Joint effort by international partners in combating plastic pollution in Viet Nam

04.06.2018 — Local news Vietnam
Over time, plastic waste slowly degrades and breaks down into smaller pieces called micro-plastics, which usually end up in the oceans and from there, potentially enters into the food chain.

Switzerland supports the establishment of the Vietnam Institute of Directors to boost Corporate Governance

05.04.2018 — Local news Vietnam
The Vietnam Institute of Directors (VIOD) was launched on April 5^, 2018 with support from key stakeholders of the Vietnam Corporate Governance Initiative Council and IFC’s Vietnam Corporate Governance Program funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Switzerland and Vietnam Exchange Perspectives on Green Growth

04.04.2018 — Local news Vietnam
How can we make Green Growth work? At a high-level forum organized by the Embassy of Switzerland and the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Hanoi on 4 April 2018, government officials, development experts and business representatives discussed the challenges and opportunities arising from the implementation of green growth strategies.

Launching ceremony of the book on “Climate Change Adaptation in Vietnam” in the framework of the “Mekong Urban Flood Proofing and Drainage Programme”

31.01.2018 — Local news Vietnam
The “Mekong Urban Flood proofing and Drainage Programme” and the National Assembly’s Committee of Science, Technology and Environment have launched a reader on Climate Change Adaptation in Vietnam. The handover to the National Assembly took place in the presence of the Mr. Phan Xuan Dung, Chairman of the Committee of Science Technology and Environment, the Ambassador of Germany to Vietnam, Mr. Christian Berger, the Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam, Ms. Beatrice Maser, representatives from GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Cooperation) in Vietnam and officers of the National Assembly Office.

SCORE Training helps Vietnamese SMEs to become more competitive and responsible

27.10.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, October 27, 2017 – The ILO Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Programme is co-financed by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The program has supported 146 Vietnamese SMEs during 2011 - 2017, mostly in the wood and furniture industry, to improve productivity and working conditions. 91 per cent of participating enterprises report production cost savings, 61 per cent have improved work place communication, and 42 per cent have reduced labour turnover.

Remote sensing technology brings speed and accuracy

25.10.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Monitoring of rice production in Viet Nam through satellites brings more accuracy and timeliness, according to the makers and users of RIICE technology; it is also meant to be more cost-effective.

Conference "Non-Performing Loan resolution in Vietnam"

26.09.2017 — Local news Vietnam

SECO (Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Cooperation) has sponsored the international conference to discuss viable solutions to non-performing loans (NPLs) in Vietnam back to back with revival of domestic businesses. This conference was supported under the framework of SECO’s 2017 – 2020 economic development cooperation in Vietnam with an overall budget of over CHF 80 million. 

Biotrade initiative to develop natural ingredient sector in Vietnam financed by SECO

21.06.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Hanoi, 20 June 2017 - The BioTrade SECO project organized the Vietnam Project Launching Ceremony of the Regional BioTrade Project South East Asia.  The new project is financed by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), a Swiss Government Agency, and implemented in Vietnam by HELVETES Vietnam, a Swiss-based, international Non-Government Organization. The total funding of the project for Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar is USD 4.9 million. Fund allocation for Vietnam component and Vietnam PMU is USD 2.7 million from 2017 to the end of 2020.

Swiss Import Promotion Program SIPPO to build export service capacity in Vietnam

02.06.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Hanoi, June 2, 2017 - the Swiss Import Promotion Program SIPPO is funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO) with CH 19.4 mio for four years (2017 – 2020) to boost export and create new jobs and incomes from eleven developing and transition countries. In Vietnam, the program will be implemented by Swisscontact Foundation in partnership with Helvetas Vietnam though strengthening long-term stable export structures in two sectors: technical wood and added value textile.

Swiss funded satellite technology generates big impact in rice monitoring

26.05.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Switzerland has funded pilot phase (2012-2015) and the scale up phase (2015-2017) the RIICE project in Vietnam as part of its global support to several rice producing countries. The concept of the project is to use high quality, free of charge satellite data that has been recently made available internationally for the monitoring of rice production, natural disasters (notebly floods and droughts). After the pilot phase in 2 provinces, the concept has been proved to work perfectly in providing a cost-effective way of providing accurate, unbiased and timely data. In the scale up phase, the project is implemented in 8 provinces in the Red river Delta and 2 other ones in the Mekong Delta.

