Tibor Novák, director of Gedeon Richter, talks to Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

BUDAPEST — As part of his official visit to Hungary, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vương Đình Huệ met with entrepreneurs with business operations in Việt Nam on Tuesday. 

During talks with the heads of multinational companies Gedeon Richter and Egis, the NA Chairman said that pharmaceuticals had great potential for cooperation in Việt Nam with multiple preferential policies. 

Specialising in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, Gedeon Richter’s products entered the Vietnamese market in 1954 and officially established a representative office in 1995. 

Egis set up an office in Việt Nam in 2000 and is planning to expand its local operation by upscaling this establishment to be the representative office for ASEAN. 

NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ (centre) meets with the leaders of Egis Pharmaceuticals. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

Taking into consideration the suggestions from the entrepreneurs, NA Chair Huệ said that the health sector and other industries in Việt Nam were focusing on administrative reform in order to streamline procedures, reduce costs and create favourable conditions for businesses. 

The country’s NA also had plans to adjust and amend the Law on Pharmacy in accordance with international laws and commitments. 

In regard to the procedures of granting, extending, and adjusting licences for drug registration, Chairman Huệ emphasised that there was no difference in pharmaceutical quality management in the local and international businesses, which is stated in the laws.

Speaking to the leaders of the two companies, the NA Chairman said that the significant potential of the Vietnamese market not only lay in its 100-million population but also in the access to the 600 million people in the ASEAN region. 

Co-chairman of Hungarian Water Partnership (HWP) Robert Forintos talks to NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

At the meeting with Robert Forintos, co-chairman of Hungarian Water Partnership (HWP), Huệ said he gave high regard to the company’s role in water supply and treatment in Việt Nam.

In 1992, the company opened its representative office in the Asian country, and in 1996, it was the largest business in Hungary with investment projects in Việt Nam.

The company has completed a project in Quảng Bình Province, which provides clean water to 120,000 people in the Quảng Trạch District.

HWP is now working on phase two of the clean water project in Quảng Bình and another one in Vĩnh Long Province. 

According to NA Chairman Huệ, Việt Nam has a strong commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the past, and now the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, especially on the goals of ensuring clean water supply and controlling pollution sources of wastewater.

At present there is a high demand for water treatment devices in the country, especially in the suburbs and the Mekong Delta region. Therefore, advanced technology transfer in the water industry is very welcomed. — VNS