VCCI President Cong assessed that the two countries have developed a good friendship and cooperation relations in many fields, but there is still room for further development. “Vietnam is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Colombia is a member of the Pacific Alliance (AP). Therefore, the two countries can be a focal point connecting the members of these two blocs,” said the VCCI President.

“In 2021, Vietnam imported nearly US$330 billion of goods and services; its GDP reached US$380 billion. It is expected to reach over US$1 trillion USD in the next 20 years,” Mr. Pham Tan Cong added. With the available potential, VCCI President believed that the two countries would have many good cooperation opportunities.

Ambassador Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Melo said that Colombia is actively looking for trade opportunities, increasing the presence of goods in the Vietnamese market such as furniture, chemicals, leather goods, pork and beef. Colombia has overcome the pandemic and entered a recovery period with its economic growth reaching over 10% in 2021. The country is now fully open.

Regarding international cooperation, Colombia has signed 17 trade agreements (FTAs), including those ​with Singapore and South Korea, opening up convenient trade opportunities with ASEAN and Asian countries. Colombia has worked with many competent agencies of Vietnam to promote business relations in the coming time. “We not only promote the export of products to Vietnam but also want to find opportunities for Colombian businesses to visit and learn about the Vietnamese market, increase the import of Vietnamese products to Colombia. Therefore, we look forward to receiving the support of VCCI to accomplish these goals,” proposed the Colombian Ambassador.

According to Mr. Pham Tan Cong, VCCI is the national representative organization of Vietnamese businesses and currently has a number of members over 220,000 businesses with branch systems in many provinces and cities. President Pham Tan Cong expressed his hope that in the coming time, VCCI, the Embassy of Colombia in Vietnam and related organizations will coordinate to organize forums to promote and introduce potential capacity, create conditions for businesses to meet, survey the market, seek business opportunities and tighten long-term cooperation relationships.