposals for solutions to improve operational efficiency, enhance the business environment, support sustainable enterprise development, promote linkages among enterprises, develop the private sector, and strengthen the voice of the business community in the process of policymaking and policy implementation.”

Mr. Tran Van Thang, Chairman of the Hai Phong City Business Association. Photo: Bui Hien

Mr. Tran Van Thang, Chairman of the Hai Phong City Business Association, said that, for policies to be effectively implemented in practice, VCCI needs to continue closely monitoring the practical operations of enterprises and, based on this, participate in providing comments and recommending amendments to regulations in a more appropriate and feasible direction.

At the same time, Mr. Thang expressed his wish for VCCI to further strengthen its role in connecting enterprises and developing linkages between large enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises, thereby expanding opportunities for the business community to participate in supply chains.

In addition, VCCI should continue to work alongside business associations in monitoring and overseeing the implementation of laws, while promptly reporting shortcomings arising in practice. In particular, enterprises expect VCCI to strengthen its listening efforts and directly help address difficulties, so that the voices of its members can truly be conveyed and translated into effective solutions in practice.

Regarding the draft Political Report for the 8th VCCI National Congress, Mr. Do Van Ve, Chairman of the Hung Yen Provincial Business Association, affirmed that VCCI has been doing a good job of helping enterprises resolve difficulties and promptly reporting their challenges to State management agencies. At the same time, VCCI has also been highly active in contributing comments to the drafting of laws and policies, thereby contributing to administrative reform and creating a favourable business environment for the business community to develop.

Mr. Ve also shared that, in addition to contributing comments to improve the business environment, VCCI’s Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) report has been conducted for more than 20 years, making a positive contribution to the development of the business community and further supporting efforts to improve the business environment at the local level.

From Connecting Enterprises to Connecting the Business Ecosystem

Emphasising VCCI’s role in strengthening linkages among enterprises, Mr. Bui Dinh Tuan, Member of the VCCI Executive Committee, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Quang Ninh Investment and Import-Export Joint Stock Company, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tung Lam Development Joint Stock Company, said that amid increasingly fierce competition, one of VCCI’s important roles is to build linkage models and serve as a bridge for Vietnamese enterprises to expand into international markets and participate more deeply in global value chains.

In reality, linkages among Vietnamese enterprises, as well as between domestic enterprises and FDI enterprises and international partners, remain limited.

Therefore, according to Mr. Tuan, VCCI needs to further promote linkages by industry, sector and value chain; support the formation of specialised enterprise associations and groups within a broad interconnected system, thereby creating more opportunities for cooperation, resource sharing and enhanced competitiveness for the business community.

Meanwhile, VCCI could consider developing a shared database on enterprises, industries, production capacity and connectivity needs. When information is transparent, regularly updated and effectively shared, enterprises will have a stronger basis for seeking partners, expanding markets, connecting supply and demand, and establishing more sustainable linkages.

Notably, expanding and diversifying the membership network and attracting enterprises from various industries, sectors and scales are also expected to provide VCCI with additional resources and practical data to further strengthen its role in representing the business community.

At the conference, delegates also contributed comments on supporting enterprises in green transformation, promoting digital transformation within enterprises, strengthening linkages among enterprises, and improving the effectiveness of member activities.

VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh noted that the recommendations put forward at the conference show that the business community expects a more dynamic VCCI in connecting enterprises, closer engagement with practical business realities, and stronger efforts to convey enterprises’ concerns into the policymaking and policy implementation processes in the coming period