About
The Western Australia Vietnam Business Council Inc (WAVBC) is based in Perth, Western Australia and is a ‘not for profit organisation’. The WAVBC first began in 2003 but it ceased operation in 2008. The appointment of a Vietnam Consul General based in Perth, Western Australia in 2012 rekindled Western Australian interest in Vietnam and the existing WAVBC was reformed in early 2015.
WAVBC Development
Over the last nine years the WAVBC has been developing its business culture and establishing ‘like-minded’ business networks in both Western Australia and Vietnam.
In 2018, the WAVBC began supporting the Western Australian Government’s ‘Asia Engagement Program,’ an initiative to focus on four South East Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. To this day, the WAVBC remains committed to the three key drivers of the program: increasing two-way trade, attracting investment and diversification of the WA economy.
During the year leading up to COVID, the WAVBC made good progress building relationships with local Vietnamese governments and leading business groups in Southern Vietnam. However, the arrival of COVID in early 2020 and the ongoing international travel bans resulted in the momentum the WAVBC had generated being lost.
However, it was very pleasing in September 2020 to see a WAVBC initiative become reality when the WA Government signed an MOU to promote effective and mutually beneficial co-operation for the development of friendship with the Ba Ria Vung Tau Peoples Committee.
Early in 2021, the WAVBC set up a subcommittee called the WA Vietnam Cultural Group (WAVCG) to support one of its key objectives of building sustainable relationships with the local West Australian Vietnamese communities. The WAVCG started with a few small events and to date has successfully become established within the local Vietnamese communities.
After COVID, the WAVBC recovered lost ground in both Western Australia and Vietnam and visits to Vietnam by committee members quickly rebuilt the old business networks plus a few exciting new young organisations that had sprung up after COVID.
All WAVBC 2024 committee members have experience of living, working, or trading with Vietnam. Such a knowledgeable committee strengthens the ‘in country’ experience and knowledge available to our WAVBC members and partners.
The commencement of Vietnam Airlines direct flights between Perth and Ho Chi Minh City now makes it so much easier for West Australian and Vietnamese business communities to start discovering each other. In anticipation of the direct flights, the WAVBC had the vision to start the process of engaging with two of Vietnams up and coming young business groups. The outcome being the WAVBC has signed ‘Cooperation Agreements’ with One Business Connection (OBC) and Vietnam National ASEAN Group (VNAG) who both have many chapters across Vietnam.
Just the two current agreements alone now extends the WAVBC networks to include over 8,000 business people in Vietnam with many of those people already experienced in conducting global trade and investments. The WAVBC is proud to contribute to facilitating and furthering partnerships for our members.
During 2024, the WAVBC will engage in a number of exciting projects, working with our Vietnamese partners to promote two way trade activities that will include Tourism, Technology, Education, Engineering and Medical services.
There are already a number of business group delegations committed to visiting Western Australia in 2024 from Vietnam that will include OBC and VNAG plus we will visit them in Vietnam (All dates to be finalised in January)
The recently upgraded WAVBC website will soon become the ‘hub’ for all WAVBC activities and provide a platform for both West Australian and Vietnamese SMEs to engage in B2B relationships plus a ‘Knowledge Base’ of information about the major provinces in Vietnam. Additional Events and Social Networking Evenings are scheduled for 2024 as the WAVBC seeks to grow its memberships and partnerships with both West Australian and Vietnamese companies.
One of the WAVBC major goals for 2024 is to increase our membership and engage more partners so we encourage you to become a member or partner for 2024. Learn more about our Membership or Partnership Benefits
Our Partners
