Vietnam's northern Phu Tho province organized the program "Business Roundtable Initiative: Innovation and Development Connection of Phu Tho Province in Europe" in Berlin on October 15.
The event took place in an open and friendly spirit of the "Entrepreneur Coffee" model, thus creating a forum between the provincial government and the business community and economic experts in Germany and Europe.
As a result, Phu Tho became one of the first localities from Vietnam to proactively bring flexible business dialogue methods abroad, creating a multidimensional exchange forum with international economic experts and investors.
In her welcoming speech, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Financial and Investment Counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, stated that by creating significant room for production, high-tech agriculture, services, and innovation through the expansion of development space, Phu Tho is on the right track by orienting science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as core drivers.
She suggested that cooperation does not necessarily have to start with large-scale projects. Instead, pilot projects, training programs, technology transfer activities, and connections between small and medium enterprises can also yield practical initial results, which can then expand into long-term cooperation programs.
Accordingly, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha proposed four priority cooperation focuses between German businesses and Phu Tho province, including: (i) Technology transfer, automation, and global supply chain connectivity; (ii) Development of smart industrial zones, cybersecurity, big data management, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications; (iii) Application of clean energy solutions, circular economy, and efficient resource use; (iv) Linking businesses, research institutes, and universities on both sides to develop high-tech human resources.
During the dialogue, from a local perspective, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, 16th National Assembly Deputy and Head of the visiting delegation of Phu Tho province, emphasized that investment capital and creative ideas only truly emerge when partners see safety, transparency, and efficiency. "A stable security environment and convenient administrative procedures are the foundation for businesses to do business confidently," he stressed.
According to Mr. Tuan, Phu Tho is currently steadfast in its goal of double-digit economic growth, considering science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as the main drivers of the growth. The province is strongly shifting towards a data-driven governance model, while promoting the "Green Stream" digitalization mechanism to reduce the processing time for essential investment procedures to just 24 hours.
These reforms have yielded clear results: The digital economy accounts for about 25% of GRDP (ranked 3rd nationwide); the provincial competitiveness index (PCI) maintains its position in the TOP 5 nationwide; and the provincial economy's scale approaches $16 billion. The province has cumulatively attracted 742 FDI projects with a total registered capital of nearly $14 billion, involving many multinational corporations such as Meiko, BHFlex, ISC Vina, Toyota, Honda, BYD...
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Sam, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Finance, along with preferential policies and infrastructure systems associated with the inland container depot (ICD), Phu Tho has planned modern industrial waste treatment plants, ensuring that German and European investors can stably operate circular production models.
The event also featured a policy consultation session moderated by Mr. Eberhard J. Trempel, Executive Director of the Berlin Global Trade Forum.
In a presentation titled "From Innovation to Funding Capability – Building a Sustainable Regional Investment Ecosystem," Mr. Hans-Joachim Radtke, CEO of BHG, emphasized the dialectical relationship between innovation, capital mobilization capability, and creating an environment conducive to long-term project development.
From a legal perspective, expert Bork Wolfgang (Center for German Law) recommended that the province continue to refine a clear institutional framework, strictly protecting investors' property rights.
Regarding technology, German delegates pointed out that shared data is the key to innovation. Phu Tho is advised to accelerate data cleansing, build a digital data warehouse (Big Data) updated in real-time on planning, logistics, infrastructure, and labor. This centralized, transparent data source will help investors accurately assess projects while supporting the local government in optimizing management.
For human resources, experts suggested that Phu Tho apply the German-standard Dual Vocational Training model — closely linking schools and factories to ensure trainees are skilled right on the production line. Simultaneously, high-quality healthcare and social welfare infrastructure need to be invested in proportionately to retain international experts for long-term work.
Delegates also recommended that the province continue to specify and clarify information categories on preferential mechanisms to facilitate businesses in assessing project implementation feasibility.
Google translate