Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang attended and spoke at the Vietnam

Attending the Dialogue, on the Vietnamese side were Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang and representatives of the Ministries of Industry and Trade; National Defense; Finance; Agriculture and Environment; Science and Technology, on the Spanish side were Mr. Juan Luis Gimeno, Director General of Economic and Trade Analysis - Secretariat of State in charge of Trade; Mr. Josep Santacreu, President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Ms. Inmaculada Riera, Director General of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Álvaro Schweinfurth, Deputy Director General, Department of International Relations and Multilateral Organizations, Confederation of Spanish Enterprises (CEOE) and representatives of nearly 100 leading Spanish enterprises.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang speaks at the Vietnam - Spain Business Dialogue

At the seminar, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang commented that bilateral trade cooperation has maintained good growth momentum in recent years and the effective EVFTA has created a new momentum to promote strong growth in bilateral trade turnover. The strategic location at the gateway to important economic regions of Asia and Europe helps the two countries become a bridge between the two most dynamic economic regions in the world.

Vietnamese goods entering Spain are aimed at the EU market of nearly 500 million people, and vice versa, when Spanish enterprises coming to Vietnam can also access the ASEAN market with nearly 700 million people, as well as the market of nearly 6 billion consumers in 17 Free Trade Agreements (bilateral and multilateral) of which Vietnam is a member. To make good use of these advantages and opportunities, the Deputy Minister suggested that the business community of both sides focus on exchanging and promoting cooperation in areas where both sides have strengths and needs such as food processing industry, textiles, footwear, mechanical engineering, transport infrastructure and logistics services; tourism ; renewable energy, clean energy towards sustainable development...

On behalf of the Spanish business community, General Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce - Ms. Immaculada Riera said that Spanish corporations and businesses are very interested in the Vietnamese market in particular and the ASEAN market in general as a destination to diversify markets in their business strategy. The Spanish business community highly appreciates the support of the two governments, especially the successful organization of the 1st Meeting of the Vietnam - Spain Joint Committee on Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation, creating an important cooperation mechanism in supporting businesses of both sides to access each other's markets and effectively implement investment and business projects.

According to Mr. Juan Luis Gimeno, Director General of the Department of Economic and Commercial Analysis - Spanish State Secretariat for Trade, the relationship between the two countries is making impressive progress, especially after the official visit to Vietnam by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in April 2025. Spanish enterprises have large production and development capacity, suitable for Vietnam's rapidly growing economy, especially in the fields of infrastructure, railways, and energy. He emphasized the importance of opening a direct flight route between Vietnam and Spain to effectively exploit the potential for cooperation between the two countries.

At the seminar, Vietnamese agencies including representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Science and Technology, etc. discussed with Spanish enterprises on topics related to the investment and business environment in Vietnam, cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and Spain in the agricultural sector; and the potential and advantages of localities in business cooperation with Vietnam.

Delegates attending the Vietnam - Spain Business Dialogue

Spanish businesses attending the Seminar discussed in detail their business activities in Vietnam as well as shared their wishes and orientations for developing projects with Vietnam in the fields of seaports, logistics, textiles, footwear, railways, auto mechanics, financial and banking services, information technology, tourism, etc.

Enterprises are particularly interested in expanding their business activities in Vietnam, appreciating the attractiveness of the market and the increasingly important role of the Vietnamese economy in the region and the world. Representatives of Vietnamese ministries and branches directly answered questions from enterprises and provided them with more information about business opportunities in Vietnam. The seminar ended with a direct connection session between Spanish enterprises and Vietnamese agencies and enterprises.

Spain is currently Vietnam's fifth largest trading partner in the EU and Vietnam is Spain's largest trading partner in ASEAN. During the 2015-2023 period, Vietnam exported an average of 2.60 billion USD to Spain annually, with an average export growth rate of 4.81%; Vietnam imported an average of 524.85 million USD from Spain, with an average import growth rate of 6.71%. Vietnam has continuously had a trade surplus with Spain with an average trade surplus of 2.08 billion USD during the 2015-2023 period.

In 2024, two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Spain will reach 4.72 billion USD, up 19.9% compared to 2023 (the highest level ever). Of which, Vietnam's export turnover to Spain will reach 4.00 billion USD, up 21.0% compared to 2023; Vietnam's import turnover from Spain will reach 716.31 million USD, up 14.2% compared to 2023. Vietnam will continue to have a trade surplus with Spain with a trade surplus of 3.29 billion USD, up 22.8% compared to 2023.

According to the Ministry of Finance, as of September 30, 2025, Spain has 101 investment projects in Vietnam with a total capital of 158.2 million USD. Up to now, Spain's FDI investment in Vietnam is still modest, ranking 44th out of 153 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Although this sector is currently limited in terms of the number of projects, it has great prospects in terms of capital potential and European quality.

In the opposite direction, Vietnam has 65.76 million USD in total registered investment capital in Spain.

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/thu-truong-phan-thi-thang-du-phat-bieu-tai-toa-dam-doanh-nghiep-viet-nam-tay-ban-nha.html