At the occasion of the Swiss-Vietnam Economic Forum (SVEF 2025) in Vietnam’s central hub Da Nang, Marco Förster, Regional Director for Foreign Direct Investment Advisory at Dezan Shira & Associates, joined a panel on leveraging Free Trade Agreements for sustainable growth.
While in recent years, Swiss investment in Vietnam has continued to grow, especially the city of Da Nang emerges being the country’s first Free Trade Zone and expected to even further increase in relevance, becoming an International Finance Center.
These developments made Da Nang a natural choice to host the 2025 edition of the Swiss-Vietnam Economic Forum (SVEF 2025). Speaking virtually from Hanoi due to severe weather conditions, Marco Förster joined the session, which was moderated by former German Vice-Chancellor and active promoter of investment in Vietnam, Dr. Philipp Rösler. The discussion also featured Mr. Bruno Jaspaert, Chairman of EUROCHAM; Mr. Andri Meier, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam; and Mr. Bá Hùng Nguyễn, Economist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Marco shared insights from his experience advising firms on expansion across Asia, highlighting Vietnam’s strong integration into free trade agreements as one of its key advantages. “Many firms enter Vietnam not for the domestic market, but to make it their export hub to the world,” he explained, drawing a comparison with Indonesia, where market entry is often driven by domestic demand. He further noted that Vietnam has become a pivotal player in Asia’s network of trade agreements, including the EVFTA, CPTPP, and the forthcoming EFTA deal, which is now nearing completion after negotiations began in 2012. “Despite the potential of agreements like the EVFTA, utilization rates remain low, with only around 35% of eligible trade using preferential Certificates of Origin in 2024, meaning two-thirds of eligible exports still miss out on the benefits,” Marco highlighted.
On behalf of Dezan Shira & Associates, Marco thanked Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam H.E. Thomas Gass, Dr. Philipp Rösler, and Ms. Rachel Isenschmid with the organizing team for their efforts behind the scenes, while also reminding about the severe impact of the ongoing floods that cannot be forgotten even amidst this special and high-profile event.
Dezan Shira & Associates extends its appreciation to the SVEF organizing team for ensuring the success of this year’s event and for their swift transition to a hybrid format despite the severe weather disruptions across the country.