A Sri Lanka Business Conclave themed “SRI LANKA: Hub of the Indian Ocean-The Land of Business Opportunities” was held recently on at the Rex Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The conclave was organized by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Ha Noi with the support from the Sri Lankan community in Ho Chi Minh City, and was attended by over 100 Vietnamese businessmen, media as well as expats and Sri Lankan professionals/entrepreneurs.
The event aimed at providing an open, informative and interactive platform, bringing together both Sri Lankan and Vietnamese business communities to discuss opportunities, exchange ideas and address challenges for collaboration in a wide range of sectors including agriculture & fisheries, gem & jewellery, IT & related, apparel & garments, tourism, trade, healthcare, manufacturing and logistics as well as to explore investment opportunities.
Ms. Bui Thi Thanh An, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) in Ho Chi Minh City represented Viet Nam at the event. H.E. Servio S. Samudio, Ambassador of Panama to Viet Nam, also accredited to Sri Lanka, too was a special invitee. Among other special invitees was the Chairperson of Ho Chi Minh City Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (HAWEE) Ms. Cao Thi Ngoc Dung, CEO of PNJ Jewellery, one of Vietnam’s largest jewellery businesses. Ms. Mayumi Lewke Bandara, Business Development Manager - Softlines, Leather & Footwear of Bureau Veritas Consumer Product Services (Viet Nam) Ltd, moderated the event.
Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Vietnam Hasanthi Dissanayake briefed the participants on the agenda and introduced Sri Lanka briefly, highlighting how, over the centuries Sri Lanka’s geographical location has been, and continue to be playing, a crucial role in shaping its political and socio-economic destiny. She further highlighted the contribution of government-funded education and healthcare’s contribution to the further development of the country. The Ambassador further touched upon Sri Lanka’s recent developments, focusing on economics as well as strongly developing bilateral relations in a wide gamut of sectors.
Making her remarks, Ms. Bui Thi Thanh An, Deputy Director General of VIETRADE congratulated the event and emphasized the importance of events of this nature to promote bilateral economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Vietnam. She referred to the visit of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to Vietnam in April 2017, during which the two Prime Ministers agreed to increase bilateral trade volume to US$ 1 billion in the coming years.
