(21 September 2018)

Sunwah – On the morning of 20^th September, the large-scale event “In Style • Hong Kong 2018” launched in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), In Style • Hong Kong is the biggest annual event of Hong Kong in the overseas market. Previously, “In Style • Hong Kong” was held in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

This year, the Event included a trade expo showcasing a wide array of quality branded products and world-class quality services from Hong Kong, a service symposium about how Vietnamese companies could leverage Hong Kong’s advantages to expand globally, a high-level gala dinner welcoming prominent officials and business leaders from Vietnam and Hong Kong as well as a series of city-wide promotions to engage Vietnamese consumers. The Expo opened from 20^th to 21^st September at GEM Center, HCMC, which attracted the participation of around 130 brands from Hong Kong in the fields of fashion, accessories and jewellery, watch and clocks, gourmet and delicacies, premium houseware, electronics etc.

The Symposium themed “Hong Kong – Vietnam: Partnering for Prosperity” hosted by HKTDC, attracted the participation of many well-known business leaders from Hong Kong, including Dr Jonathan Choi, Chairman of Sunwah Group and Chairman of the Hong Kong – Vietnam Chamber of Commerce; Mr John Cheh, Vice Chairman and CEO of Esquel Group, and Mr Wallace Lam, Managing Director and Co-head of Global Banking of HSBC Hong Kong. The speakers shared practical insights on the opportunities brought by the Hong Kong – ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and discussed about the strategic partnership between Hong Kong and Vietnam in order to bring mutual benefits for both sides.

Dr Jonathan Choi, Chairman of Sunwah Group and Chairman of the Hong Kong – Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, delivered speech at the Symposium themed “Hong Kong – Vietnam: Partnering for Prosperity”

Speaking at the Symposium, Dr Jonathan Choi noted that, with the ASEAN – Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement coming into effect, Hong Kong’s investment in Vietnam will rise up significantly. Vietnamese companies can also leverage Hong Kong’s strengths to further develop and expand their businesses. Hong Kong is well known for its open economy, simple and straightforward tax system, fully internationalized business environment, a solid and diversified talent pool for high-end professional services, well-connected to the global market and the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures.

Dr Jonathan Choi (2^nd from left) and other panellists at the Symposium

Being renowned worldwide as Asia’s premier business hub with a unique lifestyle, Hong Kong has established strong business ties with Vietnam, with bilateral trade rising nearly 12% to more than 18 billion USD in 2017. Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies within the ASEAN region and is also Hong Kong’s largest export market among ASEAN countries and sixth largest export market globally, with the city’s exports to the country amounting to 10.2 billion USD in 2017. In the first half of 2018, Hong Kong’s FDI in Vietnam exceeded 466.5 million USD.