(Haiphong.gov.vn) - Implementing the 2024 International Integration Program, from September 4 to September 9, 2024, the Hai Phong City Working Group led by Vice Chairman of the People's Committee [...]
(Haiphong.gov.vn) - Implementing the 2024 International Integration Program, from September 4 to September 9, 2024, the Hai Phong City Working Group led by Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Khac Nam visited and worked in Sweden and Finland.
Participating in the delegation were leaders of city departments and branches; Leader of Saigon Newport Corporation - A pioneer enterprise in investing and operating 2 start-up terminals of Hai Phong International Gateway Port.
Connect and cooperate in many fields
On September 5, the Hai Phong city delegation worked with Gothenburg Port (Sweden) - the largest seaport in the Northern European region to strengthen cooperation in the field of seaports and logistics.
>Hai Phong city delegation visits Gothenburg Port (Sweden).
At the meeting, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, Le Khac Nam, provided quick information about the socio-economic development situation of Hai Phong city, introducing the potential, advantages, and position of Hai Phong as a reliable and attractive address for domestic and foreign investors.
Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee emphasized that Hai Phong has outstanding advantages with the largest seaport system in Northern Vietnam. The output of goods through Hai Phong Port reaches about 200 million tons/year; By 2025, it is expected to reach about 300 million tons/year. In particular, Lach Huyen Port is one of 20 deep-water ports in the world, connecting directly to the Americas and Europe, without having to transship through ports of third countries, minimizing logistics time and costs, capable of receiving large ships of up to 160,000 tons. The container port area at Lach Huyen is currently being exploited and invested in building 8 berths, of which Berths 1 and 2 have been exploited, with throughput capacity reaching about 1.1 million TEU/year, equivalent to 14.3 million tons/year.
Bharves No. 3,4,5,6,7,8 are in the process of construction, completion and will be officially exploited from 2024-2027. These wharves can accommodate ships of up to 200,000 DWT, thereby creating a new modern, smart green port system in Hai Phong city along with a post-port service system to create a modern seaport service center of international stature.
>Hai Phong Department of Industry and Trade and Gothenburg Port signed a Memorandum of Understanding on port and logistics cooperation.
According to Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Khac Nam, regarding the development orientation of seaports - logistics, the city has been orienting to build and develop Hai Phong to become a key national and international seaport and logistics service center. Along with that, Hai Phong has 14 operational industrial parks and is continuing to build 20 new industrial parks. In particular, it has promoted the establishment of the Southern Coastal Economic Zone associated with Nam Do Son port, Tien Lang International Airport, dozens of industrial parks, logistics centers, commercial centers and is proposing to establish a Free Trade Zone. Therefore, during this business trip to Sweden and Finland, the focus of Hai Phong city is the desire to connect and cooperate in areas where the city has strengths.
These contents were also mentioned in the meeting with the Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden. Hai Phong proposes to connect with a number of areas that are strengths of Sweden and that Hai Phong needs are: digital transformation, energy transformation and innovation. Other fields that Hai Phong is also interested in are: health (pharmaceutical research); clean energy (waste electricity); science and technology; seaport; household appliances (processing goods for the IKEA brand).
Vietnamese Ambassador to Sweden Tran Van Tuan affirmed that he will do his best to contribute to further promoting the traditional relationship of friendship and equal and mutually beneficial cooperation between Sweden and Vietnam in general and Hai Phong in particular.
On September 6, at the Vietnam-Sweden Business Forum 2024, Director of Hai Phong Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Van Thanh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation with Gothenburg Port (Sweden) - the largest seaport in the Northern European region, to promote cooperation in the field of seaports and logistics.
According to this MoU, the two sides agree to coordinate the development and expansion of logistics activities; promote import and export, cooperate in exchanging and introducing potential customers in the field of import and export of goods and logistics services based on existing relationships between the two parties; share ideas and best practices towards a more sustainable logistics system and promote further developments in the digitalization of logistics.
Also within the framework of the Vietnam-Sweden Business Forum, Saigon Newport Corporation signed a MoU with Gothenburg Port on cooperation in trade promotion, digital transformation, green transformation and cooperation in developing training programs to improve the quality of human resources in port operations and logistics services. At the same time, work will be promoted so that shipping lines can deploy direct service routes from Tan Cang ports to Gothenburg port, Sweden in the near future.
Mr. Richard Mellgren, Senior Director of Business Development, Sales and Marketing Gothenburg Port said, Gothenburg Port is the largest port in the Nordic countries with more than 11,000 ship visits per year from more than 140 destinations worldwide, being the only Swedish port capable of receiving the largest modern, ocean-going container ships. Gothenburg handles nearly 30% of Sweden's foreign trade, including 39 million tons of goods each year.