MARD expreesed its willingness to continue the project and expand to cover other major rice producing provinces as well.

Kick-off workshop - Mekong Urban Flood Proofing and Drainage Project

31.03.2017 — Local news Vietnam

The Mekong delta and its important role to Vietnam’s socio-economic development is particularly vulnerable to climate change and flood-related disasters. To address this challenge, SECO has recently developed the “Mekong Urban flood proofing and drainage project” in cooperation with its implementing partner GIZ. On 30 March 2017, the implementation of this project was successfully kicked off in Can Tho in a workshop with more than 60 representatives from the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam (MOC), An Giang, Kien Giang and Ca Mau province, SECO, GIZ and other relevant stakeholders.

Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production helps improve competitiveness of Vietnam’s rice sector

21.03.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, 3 March, 2017 – Vietnam is known as one of the world’s biggest rice producer and exporter. However, it is facing fierce competition from other countries due to fragmented value chain with low quality and high production costs. Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has successfully supported the rice sector during the last four years to apply resource efficient and cleaner production methods to address these challenges.    

Closing the Public Service Provision Improvement Program in Agriculture and Rural Development (PSARD)

16.12.2015 — Media release Vietnam

The programme “Public Service Provision Improvement Programme in Agriculture and Rural Development” (PS-ARD) had  two phases (2008-2015) with a total budget of CHF 21,400,000 funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)  in Vietnam. The project was implemented in the two mountainous and ethnic minority provinces -  Hoa Binh and Cao Bang - by the local provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development with technical support of the Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.

Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter holds political talks in Hanoi and opens the new Consulate general in Ho Chi Minh City

02.06.2015 — Media release Vietnam

On June 2^nd 2015 Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter met for political talks in Hanoi with the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic matters, Hoàng Trung Hải, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh. The talks focused on bilateral issues and security in Asia. The talks covered regional security matters as well as bilateral aspects and economic issues.

New Swiss ambassadors

17.12.2014 — Media release EDA
A number of staff changes have been announced for several Swiss representations abroad and at the head office of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The changes will take place in 2015 as part of the usual transfer rotation and on the basis of appointments made by the Federal Council. The appointment of heads of missions abroad becomes effective following approval by the respective host state. The Federal Council thanks those ambassadors entering retirement for their services.

New ambassadors of Switzerland (last modification, the 02.10.2014)

02.10.2014 — Media release EDA
A number of staff changes have been announced for several Swiss representations abroad and at the head office of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The changes will take place in 2015 as part of the usual transfer rotation and on the basis of appointments made by the Federal Council. The appointment of heads of mission becomes effective following approval by the respective host state. The Federal Council thanks those ambassadors entering retirement for their services.

Joint effort by international partners in combating plastic pollution in Viet Nam

04.06.2018 — Local news Vietnam
Over time, plastic waste slowly degrades and breaks down into smaller pieces called micro-plastics, which usually end up in the oceans and from there, potentially enters into the food chain.

Switzerland supports the establishment of the Vietnam Institute of Directors to boost Corporate Governance

05.04.2018 — Local news Vietnam
The Vietnam Institute of Directors (VIOD) was launched on April 5^, 2018 with support from key stakeholders of the Vietnam Corporate Governance Initiative Council and IFC’s Vietnam Corporate Governance Program funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Switzerland and Vietnam Exchange Perspectives on Green Growth

04.04.2018 — Local news Vietnam
How can we make Green Growth work? At a high-level forum organized by the Embassy of Switzerland and the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Hanoi on 4 April 2018, government officials, development experts and business representatives discussed the challenges and opportunities arising from the implementation of green growth strategies.

