(27 March 2018)

Sunwah – “I believe the potential for Hong Kong – Vietnam trade and investment is yet to be fully unleashed. Hong Kong and Vietnam are actually much closer than we thought”, said Mr Edward Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of HKSAR.

Mr Edward Yau led a 60-member delegation of investors and professional service providers from Hong Kong to Vietnam from 20^th to 23^rd March 2018 to explore more cooperation and investment opportunities in multiple fields between Vietnam and Hong Kong that are brought by the recently-signed ASEAN – Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement.

On 21^st March 2018, the Luncheon Seminar on “Hong Kong: Your Partner in Exploring New Business Opportunities” was held in Ho Chi Minh City which the Hong Kong – Vietnam Chamber of Commerce (HKVCC) was the main supporting organization.

Dr Jonathan Choi, Founding Chairman of HKVCC and Chairman of the Hong Kong-based Sunwah Group (second from left), Mr Edward Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of HKSAR (third from left) and Ms Magaret Fong, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (third from right) at the Luncheon Seminar

Speaking at the Luncheon Seminar, Mr Edward Yau affirmed Hong Kong’s mission and role in promoting regional economic cooperation and development. Mr Yau noted that Hong Kong and Vietnam have always been very close trading partners and Hong Kong was Vietnam’s ninth largest trading partner in 2016. Furthermore, Hong Kong was one of the first foreign investors to come to Vietnam in the early years of Vietnam’s economic development. Those foreign investors include Sunwah Group, which has been operating in Vietnam for almost 50 years. Mr Yau shared, “Being an international financial, trade and logistics centre well-versed in cross-boundary transactions and projects, Hong Kong stands ready to partner with Vietnamese enterprises in grasping these opportunities”.

In his speech, Mr Yau highlighted that Vietnam is developing many infrastructure projects such as seaports, highways and new urban areas. These projects require professional services which are Hong Kong’s advantages, including attracting investment, providing consultation in the fields of trade, architecture, construction and many more. Mr Yau confirmed, “There is no better place than Hong Kong as a regional hub for professional services for this fast-growing market.”

Dr Jonathan Choi, Founding Chairman of HKVCC and Chairman of the Hong Kong-based Sunwah Group, also attended the Luncheon Seminar as the guest speaker of the Panel Discussion session.

Mr Edward Yau (standing), Dr Jonathan Choi (on stage, second from left), Mr Thomas So, President of Law Society of Hong Kong (on stage, third from left) and Mr Frederick Burke, Vice Chairman of Hong Kong Business Association Vietnam (on stage, first from left) during the Panel Discussion session

In the afternoon of the same day, at the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee building, Mr Edward Yau, Dr Jonathan Choi and the delegation had a meeting with Mr Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, to exchanged views on promoting trade and investment cooperation between Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee (first row, middle) received Mr Edward Yau (first row, fifth from left), Dr Jonathan Choi (first row, fourth from right) and the business delegation from Hong Kong

In the afternoon of 22^nd March 2018, the delegation visited Sunwah Commodities coffee factory in Binh Duong Province and was received by the high-level executives of Sunwah Commodities Co. Ltd. At the factory, the delegation was briefed about the Sunwah Commodities’s business and coffee market in Vietnam as well as took a tour around the factory. Through the visit, the delegates gained valuable knowledge about coffee business in Vietnam. 

Hong Kong delegation visited Sunwah Commodities coffee factory in Binh Duong Province