President of the Belgian-Vietnamese Alliance Andries Gryffroy (L) and VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh sign an MoU on cooperation in supporting the two countries' businesses at the meeting in Brussels on October 18. (Photo: VNA)

Brussels – A Vietnam-Belgium business meeting was held in Brussels on October 18, aiming to create a chance for direct discussions and connections among enterprises of the two countries.

The meeting was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium, the Belgian-Vietnamese Alliance (BVA), and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), with the participation of a visiting delegation from the northern province of Hai Duong.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Nguyen Van Thao said that the meeting is part of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Belgium this year, which also sees many delegation exchanges. The Belgian Chamber of Representatives has also approved a resolution to support Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Vietnam, he noted.

The diplomat hailed the role that the BVA has played in promoting the Vietnam-Belgium partnership over the years by acting as a friendship bridge for the two countries.

BVA President Andries Gryffroy said that he accompanied the Minister-President of the Government of Flanders Region to visit Vietnam in September, during which the two sides sought measures to promote bilateral partnership and provided a chance for Belgian businesses to explore the Vietnamese market.

He said he hopes more Vietnamese firms will invest in Belgium in the coming time along with automaker VinFast.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) also provides a chance for European and Vietnamese firms to increase the export of products to each other’s market, he held.

For his part, VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh said that with their sound relations, the VCCI and the BVA will continue to work closely together in promoting trade and investment to create favourable conditions for the business community of the two sides to enter each other’s market.

At the event, the BVA and the VCCI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in supporting Vietnamese and Belgian businesses.

According to Andries Gryffroy, the MoU was first signed in 2017, laying a foundation for the two sides to coordinate in strengthening the economic and trade ties between Vietnam and Belgium.

Vinh said that the VCCI and the BVA will discuss specific cooperation areas and measures to bring more enterprises from Belgium and Europe to Vietnam, and help more Vietnamese firms to seek opportunities in Europe.

At the event, Chairman of the Hai Duong People’s Committee Trieu The Hung introduced the locality’s strengths to Belgian investors, especially its advantages in location, transport infrastructure, human resources, as well as incentives for investors.

He called for investment from Europe, including Belgium, in logistics and ecological agriculture of Hai Duong.

De Grand Ry, Honourable Consul of Vietnam, who has run a logistics firm operating in Vietnam for 20 years, said that his firm is keen on shipping Hai Duong lychee to Belgium, but the work is difficult due to the long transportation time.

Philippe Vermeulen, Chairman of Avalon Group, expressed his hope to cooperate with Vietnamese peers in the fields of planning, design and construction of factories, hotels, hospitals and nursing homes to European standards, as well as in developing experiential and responsible tourism projects. Some other firms also showed their interest in ecotourism in Hai Duong.