Brussels (VNA) – Representatives of Belgian and European businesses have expressed growing interest in expanding trade and investment cooperation with Vietnam, heard at a seminar held in Brussels on May 19.
The trade and investment promotion seminar on Vietnam organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the European Union (EU), in coordination with the Belgium-Vietnam Alliance (BVA) and the Vietnamese Business Association in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (VBAB) drew Vietnamese, Belgian and European enterprises who are seeking to gain deeper insights into Vietnam’s business environment, investment opportunities and economic development orientation.
Tran Ngoc Quan, Vietnam’s Trade Counsellor in Belgium and the EU, said the Vietnamese business community in the Benelux region, despite having lived abroad for many years, still maintained strong demand for updated information on Vietnam’s investment climate, development strategies and policy direction.
According to Quan, stronger connectivity between overseas Vietnamese business associations and trade promotion agencies would help create an effective bridge bringing Belgian and European enterprises closer to the Vietnamese market.
He said the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU would continue coordinating with the BVA and Vietnamese business associations in the Benelux region to organise large-scale promotion activities aimed at attracting more Belgian enterprises to explore cooperation and investment opportunities in Vietnam.
Quan noted that the trade office is currently focusing on three major initiatives.
The first is the “Vietnam International Sourcing” programme scheduled for September and organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which aims to connect global supply chains and invite Belgian and European companies to Vietnam to seek trade partnerships.
The second initiative involves organising delegations of overseas Vietnamese enterprises from the Flemish and Walloon regions to attend green economy events in Vietnam later this year.
Vietnam will also participate for the first time in the European Hydrogen Week in Brussels this October, marking a new step forward in clean energy and green transition cooperation with the EU.
Quan said these activities form part of the “Vietnamese Roadshow” programme launched by the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU to promote the image of a dynamic, innovative and globally integrated Vietnam.
Assessing prospects for Vietnam-EU economic ties, Quan said bilateral relations are seeing significant growth opportunities as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) enters its seventh year of implementation, with most tariff lines already reduced to zero, creating favourable conditions for businesses of both sides.
He expressed confidence that trade and investment between Vietnam, Belgium and the broader EU market would continue growing strongly, particularly in green economy development, energy transition, high technology and digital transformation.
He also described the current period as a “golden opportunity” for Vietnamese enterprises to maximise benefits from the EVFTA before the EU signs additional free trade agreements that could intensify competition.
At the same time, he stressed that Vietnamese businesses must proactively adapt to increasingly stringent EU requirements on product quality, environmental standards and sustainable development.
He warned that the EU’s implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) demonstrates a shift from incentive-based policies to financial tools directly affecting corporate competitiveness.
Julie Mochamps, a representative of Forward Global, described the seminar as highly useful, noting that there are still limited opportunities in Brussels and Europe to gain comprehensive knowledge about Vietnam, from its culture to its economic potential.
She said Vietnam is emerging as a promising destination for European businesses seeking to diversify supply chains, particularly thanks to its innovation capacity and rapid development in strategic sectors such as semiconductors.
Meanwhile, Niels Veruveen, a representative of Multipower, said Vietnam is becoming a promising market for manufacturing and supply chain cooperation.
He noted that while many European companies previously focused on sourcing suppliers from China, Vietnam and Southeast Asia are now emerging as strategic alternatives amid global supply chain restructuring.
Participants at the seminar said Vietnam is well positioned to strengthen economic ties with Belgium and the EU thanks to the EVFTA, sustainable development orientation and expanding international integration./.
