Asia House and Vietnam Government sign MoU to strengthen economic engagement

Asia House, the centre of expertise on trade, investment and public policy, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Vietnam Department of Foreign Affairs for Provinces to strengthen economic engagement between the UK and Vietnam. The agreement will see both parties working together to promote trade and investment relations between Vietnamese provinces and UK partners.

The MoU was signed by Ed Ratcliffe, Head of Advisory at Asia House, and Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long, Director General of the Department of Foreign Affairs for Provinces, on 24 June 2019. The Vietnamese delegation also included representatives from the provinces of Dak Lak, Lang Son, Yen Bei, and the business community.

The agreement underlines the commitment of Asia House, which seeks to drive political, economic and commercial engagement between Asia and Europe.

Ed Ratcliffe, Head of Advisory at Asia House, said: “Asia House has more than 20 years of experience in engaging with Asian markets and working with global organisations. We look forward to working closely with the Vietnamese Government to serve as a platform for UK businesses engaging the market in Vietnam, and vice versa.”

Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long, Director General of the Vietnam Department of Foreign Affairs for Provinces, said: “Since the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2010, Vietnam and the UK have seen strong development in their bilateral relations of which tie between the two country’s localities is an important pillar. To further strengthen this pillar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam organises this Vietnam Provincial Roadshow to the UK with the participation of 3 Vietnamese provinces namely Dak Lak, Lang Son and Yen Bai. With the signing of the MoU with Asia House, we want to promote effective cooperation between Vietnam provinces and the UK partners, particularly in the fields of trade and investment.”

The MoU comes into effect on 24 June 2019 and will be valid for a period of three years, mapping out a future of close collaboration. During this time, both parties will collaborate on major events, high-level roundtable discussions, and facilitate the exchange of relevant expertise regarding how to do business in the respective countries.