IVC President Einat Halevy Levine (Photo: VNA) Tel Aviv (VNA) – Leaders of Vietnamese localities are more open to business opportunities, showing greaterinterest in seeking good technologies and economic development opportunitieswithout being concerned about personal economic benefits or politicaladvancement, President of theIsrael-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce (IVC) Einat Halevy Levine, who has 10 years of experience in the Vietnamese business environment, has said.
In an interview recently granted to the Vietnam News Agency's resident correspondents on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties this year, Einat said over the pastmore than a decade, Vietnam has undergone positivechanges in terms of the quality of life and business environment. Many peopleare proficient in foreign languages, able to follow western working styles,and, notably, possess an entrepreneurial spirit.
Indeed, the businessenvironment in Vietnam has become much more favourable. Nowadays, Vietnam is widelyrecognised as a promising business opportunity in the region. Companies fromIsrael, for example, understand that if they want to set a foothold inSoutheast Asia, Vietnam is a good starting point, even better than othercountries in the region, she said.
Thanks to her understanding of Vietnamese culture, Einat has beenassisting Israeli firms interested in Vietnam in learning about its businessculture, thus enabling them to do business more effectively. Einat has workedwith numerous Israeli companies, providing advice and support in relocatingtheir production facilities from China or Eastern Europe to Vietnam, where theycan find better business conditions, efficiency, and lower labour costs.
Asked about the role of theCommunist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the sole ruling party that leads the countryto these economic achievements, Einat said one of the specific accomplishments is thebetter transport infrastructure thanks to the CPV’s effective policieswhich enable foreign investors to access the domestic business environmenteasily.
According to her, Vietnamboasts an abundant, young and well-trained workforce. Notably, many people fromrural areas display great dynamism and open-mindedness when they move to urbanareas, demonstrating resilience in the face of challenges.
Although Vietnamesepeople hold onto their traditional beliefs and values, they have quickly adapted to a dynamicand constantly changing work environment. Israeli businesses coming to Vietnamexpressed their satisfaction with hardworking workers who can communicate inforeign languages and quickly integrate into a different culture, she said.
Recalling her working trips to several Vietnamese localities, including Hanoiand Ho Chi Minh City, in February to connect opportunities for Israeli firms,she noticed that the local officials are veryopen-minded in their approach, saying that they express a strong desire foreffective and lawful investment cooperation, with a focus on projects in thebest possible way.
This demonstrates that theanti-corruption campaign is succeeding because if they choose what is the best forthe people, corruption cannot take place, she added.
Regarding the plan to step up cooperation between Israeli andVietnamese enterprises, Einat said the two countries recently concludednegotiations to soon sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The IVC also launched acampaign to encourage more Israeli companies to join the Vietnamese market, boost exports-imports,and particularly manufacturing activities.
The IVC will organise a special workshop on the topic ofshifting production bases to Vietnam to help Israeli companies fully exploit this market for production cooperation, technology supply, andconsumer goods imports, she said, adding that in next 1-2 years, it will alsohold similar workshops and business trips to Vietnam to seek opportunities./.
