The Port of Gdańsk, in partnership with its business partners, is organising the ‘Business Mixer 2024’ business mission and conference, scheduled to take place on 28–29 November in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This is the third edition of an event that aims to bring together companies from different parts of the world. It is a great opportunity for Polish companies to present their products and services, and to establish profitable relations on the Vietnamese market with more than 98 million consumers – potential buyers of Polish products.

Poland’s largest seaport and a window to the world for exporters has made it its goal to connect companies.

‘We want to be a strategic platform for Polish companies planning to develop their business abroad and enter new markets, especially in Asia. It worked well during the previous edition of the Business Mixer and resulted in new contracts with Korean companies.  We hope that, this year, we can open a new chapter in the partnership between Polish and Vietnamese entrepreneurs. We want our conference to be a platform for building good business relations, strengthening existing ones and emphasising Poland’s role as an attractive business partner’, argues Alan Aleksandrowicz, Vice-President of the Port of Gdańsk.

The Business Mixer includes debates on the possibilities of enhancing trade partnerships between Poland and Vietnam, strategies and best market practices of Polish companies operating in Southeast Asia, logistics and maritime connections between Europe and Asia, sustainable development in the context of energy transition and economic growth, as well as the labour market in Vietnam and Poland. From a business perspective, most important are the meetings with Vietnamese partners.

Made in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is the largest business centre and busiest city in Vietnam (with a population of approximately 9.3 million). The Vietnamese market continues to gain importance and opens up ever more to the world. Vietnam’s socialist market economy is based primarily on exports and industrial production. It is one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. Vietnam is ranked 36th in the world economy, with a GDP of over USD 408 billion for 2022.

Vietnam is an opportunity for Polish business. Last year, Polish exports to Vietnam increased by nearly 20 per cent compared to 2022. Goods with the highest export growth rate were: fish, offal, milk, cream, poultry meat, paper, machinery and mechanical equipment.

Poland also exports electronic equipment and chemical industry products (including pharmaceuticals and cosmetics) to Vietnam. Imports consist mainly of electrical and electronic products and equipment, footwear, clothing and agri-food products (such as coffee and fruit).

‘The Vietnamese market shows great potential. Over the past few years, Polish-Vietnamese economic relations have intensified significantly, as shown in both trade and mutual investment statistics. Vietnam is now also Poland’s largest trade partner among the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The 2020 EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which envisages the elimination of over 99 per cent of tariffs on trade goods from both sides, provides an additional opportunity for Polish and Vietnamese entrepreneurs to increase trade between the countries. That is why every Polish entrepreneur, who has not yet exported any products to Vietnam but considers it, should start exploring this market on a wider scale’, explains Piotr Harasimowicz, head of the Foreign Trade Office of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in Ho Chi Minh City.

For Polish entrepreneurs and exporters of goods to Vietnam the announced removal of all fees on beef and dairy products in 2024 is of great importance. This decision is also likely to lead to an increase in exports of spirits and wines from 2026. In 2028, duties on processed foods, including jams, fruit preserves and juices, are set to be removed.

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First the registration and webinar

How can I take part in the Business Mixer? Entrepreneurs who wish to participate in the event together with the Port of Gdańsk must first register at: www.mixer.portgdansk.pl

‘We encourage representatives of Polish business, our export champions – the electronics, automotive, cosmetics, food, shipbuilding and clothing industries – to register. We are going to discuss the details on 17 September, during a webinar. Our experts will explain the topic of the Business Mixer. They are going to talk about business culture in Vietnam, negotiation strategies and the ways to advertise and sell products. They are also going to provide very practical information on the EVFTA free trade agreement’, explains Maksymilian Czapiewski, customer manager at the Port of Gdańsk.

Before departing for Vietnam, a visit to the Port of Gdańsk is planned to prepare participants for the event.