The Indo-Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IVCCI) organised its 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IMC) headquarters in Mumbai, bringing together industry leaders, business representatives and stakeholders to deliberate on strengthening economic and commercial relations between India and Vietnam. Jayakumar Rawal, Minister of Protocol and Marketing, Government of Maharashtra addressed the AGM as the Chief Guest and said, “India–Vietnam trade has crossed USD 16 billion, with a target of USD 25 billion by 2030. Maharashtra and Vietnam have immense scope for collaboration. While Maharashtra can learn from Vietnam’s manufacturing, export and supply-chain strengths, Vietnam can benefit from Maharashtra’s expertise in finance, pharmaceuticals, engineering, technology, ports and logistics. Together, we can unlock new opportunities for trade, investment and sustainable growth.” He further emphasised the importance of stronger connectivity and moving beyond traditional trade relationships towards long-term investment and business partnerships and mentioned, “Connectivity is not a luxury in business; it is infrastructure. Stronger Mumbai–Vietnam air connectivity and our diaspora can become powerful bridges for trade and investment. Maharashtra should see Vietnam as a gateway to ASEAN and Vietnamese companies should see Maharashtra as a gateway to India. We must move from trade to investment, technology and long-term partnerships, converting business connections into contracts, investments, joint ventures and jobs. I see a strong opportunity for Maharashtra, Vietnam, IVCCI and our business community to build this bridge together.”

A significant highlight of the programme was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IVCCI and VECOM. The collaboration marks another step towards enhancing business cooperation between India and Vietnam and creating greater opportunities for industry engagement, digital commerce, knowledge exchange and cross-border business partnerships.

The AGM also featured a presentation by the Vietnam E-Commerce Association (VECOM), providing insights into Vietnam’s rapidly evolving e-commerce ecosystem and emerging opportunities for Indian businesses to engage with the Vietnamese digital economy.