Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment as Sponsoring Organizations
Keynote Presentations and One-on-One Matching Consultations Held
The Korea Federation of SMEs, together with the Vietnam Small and Medium Enterprises Association and IBK Industrial Bank, announced that on the 21st (local time), they held the '2024 Korea-Vietnam Investment Cooperation Forum' at the main conference hall on the first floor of the Hoa Lac Campus of the National Innovation Center in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Representing the governments of both countries, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups of Korea and the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam participated as sponsoring organizations for this forum. On the Korean side, over 150 people attended, including the SME delegation, Kim Seong-seop, Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Choi Young-sam, Ambassador of Korea to Vietnam, and Kim Seong-tae, President of IBK Industrial Bank. On the Vietnamese side, about 350 people were present, including Nguyen Hoa Binh, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Van Thanh, Chairman of the Vietnam Small and Medium Enterprises Association, Do Tan Trung, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and Vu Ho, Ambassador of Vietnam to Korea.
To promote practical exchanges and strengthen cooperation between SMEs of both countries, various side events were held within the venue. The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam gave presentations on the topics of 'Current Status and Prospects of Direct Investment in Vietnam' and 'Training and Supply Strategies for Highly Skilled Workers,' respectively. Kim Shin-gil, Chairman of the Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative, and Kim Dong-wook, Head of Samsung Electronics ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) Smart Factory Support Center, introduced the development cases of Korean SMEs' smart farms and smart factories, which are of interest to Vietnamese companies, and proposed directions for cooperation.
Additionally, IBK Industrial Bank and Vietnam MB Bank (Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank) presented on the roles of finance under the themes 'Vietnam Finance and Support Measures for Local Korean Companies' and 'Introduction of Investment Opportunities in Vietnam for Korean Companies,' respectively.
Alongside this, products from selected domestic SMEs across various industrial sectors were showcased and introduced to Vietnamese businesspeople. In the afternoon, a one-on-one business matching consultation session between SMEs and Vietnamese buyers was also held.
Prior to the keynote presentations, five Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed on-site to promote cooperation between regional organizations of the Korea Federation of SMEs and the Vietnam Small and Medium Enterprises Association (Gwangju-Jeonnam - Thai Nguyen Province, Daegu-Gyeongbuk - Bac Ninh Province, Busan - Ha Long City, Daejeon-Sejong-Chungnam - Hung Yen Province, Gyeonggi - Phu Tho Province), along with ten MOUs between Korean and Vietnamese SMEs and organizations.
In his opening remarks, Kim Ki-moon, Chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs, stated, “This forum was organized to discuss practical investment cooperation measures at the private sector level between Korea and Vietnam,” adding, “Economic cooperation between Korea and Vietnam should move beyond simple investment to expand technology exchange and joint investment centered on innovative manufacturing, fostering global strong small and medium enterprises.”
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