The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in Sweden, with an extensive rail network connecting Gothenburg with a number of inland stations from the south to the north of Sweden (and also Oslo, Norway). Therefore, we can cooperate to help Vietnamese businesses transport goods more smoothly.
The Port of Gothenburg is eager to connect with Vietnamese businesses in the hope of finding areas of common interest that can benefit trade between the two countries. According to Mr. Richard Mellgren, leaders of Gothenburg Port had a working trip to Hai Phong, visited Tan Cang Hai Phong International Container Terminal (TC-HICT), one of the member units of Saigon Newport Corporation, and suggested directions for cooperation between the two sides. From there, it is expected that there will be more close and larger cooperation in the near future.
According to the Director of Hai Phong Department of Industry and Trade, in Finland, the delegation met and worked with Finnish businesses. Businesses highly appreciate the potential, position, and development of Hai Phong city and wish to cooperate and invest in Hai Phong in the fields of digital transformation, innovation, energy, waste treatment and waste electricity, logistics centers, fire protection, shipbuilding, textile industry... At the same time, learn about the policy mechanism to attract investment, forms of direct investment and joint venture - cooperation, investment conditions... in Hai Phong and receive satisfactory answers.
Notably, Hai Phong expatriates living and working in Finland are also looking towards their home city, wishing to contribute their efforts to Hai Phong's rapid and strong development.
Learn many experiences and methods
Hai Phong city delegation visits Madam Hong warehouse in Sweden.
The Director of the Department of Industry and Trade said that the business trip helped officials of Hai Phong Departments and branches learn a lot of experience and good practices. Accordingly, the delegation had a working session with the city government of Espoo, Finland's second most populous city, located west of the capital Helsinki, considered a smart city, where the national digital transformation program is strongly applied; Digital transformation and innovation are always highlighted and encouraged... The delegation had the city's leading industry experts share experiences on smart cities, the digitalization of services and new technologies to make daily life easier, and people can share open digital information about services regardless of time, location and language.
Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Nguyen Van Thanh, emphasized that visiting two warehouses of goods imported from Vietnam to Sweden and the Northern European region, Madam Hong and CT Food AB, also helped the Hai Phong delegation learn a lot about trade and import-export activities. Madam Hong is a business specializing in importing and also has a retail store for Asian food products, including many Vietnamese products. This is one of the enterprises that imports the most Vietnamese rice in Sweden and exclusively distributes the Vietnamese Lotus rice brand. This is also the only Vietnamese rice brand that retains its name in Sweden.
CT Food Stockholm is the leading importer and distributor of Asian products in Sweden, with many high-end foods from famous brands. With more than 30 years of experience, CT Food has a wholesale warehouse system in both Stockholm and Malmo, two major cities in Sweden. CT Food imports and redistributes to many large supermarket systems in Sweden. The business was honored as a typical Swedish enterprise in 2021. From here, new cooperative relationships can also be opened between warehouses and businesses in Hai Phong and Vietnam in bringing Vietnamese goods to the European market.
From the success of the business trip, in the coming time, the Department of Industry and Trade will actively organize seminars and trade promotion programs, helping businesses in Hai Phong have the opportunity to connect with European and Northern European markets through Gothenburg port. At the same time, it helps Swedish businesses expand their presence not only in Vietnam but also in neighboring countries in the ASEAN region, a region with great economic potential with a large population and strong growth.
The Department of Industry and Trade also coordinated with Gothenburg Port to research and establish new logistics routes, reducing transportation costs and delivery times, thereby enhancing the competitiveness in the international market of Hai Phong and Gothenburg port. Along with that, research the experience and solutions of Gothenburg port in developing a green and sustainable logistics system, including the use of renewable energy and technology to reduce carbon emissions in freight transport, apply in practice in Hai Phong, gradually bringing the green logistics system into a common standard in the international arena.
>Hai Phong city delegation attended the Vietnam-Sweden Business Forum 2024.
It can be said that the working program of the Hai Phong Delegation in Sweden and Finland is an opportunity to introduce and promote the image and development achievements of Hai Phong city; promote cooperation, exchange, trade connections, learn from experience, and access new technological achievements in accordance with the development orientation of the city's three main pillars (seaport - logistics; industry; trade - services); Take advantage of opportunities and advantages from free trade agreements that Vietnam has signed with countries and territories around the world in general and the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in particular./.
Procedures
