He made the remarks at the workshop Meet Germany 2017 co-held by the Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam and the Foreign Affairs Department in HCM City.

Germany is Vietnam’s biggest trade partner in the EU that acts as a key transit point for Vietnamese exports to the Europe, Long said.

He cited the fact that investors from Germany have operated many projects across Vietnam while more than 100,000 Vietnamese expats and 8,000 Vietnamese businesses are residing in the EU country.

There will be more opportunities for the two countries to enhance cooperation and exchanges in trade, culture, education and environment, the official affirmed.

Speaking at the workshop, Iris Gleicke, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, spoke of Vietnam’s important geographic location. German firms have realized great potential for investment in Vietnam as from there they can get easier access to other countries in Southeast Asia, she said.

In fact, they also obtained many support from local authorities in Vietnam, she noted.

The workshop featured a direct dialogue between local authorities and state agencies and 20 enterprises from Germany whose inquiries focused on process and procedures for starting an investment project in Vietnam.

Representatives from authorities of HCM City, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Long An and Binh Duong also provided the German companies with updates on public administration reforms, including the application of information technology, making appointments via phones, and 7-day service for granting an investment license.

HCM City currently hosts about 132 German-invested projects, worth over 132 million USD while Germany has operated seven projects in Dong Nai with a total investment of more than 700 million USD, representing roughly half of its investment in Vietnam.

Source: VNA