Fiona Woolf, Lord Mayor of the City of London, and the UK’s leading businesses will have a working visit from October 5-7 to Vietnam, an important market for British investors.
Woolf expressed her delight to have opportunity to visit the Southeast Asian nation during her mayoral year.
“As Lord Mayor, my role is to act as an ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services community and to promote stronger trade between our two countries,” Woolf said.
According to the Lord Mayor, this is a crucial moment for the UK’s economic relationship with Vietnam, that there are many opportunities for both to stimulate growth by working more closely together.
Vietnamese import demand is expected to grow by around 250 percent this decade – faster than any other emerging power, and which is one of the reasons why it has been listed as one of UK Trade and Investment’s 20 high-growth markets, which have been prioritised given their particularly strong potential for UK businesses to work with local companies.
Meanwhile, the UK is home to many of the leading experts in key areas for growth in Vietnam, especially in the financial and professional services sector.
Financial and professional services are important to the development of the wider economy, and although many UK firms already operate in Vietnam, creating stronger partnerships between the two countries will allow more British firms to begin delivering these crucial services to Vietnamese customers and with Vietnamese partners.
However, she said, the development of financial services access across the population is not the only way in which the UK can contribute to Vietnam’s booming economy.
UK firms possess both experience and capability of planning, structuring, financing and managing major infrastructure projects, expertise that would be beneficial to major infrastructure projects in Vietnam.
The UK has long been the partner of choice for PPP projects, she said, adding with so many opportunities emerging particularly in Ho Chi Minh City with urban regeneration this is the perfect opportunity to deepen the engagement and work more closely together to ensure that these projects are completed on schedule and are well financed.
The region’s thriving oil and gas sector is another area in which cooperation between UK and Vietnamese companies can bring economic benefit for both nations, she affirmed.
“Vietnam is South-east Asia’s third largest oil producer and UK companies have the technological expertise needed to help the industry move forwards into a new era of sustainable oil production and renewable energy development,” she said.
Crucial to this partnership is an investment in skills, Woolf stressed, saying “I know how important investing in education is to Vietnamese businesses as they look to develop in the future.”
According to the Lord Mayor, there is huge potential for partnerships, as the UK has a strong tradition in financial and professional education, training and qualifications (ETQ), covering a broad range of financial and professional services disciplines. UK-based professional bodies can assist to develop enhanced capabilities across the financial and professional services sector.
During her upcoming Vietnam visit, Woolf will present a Mansion House scholarship to offer a Vietnamese student the chance to study in London and build on the strong cultural ties that have already developed between the two nations.
As only the second female Lord Mayor in 800 years, Woolf has spent a good part of her mayoral year supporting equality and diversity.
“To get the best ideas, the most dynamic organisations and the greatest application of intellectual capital, we must have diversity in every possible way,” she said, adding “we must ensure that we do not discriminate against gender or background if we are all to meet our full economic potential.”
She expressed her hope that her visit would bring many opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to deepen their ties with the UK business community and that the two countries will be able to cement the next generation of their ties.-VNA
Woolf expressed her delight to have opportunity to visit the Southeast Asian nation during her mayoral year.
“As Lord Mayor, my role is to act as an ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services community and to promote stronger trade between our two countries,” Woolf said.
According to the Lord Mayor, this is a crucial moment for the UK’s economic relationship with Vietnam, that there are many opportunities for both to stimulate growth by working more closely together.
Vietnamese import demand is expected to grow by around 250 percent this decade – faster than any other emerging power, and which is one of the reasons why it has been listed as one of UK Trade and Investment’s 20 high-growth markets, which have been prioritised given their particularly strong potential for UK businesses to work with local companies.
Meanwhile, the UK is home to many of the leading experts in key areas for growth in Vietnam, especially in the financial and professional services sector.
Financial and professional services are important to the development of the wider economy, and although many UK firms already operate in Vietnam, creating stronger partnerships between the two countries will allow more British firms to begin delivering these crucial services to Vietnamese customers and with Vietnamese partners.
However, she said, the development of financial services access across the population is not the only way in which the UK can contribute to Vietnam’s booming economy.
UK firms possess both experience and capability of planning, structuring, financing and managing major infrastructure projects, expertise that would be beneficial to major infrastructure projects in Vietnam.
The UK has long been the partner of choice for PPP projects, she said, adding with so many opportunities emerging particularly in Ho Chi Minh City with urban regeneration this is the perfect opportunity to deepen the engagement and work more closely together to ensure that these projects are completed on schedule and are well financed.
The region’s thriving oil and gas sector is another area in which cooperation between UK and Vietnamese companies can bring economic benefit for both nations, she affirmed.
“Vietnam is South-east Asia’s third largest oil producer and UK companies have the technological expertise needed to help the industry move forwards into a new era of sustainable oil production and renewable energy development,” she said.
Crucial to this partnership is an investment in skills, Woolf stressed, saying “I know how important investing in education is to Vietnamese businesses as they look to develop in the future.”
According to the Lord Mayor, there is huge potential for partnerships, as the UK has a strong tradition in financial and professional education, training and qualifications (ETQ), covering a broad range of financial and professional services disciplines. UK-based professional bodies can assist to develop enhanced capabilities across the financial and professional services sector.
During her upcoming Vietnam visit, Woolf will present a Mansion House scholarship to offer a Vietnamese student the chance to study in London and build on the strong cultural ties that have already developed between the two nations.
As only the second female Lord Mayor in 800 years, Woolf has spent a good part of her mayoral year supporting equality and diversity.
“To get the best ideas, the most dynamic organisations and the greatest application of intellectual capital, we must have diversity in every possible way,” she said, adding “we must ensure that we do not discriminate against gender or background if we are all to meet our full economic potential.”
She expressed her hope that her visit would bring many opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to deepen their ties with the UK business community and that the two countries will be able to cement the next generation of their ties.-VNA
