Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Brussels (VNA) – The portal ofthe Austrian Federal Economic Chamber has run an article hailing Vietnam’sconsistent, drastic and effective measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, addingthat the Vietnamese market remains attractive to Austrian firms.
The article said it is not without reason that the Austria’s IC- Steiermark Centre (ICS) has brought Vietnam into afocus programme this year, on the back of its 2.9 percent economic growth,which could reach 5-7 percent this year.
It quoted Austrian Commercial Counsellor in HoChi Minh City Dietmar Schwank as saying that Vietnam has insisted on viruscontainment and wide quarantine for immigrants. Such policy has proven successful in both health and economic terms. Border closure, a 14-day quarantine withoutexceptions and a consistent anti-pandemic plan have helped Vietnam curb the virusspread.
Meanwhile, failures in tourism sector which experienced a boomwith 18 million visitors in 2019 could be offset by public investment, manufacturingand domestic consumption.
Additionally, the Vietnamese Government also offered aidpackages to enterprises and the unemployed.
In political and macro-economic terms, the author hailed Vietnamas stable country with its key policies of economic liberalisation, investmentin infrastructure and foreign investment attraction. All such factors have madeVietnam attractive to Austrian companies.
According to the article, the European Union – Vietnam FreeTrade Agreement, which took effect in August 2020, has also brought advantages tobilateral cooperation. Vietnam is now the largest trade partner of Austria inSoutheast Asia, with imports from the latter amounting to nearly 1 billion EUR. Newbusiness opportunities could be identified in infrastructure, health care,energy, urban technology, environment, security, disaster management, hi-techproducts and production machinery.
The ICS’s adding Vietnam into its 2021 focus programme couldopen up a series of events such as seminars and trips to the country thisautumn.
The centre said exporters and Austrian firms operating in mechanicalengineering, food and pharmaceuticals will enjoy many chances when navigating theVietnamese market./.
