Vietnam’s NetZero Pallet, which specialises in manufacturing and exporting storage and transport pallets from recycled agricultural waste, was one of two top winners of the 2025 Small Business Champions Competition, held by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Minister Counsellor Pham Quang Huy (far right) pictured with the organizers of the 2025 Small Business Champions Competition. (Photo: VNA)
Geneva (VNA) 🀅– Vietnam’s NetZero Pallet has been named one of the winners of the 2025 Small Business Champions Competition, held by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The company, which specialises in manufacturing and exporting storage and transport pallets from recycled agricultural waste, stood out among more than 2,000 global entries. It was one of two top winners, recognised for its innovation in circular economy practices.
Speaking at the award ceremony, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underlined the key role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up over 90% of businesses and provide more than 60% of jobs worldwide. She praised NetZero Pallet’s innovation with the goal of providing environmentally friendly products.
Minister Counsellor Pham Quang Huy, who is also Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN and WTO, welcomed the recognition, thanking the WTO and the International Trade Centre (ITC) for supporting SMEs with platforms to showcase green innovations. He congratulated NetZero Pallet on its award.
The annual competition, launched in 2021 by the WTO’s Informal Working Group on MSMEs, the ICC, and the ITC, encourages creative initiatives that help small businesses engage more effectively in global trade./.
In mid-June, the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in collaboration with Alibaba.com announced a list of 200 outstanding businesses selected to participate in the "Vietnam National Pavilion" in 2025.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the Vietnamese and Swedish governments would play a facilitating role by setting out major strategies, programmes, and plans, and by creating favourable conditions for businesses to cooperate, invest, and grow together.
The minister called on the USABC and the US business community continue to support Vietnam in the process of negotiating a reciprocal trade agreement with the US, and coordinate to promote the investment and business potential and opportunities in Vietnam to US partners.
Tay Ninh, Nghe An and Quang Tri provinces have strategic locations and significant cooperation potential, said Nguyen Thi Thai Binh, Minister-Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy, expressing confidence that with creativity and determination, these provinces and their Korean partners will find ample opportunities for productive collaboration.
Jointly organised by the Vinexad National Trade Fair and Advertising JSC and Yorkers Exhibition Service Vietnam, the event features 1,200 booths of more than 650 exhibitors from 20 countries and territories, including Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, and the US.
Public investment should serve as a key driver of growth, acting as seed capital to catalyse and mobilise all social resources, thereby fostering economic expansion, creating jobs and livelihoods, and improving the material and spiritual well-being of the people, PM Pham Minh Chinh stated.
An official of the Foreign Trade Agency laid stress on the foundational role of rules of origin in international trade, highlighting the importance of capacity building for enforcement officers in the context of deep international integration.
Against the backdrop of the growing comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, the promotion and export of Vietnam’s agricultural products not only diversify supply sources for the Russian market but also help enhance the brand values and competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises in the market that remains untapped.
International trade is no longer merely an exchange of goods but a strategic lever enabling Vietnamese enterprises to enhance capacity, secure partnerships, and expand globally.
In the first eight months of 2025, Vietnam’s total trade value reached nearly 600 billion USD, up 16.3% year on year. Of this, exports stood at 306 billion USD, a 14.8% increase, already surpassing the full-year target.
Vietnam aims to maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation below the target, achieve growth of 8.3-8.5%, ensure major economic balances, surpass budget revenue estimates by 25%, and control public debt, government debt, foreign debt, and budget deficit.
Reaffirming Vietnam’s commitment to foreign investors, Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang said government policies always aim to ensure transparency, fairness and a mutually beneficial environment that promotes innovation and safeguards investor rights, making Vietnam a sustainable and long-term investment destination.
The State Bank of Vietnam must launch an official gold price information portal, study the establishment of gold exchanges, and issue guiding documents to implement the Government’s decree on the management of gold trading activities.
According to the World Bank Group, Vietnam will need approximately 368 billion USD in investment for climate adaptation and carbon reduction projects by 2040. Yet, as of the end of 2024, green credit accounted for just 4.5% of the country’s total outstanding loans.
Amidst robust digital transformation across all sectors, the food processing industry has tapped such digital technologies as Internet of Things, AI, blockchain and Big Data to optimise production process, control supply chain, and meet consumers’ demands.
The French side pledged to share technical guidelines and safety standards, with the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) ready to provide training for Vietnamese specialists.
Vietnam now has more than 940,000 private enterprises and over 5 million household businesses, contributing approximately 50% of GDP, over 30% of state budget revenue, and employing 82% of the national workforce.
Businesses underlined the need for expanding green credit and non-collateral concessional loans for circular agriculture projects, facilitating their participation in national key projects, and fostering alliances among Vietnamese enterprises as well as cooperation with regional partners.
State-owned Vietcombank currently leads the banking system with total assets exceeding 85 billion USD and a market capitalisation of over 20 billion USD, while maintaining strong financial safety indicators. Its non-performing loan ratio remains the lowest in the sector at 0.97%.
Malaysia is Vietnam’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN and ninth globally, as well as a key investor with 731 valid projects worth about 13 billion USD. Bilateral trade reached 9.23 billion USD by July 2025, up 8% year-on-year, nearing the 18 billion USD target.