Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Thai Thanh Quy, works with the West London Chamber of Commerce

Working with the delegation, representing the West London Chamber of Commerce, were Mr. Chris Durkin - Chairman; Mr. Alan Rides - Managing Director; along with the participation of many businesses, investment funds in finance, banking, logistics, industry, education, and the Vietnamese Business Association in the UK.

Attending the working session were Major General Bui Quang Thanh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Provincial Police; and Directors of the Departments: Planning and Investment, Finance, Transportation, Agriculture and Rural Development, Foreign Affairs.

Also attending were Chargé d'Affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Kingdom, To Minh Thu, and embassy staff.

WLCC is the second largest chamber of commerce in London, specializing in connecting and promoting trade and business cooperation between the UK and emerging and developing economies.

The West London Chamber of Commerce's mission is to support business development through networking, training, and introductions, maximizing marketing and business opportunities; promoting relationships where new businesses can learn from members' experiences; focusing on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to strengthen trade and investment cooperation with countries, including Vietnam.

At the working session, Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Thai Thanh Quy, stated: Based on the strategic partnership between the two countries, in recent years, Nghe An Province has actively implemented cooperative activities with British partners.

However, cooperation between Nghe An and the UK remains modest. Currently, there are only 2 FDI projects from British investors, with a total registered investment of 4.04 million USD.

In terms of trade, in 2023, export turnover to the UK market reached 12.5 million USD, while import turnover from the UK market reached 271 thousand USD.

Affirming the importance of the working session, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy expressed hope that the West London Chamber of Commerce will help convey information about Nghe An Province to the British business community, creating opportunities for British businesses to explore cooperation and investment opportunities.

In particular, Nghe An is very keen to attract businesses in fields such as mechanical engineering, high technology, chips, semiconductors, education, seaports, logistics, and waste treatment.

Welcoming the Nghe An Provincial Delegation to visit and work in the UK, Mr. Alan Rides, Managing Director, after introducing the West London Chamber of Commerce, highly appreciated the potential for cooperation with partners from Vietnam. He noted that in the past year alone, the agency has welcomed three delegations to work and promote investment.

"Vietnam is a very open country with many opportunities for trade and investment," said Mr. Alan Rides, adding that the agency is ready to support Nghe An Province in finding partners and investors in the UK.

At the working session, after watching an introductory video about Nghe An, representatives from British corporations, businesses, and universities such as Euroyen Group, Dragon Capital, and the University of Wolverhampton discussed and sought more information on investment incentives, workforce, startup activities, natural resources, and mineral reserves.

The Vietnamese Business Association in the UK also expressed a desire to connect to explore and increase opportunities to import agricultural products from Nghe An into UK retail chains and supermarkets, including Vietnamese-owned businesses. They also aimed to connect the younger Vietnamese generation in the UK with their homeland and hoped Nghe An would promote and introduce Vi, Giam folk singing to the Vietnamese community in the UK.

The issues raised by businesses and associations were addressed specifically by the Nghe An Provincial Delegation. Director of the Department of Planning and Investment, Pham Hong Quang, discussed investment incentives related to corporate income tax, import tax, and land lease exemptions when investing in industrial zones within the Southeast Nghe An Economic Zone.

Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy emphasized Nghe An's sustainable development strategy through measures such as ensuring forest cover to combat climate change, and rational use of land and water resources. He also clarified more information on investment attraction orientations and Nghe An's potentials.

Regarding the suggestions of the Vietnamese Business Association in the UK, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy strongly agreed with the idea of connecting both economically and culturally. In the foreseeable future, through the Embassy, Nghe An Province will send Vi, Giam folk song music products to the association.

"I think this working session is very meaningful for the delegation and Nghe An Province. We hope that the West London Chamber of Commerce, the Vietnamese Business Association in the UK, and friends of the Embassy will help convey the potentials and opportunities to connect with partners in the UK in the coming time," said Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy.

Before concluding the working session, Mr. Chris Durkin, Chairman of the West London Chamber of Commerce, reaffirmed the strong commitment to introducing and connecting investors with Nghe An Province in the near future.