Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, VCCI President Ho Sy Hung and other delegates witness the exchange of cooperation documents between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, May 7, 2026

Turning Connections into Business Opportunities

The signing of 27 cooperation agreements covering trade and investment promotion, cultural industries, tourism, aviation, maritime logistics, digital transformation, agriculture, finance, and other sectors at the Vietnam-India Business Forum demonstrated the strong interest of both business communities and their capacity to translate high-level diplomatic relations into concrete business opportunities.

This was one of the practical initiatives coordinated by VCCI in recent times to give Vietnam’s business community direct opportunities to discuss orientations for economic, trade, and investment cooperation with the Indian market. Held as part of the state visit by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam to India in May 2026, the forum brought together nearly 400 business delegates from both nations.

At the Vietnam-Sri Lanka Trade, Investment and Tourism Cooperation Forum, co-organized by VCCI, businesses from both countries signed seven cooperation agreements covering tourism, agricultural processing, rubber, fertilizers, chemicals, and other sectors. A key feature of the forum was the announcement by Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air of plans to launch direct flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Colombo.

According to VCCI, the business forums in India and Sri Lanka yielded positive results by translating high-level diplomacy into practical trade, investment, and business connections. The involvement of senior leaders from both nations attracted substantial political and media interest while building stronger business confidence to expand cross-border cooperation.

The two forums drew hundreds of enterprises from both nations, yielding 34 signed or recorded cooperation agreements that opened up new partnership opportunities in technology, industry, energy, logistics, aviation, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, tourism, and services.

These outcomes reflect the expanding interest of Vietnam’s business community in South Asian markets while affirming VCCI’s role in connecting enterprises with international partners and supporting the implementation of the Party and Government’s economic diplomacy orientations.

However, VCCI maintains that signing agreements is merely the initial step. The program's actual effectiveness relies on sustained monitoring, support, and resolution of issues arising as businesses execute their commitments. Consequently, VCCI will continue coordinating with government agencies, trade promotion bodies, business associations, and partners in India and Sri Lanka to monitor and support the implementation of signed agreements, sustain business linkages, share market intelligence, and advance specific cooperation projects.

Beyond strengthening direct promotional activities for enterprises, VCCI has signed memoranda of understanding with international partners. In the first half of 2026 alone, VCCI concluded MoUs with the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEIK), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and the Indian Business Forum (IBF), alongside cooperation agreements with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Tatarstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. These agreements establish a solid foundation for deepening trade and investment ties between Vietnam’s business community and international partners in the years ahead.

According to a VCCI report, during the first eight months of 2026, VCCI organized and coordinated 170 conferences, forums, and thematic discussions, along with 270 trade and investment promotion initiatives aimed at connecting enterprises, opening new markets, and advancing international cooperation.

According to VCCI President Ho Sy Hung, VCCI has been tasked with leading and coordinating three major business community events during APEC 2027: the fourth APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) meeting, the ABAC Dialogue with APEC Economic Leaders, and the APEC CEO Summit 2027. This represents both a significant responsibility and a major opportunity for VCCI to promote Vietnam’s business environment while linking domestic enterprises with regional and global corporate leaders.

Vietnam-Uganda Business Forum, organized by VCCI as part of the Pearl of Africa - Uganda Business Forum & Expo Vietnam Chapter, held in Hanoi, August 9-13, 2026

Modernizing Promotion Strategies, Proactively Empowering Enterprises

During VCCI’s seventh term (2022-2026), despite a rapidly changing, complex, and unpredictable global and regional environment marked by major shifts, VCCI adopted a proactive and flexible approach, steadily strengthening trade and investment promotion to link Vietnam’s business community more firmly with international markets.

Rather than simply organizing conventional promotion delegations, VCCI has introduced comprehensive changes, focusing on helping businesses strengthen their trade defense capabilities and respond to anti-dumping and tax-evasion cases. Simultaneously, it serves as a bridge enabling capable domestic private enterprises with advanced technology and management capacity to integrate directly into the global supply chains of foreign-invested multinational corporations in Vietnam.

To make trade and investment promotion activities even more effective, listening to, consolidating feedback from, and actively accompanying the business community plays an important role.

Regarding business associations, Nguyen Huy Long, Chairman of the Lao Cai Provincial Business Association, proposed that VCCI study a unified organizational model for local business representation to enhance coordination and amplify the enterprise community's voice. According to Long, local business associations should establish clearer representative focal points and strengthen connections, enabling companies' recommendations and challenges to be effectively synthesized and conveyed through VCCI to the Government and relevant ministries.

From a corporate perspective, Pham Dinh Doan, Chairman of Phu Thai Holdings Group and a VCCI Executive Committee member, suggested that VCCI strengthen coordination with the Government to issue actionable quarterly orientation reports while leading thematic conferences in sectors like trade, tourism, services, and supporting industries. “VCCI cannot cover everything, but it plays a crucial role in providing strategic input to the Party and Government on macroeconomic matters, as well as advancing major initiatives and proposals for the business community,” Doan said.

Rapid changes in the global environment require VCCI to strengthen its research, forecasting, and policy response capabilities; support businesses in market diversification, FTA utilization, and deeper value-chain integration; and promote digital transformation, green transition, and risk management.

“VCCI is gradually shifting its activities toward a more practical, targeted approach that aligns closely with the core requirements facing the business community,” VCCI President Ho Sy Hung said.