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| The “Meet & Greet” programme offers a good chance for Vietnamese and Belgian businesses to further strengthen cooperation in the field of food and beverages. (Photo: VNA) |
A delegation of representatives from 30 Vietnamese enterprises led by Director of the Trade Promotion Agency under Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) Vu Ba Phu attended the event.
In his opening speech, Andries Gryffroy, First Vice President of the Belgian Senate, said the event offers a good chance for Vietnamese and Belgian businesses to further strengthen cooperation in the field of food and beverages, among others.
The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has created great opportunities to push import-export activities between Vietnam and Belgium, Gryffroy said.
With benefits brought by the trade deal, Belgian businesses have recorded stable and friendly trade activities with Vietnamese partners. Meanwhile, Vietnamese firms has diversified their export products, especially farm produce and goods with comparative advantage, in foreign markets, he noted.
According to Phu, the Vietnamese business delegation includes firms specialising in exporting processed foods and farm produce, textiles, footwear and furniture, which are competitive products in the EU market.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the EU Nguyen Van Thao talks with the participants (Photo: VNA) |
Within the framework of the programme, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the EU Nguyen Van Thao talked with the participants.
According to the diplomat, with a population of 450 million people, and the GDP of over 16 trillion EUR (15.75 billion USD), the EU is a potential market for Vietnamese exporters. The strategic partnership agreement on agriculture between Vietnam and Belgium signed in 2018 is the catalyst for Vietnamese agricultural products to make inroads into the Belgian market./.
Vietjet Air launches new routes link Da Nang with Mumbai, New Delhi
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| At the launch ceremony (Photo: VNA) |
Budget carrier Vietjet Air launched new flight services linking the central city of Da Nang with India’s Mumbai and New Delhi with a ceremony at Da Nang International Airport on October 18, reported Vietnam News Agency.
There will be three flights each week using Airbus A320 on the Mumbai – Da Nang route every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and four flights a week on the New Delhi-Da Nang route every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh said new flight routes between Vietnam and India will make important contributions to bilateral economic and cultural exchanges, especially in tourism.
The inauguration of flights linking Da Nang and New Delhi, Mumbai will help Da Nang realise its goal of becoming a quality tourism and service hub, and an innovative destination of Vietnam and in Southeast Asia by 2030, he said.
Khanh stressed that India is a potential market of Vietnam tourism, with long stays and high spending by visitors.
Da Nang will hold a ceremony welcoming the first flight from New Delhi on October 19, following another from Mumbai that landed in the city early October 18.
VietJet Air also plans to open a direct flight connecting Da Nang with Ahmedabad this December.
Lao media praises recovery of Vietnam’s tourism industry
Laophattana newspaper rated Vietnam as one of the first countries to reopen to tourists, and Vietnam’s tourism industry has recovered strongly after more than 2 years of the epidemic.
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| Ho Chi Minh city greets more than 22.7 million tourists in the first 9 months of 2022. (Photo: VNA) |
According to the newspaper, after controlling the COVID-19 epidemic, many provinces and cities of Vietnam have quickly focused on recovering the tourism industry with a safe and flexible adaptation policy, ensuring epidemic prevention and control measures for socio-economic development.
Laophattana mentioned the bustling atmosphere at all times of day and night, the vibrant trade activities of Hanoi, the millennial capital of Vietnam, especially the busy streets around Hoan Kiem Lake.
Besides, the article also introduces some famous tourist destinations or experiences to discover streets, temples, and enjoy Vietnamese cuisine to help visitors understand more about the daily life of local people.
Laos is a potential market of Vietnam’s tourism with many advantages in terms of geographical location, traffic, culture and tourists’ needs. In the first half of 2022, when the two countries opened to international tourism, Vietnam welcomed nearly 47,000 Lao visitors; Vietnamese tourists to Laos reached nearly 50,000 arrivals, accounting for 28% of the total number of international visitors to Laos.
Tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Laos is gradually developing with many cooperation activities, linkages for product development, and tourism promotion within bilateral and multilateral frameworks, attracting the participation of localities, agencies, associations and tourism businesses of the two countries./.
VinFast to open headquarters in Germany, France, Netherlands
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| VinFast’s EV models introduced at 2022 Paris Motor Show (Photo: VNA) |
VinFast, the first Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has revealed its European business strategy and announced the opening of dedicated country headquarters in Germany, France and the Netherlands at the 2022 Paris Motor Show, which is underway from October 17 – 23, reported Vietnam News Agency.
The opening of the headquarters aims to amplify VinFast’s business activities in the region, develop its extensive direct-to-consumer retail network, and roll out mobile service, to ensure a premium customer experience.
The three headquarters of VinFast in Germany, France, and the Netherlands are located in Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam. Opening a VinFast headquarters in each market is designed to provide an optimal level of service to each customer, driven by an in-depth understanding of each country’s nuanced requirements.
In support of its ambitious rollout, VinFast already has hundreds of employees in place across its European launch markets, boasting a range of major vehicle manufacturer experience and market-specific expertise.
The opening of VinFast’s first flagship store, in Cologne, Germany, is scheduled for November 2022. It will be followed before the end of the year by Paris as the first French store, then Nice; and Amsterdam as the primary Dutch location; Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg, in Germany. New European locations opening early in 2023 will include Oberhausen in Germany; Marseille, Rennes, Montpellier and Metz in France; and Den Haag and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
VinFast’s retail and services system will be supported by a network of technicians and Mobile Service vehicles that provide customers with a wide range of flexible repair and maintenance options. Service appointments can be booked via the VinFast app and carried out at home or work, or at any VinFast store that supports servicing. The mobile service has been deployed in Germany and will expand across Europe in Q1 2023. VinFast also aims to hire over 200 technicians during the next 12 months to support its aftersales network.
Europe is an important market for VinFast. Along with establishing its headquarters in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as developing an extensive retail and service network, VinFast continues to seek a suitable location for a European manufacturing facility./.