Hanoi (VNA) – Economic and trade ties are a highlightof the growing Vietnam-Sweden relationship in multiple spheres, which is partlyattributable to successes of Swedish businesses in Vietnam like Comvik, saidDeputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.

Deputy PM Hue made the statement while receivingSwedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Högberg and Chairman of ComvikInternational Vietnam AB M.A. Zaman in Hanoi on May 11.

Ambassador Högberg said the two countries boastfine relations in both partnerships and traditional ties. Sweden was the firstWestern European nation to set up relations with Vietnam, and the two sideswill mark 50 years of their diplomatic ties in 2019. 

They have good connections not only betweentheir Governments but also between their people. The Swedish Government iscommitted to helping Vietnamese people to gain more benefits, he noted.

He added in 2017, bilateral trade surged by arecord of 50 percent from the previous year. Swedish companies have come to andoperated in Vietnam for a long time. New firms have also poured new investmentsinto Vietnam, including those in telecommunications – a successful cooperationarea between the two countries.

For his part, Zaman said Comvik has had asuccessfully business partnership with the Vietnam Posts and TelecommunicationsGroup (VNPT), and both share the same target of building the best new internetsystem in Asia.

Regarding the Vietnamese Government’s equitisationof the Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services Company (Mobifone), he said with itsexisting strength in technology and capital, Comvik is ready to support theGovernment and take part in this equitisation process.

Comvik is working to shift to 6G technology, andSweden is the world’s leading country in this digital technology, Zaman said,adding that his firm wishes to have opportunities to invest in this field inVietnam and turn Vietnam into a leading country in this new technology.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Hue described thebusiness partnership between Comvik and VNPT as a successful cooperation inVietnam’s development as well as the local posts and telecom sector. Comparedto in 1990, the telecom infrastructure in the country now is much different,which is partly thanks to the Comvik – VNPT cooperation, especially inproviding technical support and improving governance capacity for VNPT andMobifone.

Welcoming Comvik’s intention to continueinvesting in Vietnam and participate in the equitisation of Mobifone, he saidthe Vietnamese Government has requested the Ministry of Information andCommunications and Mobifone to prepare necessary conditions to carry outMobifone’s initial public offering (IPO) in 2019. This IPO will attract muchinterest from foreign investors.

The host also took this occasion to askAmbassador Högberg to help attract more Swedish investments into Vietnam,noting that the Vietnamese Government will create the best possible conditionswhile unceasingly improving the national competitiveness and the businessclimate to facilitate enterprises’ operations.-VNA