Launching ceremony of the book on “Climate Change Adaptation in Vietnam” in the framework of the “Mekong Urban Flood Proofing and Drainage Programme”

31.01.2018 — Local news Vietnam
The “Mekong Urban Flood proofing and Drainage Programme” and the National Assembly’s Committee of Science, Technology and Environment have launched a reader on Climate Change Adaptation in Vietnam. The handover to the National Assembly took place in the presence of the Mr. Phan Xuan Dung, Chairman of the Committee of Science Technology and Environment, the Ambassador of Germany to Vietnam, Mr. Christian Berger, the Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam, Ms. Beatrice Maser, representatives from GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Cooperation) in Vietnam and officers of the National Assembly Office.

SCORE Training helps Vietnamese SMEs to become more competitive and responsible

27.10.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, October 27, 2017 – The ILO Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Programme is co-financed by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The program has supported 146 Vietnamese SMEs during 2011 - 2017, mostly in the wood and furniture industry, to improve productivity and working conditions. 91 per cent of participating enterprises report production cost savings, 61 per cent have improved work place communication, and 42 per cent have reduced labour turnover.

Remote sensing technology brings speed and accuracy

25.10.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Monitoring of rice production in Viet Nam through satellites brings more accuracy and timeliness, according to the makers and users of RIICE technology; it is also meant to be more cost-effective.

Conference "Non-Performing Loan resolution in Vietnam"

26.09.2017 — Local news Vietnam

SECO (Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Cooperation) has sponsored the international conference to discuss viable solutions to non-performing loans (NPLs) in Vietnam back to back with revival of domestic businesses. This conference was supported under the framework of SECO’s 2017 – 2020 economic development cooperation in Vietnam with an overall budget of over CHF 80 million. 

Biotrade initiative to develop natural ingredient sector in Vietnam financed by SECO

21.06.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Hanoi, 20 June 2017 - The BioTrade SECO project organized the Vietnam Project Launching Ceremony of the Regional BioTrade Project South East Asia.  The new project is financed by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), a Swiss Government Agency, and implemented in Vietnam by HELVETES Vietnam, a Swiss-based, international Non-Government Organization. The total funding of the project for Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar is USD 4.9 million. Fund allocation for Vietnam component and Vietnam PMU is USD 2.7 million from 2017 to the end of 2020.

Swiss Import Promotion Program SIPPO to build export service capacity in Vietnam

02.06.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Hanoi, June 2, 2017 - the Swiss Import Promotion Program SIPPO is funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO) with CH 19.4 mio for four years (2017 – 2020) to boost export and create new jobs and incomes from eleven developing and transition countries. In Vietnam, the program will be implemented by Swisscontact Foundation in partnership with Helvetas Vietnam though strengthening long-term stable export structures in two sectors: technical wood and added value textile.

Swiss funded satellite technology generates big impact in rice monitoring

26.05.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Switzerland has funded pilot phase (2012-2015) and the scale up phase (2015-2017) the RIICE project in Vietnam as part of its global support to several rice producing countries. The concept of the project is to use high quality, free of charge satellite data that has been recently made available internationally for the monitoring of rice production, natural disasters (notebly floods and droughts). After the pilot phase in 2 provinces, the concept has been proved to work perfectly in providing a cost-effective way of providing accurate, unbiased and timely data. In the scale up phase, the project is implemented in 8 provinces in the Red river Delta and 2 other ones in the Mekong Delta.

MARD expreesed its willingness to continue the project and expand to cover other major rice producing provinces as well.

Kick-off workshop - Mekong Urban Flood Proofing and Drainage Project

31.03.2017 — Local news Vietnam

The Mekong delta and its important role to Vietnam’s socio-economic development is particularly vulnerable to climate change and flood-related disasters. To address this challenge, SECO has recently developed the “Mekong Urban flood proofing and drainage project” in cooperation with its implementing partner GIZ. On 30 March 2017, the implementation of this project was successfully kicked off in Can Tho in a workshop with more than 60 representatives from the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam (MOC), An Giang, Kien Giang and Ca Mau province, SECO, GIZ and other relevant stakeholders.

Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production helps improve competitiveness of Vietnam’s rice sector

21.03.2017 — Local news Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, 3 March, 2017 – Vietnam is known as one of the world’s biggest rice producer and exporter. However, it is facing fierce competition from other countries due to fragmented value chain with low quality and high production costs. Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has successfully supported the rice sector during the last four years to apply resource efficient and cleaner production methods to address these challenges.