Dương Xuân Huyên, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Lạng Sơn provincial People's Committee, delivering a speech on startup investment. — VNA/VNS Photo

GENEVA — The Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland and the Swiss-Viet Economic Forum (SVEF) jointly organised the 2024 Việt Nam-Switzerland Economic Forum themed "Strengthening Ties, Building Futures" on Tuesday.

The hybrid forum, supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries, draw the participation of over 200 delegates.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Phùng Thế Long stressed that the event was an opportunity for agencies, localities, associations and businesses of the two countries to share information, exchange policies, and seek opportunities for cooperation in trade, investment, finance and innovation, research and training to promote the potential and strengths of each country, and contribute to promoting friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.

The forum highlighted four strategic topics, including economic policies supporting trade, investment and development in key sectors; Việt Nam-Switzerland cooperation; opportunities for bilateral cooperation in financial sector; and potential for bilateral collaboration in start-up investment.

In the first discussion session, chaired by Dr. Philipp Rösler, former Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and SVEF President, delegates exchanged views on policies to support and promote trade and investment relations between Việt Nam and Switzerland and shared the potential, strengths and needs for cooperation, investment attraction policies of Vietnamese provinces and cities, as well as potential benefits from signing a free trade agreement between Việt Nam and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.

During the second session, participants discussed and shared policies and cooperation needs in key areas of investment, innovation and renewable energy for sustainable development, and provided consultations on legal regulations in cooperation between businesses of the two countries.

Meanwhile, the third session focused on investment potential and opportunities in finance and financial technologies, economic trends affecting cooperation in this field, and several Government policies to improve the legal framework and financial investment environment in Việt Nam.

In the last one, representatives of businesses and startups introduced their innovative products, services and business models, growth potential and market expansion capabilities.

For more than half a century, the bilateral relationship between Việt Nam and Switzerland has developed comprehensively across all fields including politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, culture, education and training. Among these, trade and investment cooperation are two crucial pillars in the relationship between the two countries, with substantial room for further development. Some areas in Việt Nam that Swiss investment funds assess as having great potential are exports, tourism and information technology services. — VNS