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EuroCham Vice-Chairman Jean Jacques Buouflet made the above statement in his remarks sent to a national forum on promotion of the Viet Nam–EU partnership and sustainable development in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21.

Buouflet recommended Viet Nam consistently build legal frameworks and increase social resources to implement green transition goals and take advantage of international experience and knowledge in green economic development.

EuroCham is committed to closely coordinating and sharing experiences with Viet Nam in enhancing sustainable green economic development, he underlined.

Speaking at the event, Vice President of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Vo Tan Thanh noted that Viet Nam is the only Southeast Asian nation with a comprehensive cooperation framework with the EU.

He called for EU support in enhancing Viet Nam's infrastructure, human resources, technical assistance, and technology transfer to help the country meet international standards.

At the event, delegates discussed market trends and new opportunities in the EU market, smart agriculture, green finance, and business opportunities in new potential fields.

The EU is currently Viet Nam's biggest development partner, fifth largest trading partner and sixth biggest investor.

Meanwhile, Viet Nam is the EU's biggest trading partner in ASEAN and the EU's 14th largest in the world. Data from Viet Nam's General Department of Customs showed that the bilateral trade value in the first half of this year hit nearly US$32.39 billion, up 13.5 percent over the same period last year.

Of the figure, exports of goods to the EU increased by 15.4 percent to over US$24.69 billion while imports increased by 7.7 percent to more than US$7.69 billion.

In the first half of this year, Viet Nam's trade surplus with the EU was estimated at US$17 billion, a year-on-year increase of 19.2 percent./.