Vietnam boosts cooperation in digital transformation and green development with Sweden

This affirmation was made by Vo Van Hoan, vice chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, at a meeting held on March 13 with Hakan Jevrell, state secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden.

Hoan stated that amid the two countries celebrating the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Jevrell's business trip to Ho Chi Minh City and his attendance at the Swedish - Vietnamese business roundtable discussion on innovation and sustainable development holds practical significance for the enhancement of links between the two countries’ businesses ,as well as bilateral relations in general.

Both sides need to further intensify co-operation activities and share experience to jointly deal with current global challenges, such as responding to climate change and finding solutions for sustainable and green growth, he went on to say.

The southern city outlines its future development strategy with a focus on promoting digital transformation whilst transforming the economic model towards green and sustainable growth, Hoan said, adding that his side highly appreciates the experience, technological level, and resources of Swedish businesses.

Indeed, he hopes that the Swedish side will ramp up co-operation in sharing experience, knowledge, and technology relating to digital transformation, energy conversion, climate change response, along with green sustainable development.

The municipal leader also assured his city’s readiness to co-operate with Swedish firms in enhancing bilateral trade and collaboration in innovation.

Emphasizing the importance of converting to green energy and renewable energy in production, Hoan expressed his wish that Sweden would further augment ties in organizing exchange programmes and meetings between Swedish and Vietnamese businesses, including Ho Chi Minh City firms.

This can help to bolster collaboration in developing human resources, providing equipment and advanced technology, offering preferential policies for products using green energy and renewable energy, and meeting increasingly strict market criteria.

Businesses need to strengthen mutual support, considering co-operation in the production of products and goods that meet Swedish and EU standards as a shared responsibility, thus bringing benefits to them and contributing to pushing up bilateral economic and trade links between the two countries, he told his guest.

The Swedish official said that, in the current world economic and political situation, it can be viewed as necessary to further intensify co-operative activities between countries and international trade partners for the purpose of mutual development.

Sweden aspires to have more economic co-operation opportunities and increase exchanges between Swedish and Vietnamese enterprises, including those from the southern metropolis.

Sweden boasts experience, technology, and resources, whilst it stands willing to co-operate and share development experience in the areas Ho Chi Minh City is prioritizing such as digital transformation, green growth, and sustainable development.

Impressed with the dynamic development and potential of Ho Chi Minh City, Jevrell expressed his desire to materialize the potential of co-operation between Swedish partners with the city in the field of innovation, develop small and medium enterprises, and both build digital transformation and data management infrastructure. This is along with working to increase energy efficiency, smart power transmission, as well as water management, wastewater waste, and treatment.

Sweden hopes that in the near future there will be more enterprises investing and doing business in Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to major Swedish firms that have been present in the Vietnamese market for many years.

Assessing the importance of developing renewable energy in green transformation and sustainable development, Jevrell said that Sweden is ready to share experience with both Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City on solutions to increase the use of green energy in producing goods that are able to meet export standards to Europe. Other assistance includes helping to effectively take full advantage of the benefits of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) for trade and economic growth.

Moreover, the European nation also wishes to further increase co-operative activities with the Vietnamese side in promoting people-to-people diplomatic relation and student exchanges, whilst it is ready to invite Vietnamese businesses, including those from Ho Chi Minh City, to invest in Sweden, he stated.

On the same day, Hoan and Jevrell co-chaired and spoke at the Swedish-Vietnamese Business Roundtable Discussion event on innovation and sustainable development, organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Embassy of Sweden in Vietnam.