On 29 October 2026, our Managing Partner Marco Förster joined the panel at the Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) webinar “EFTA-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement: Practical Implications for Swiss Companies”. The session took place only weeks after the agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was signed in Hanoi in October. EFTA’s members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
What the session covered
Philippe Lionnet of SECO Economic Cooperation and Development, speaking straight from the negotiating table, set out where things stand before the agreement enters into force. H.E. Thomas Gass, Ambassador of Switzerland to Vietnam, shared his perspective, and practitioners from Endress+Hauser and Luat Nguyen of Cicor Group added the view from the ground.
The panel, with Peter Flückiger (Swiss Textiles) and Michael Koller (Swissmem) and moderated by Christian Michel of S-GE, discussed what the agreement means in practice for Swiss and Liechtenstein companies.
The agreement at a glance
Negotiations between Vietnam and EFTA concluded on 2 July 2026 after more than 14 years and 21 rounds of talks. The agreement was signed in Hanoi on 18 October 2026, during Swiss President Parmelin’s official visit, and both sides are aiming for entry into force in early 2027, once the EFTA states have completed ratification.
The economic base is already growing. Swiss statistics put bilateral trade at about USD 3.5 billion in 2025, and Vietnamese data show 247 active Swiss investment projects with around USD 2.5 billion in registered capital as of September 2026. Leaders have set the goal of doubling bilateral trade by 2030.
What it means for Swiss companies
For exporters and investors, the question now shifts from whether there will be a deal to how to use it: which products and services benefit, how the new rules apply in practice, and where Vietnam’s priority sectors, from precision engineering and food processing to renewable energy and logistics, match Swiss strengths. The recording below is a good starting point.
Watch the recording
The full session runs just over an hour and is one of the most up-to-date briefings available on the agreement.
Thank you to Christian Michel and S-GE for moderating and bringing it all together.
Further reading
- Webinar page: EFTA-Vietnam FTA, practical implications for Swiss companies (Switzerland Global Enterprise)
- Free trade agreement with Vietnam: overview (SECO)
- EFTA and Vietnam sign a free trade agreement (SWI swissinfo.ch)
- Vietnam-EFTA free trade agreement targeted for implementation in 2027 (VietNamNet)
More from Stratburg
- Executive Roundtable with Asia Society Switzerland on Vietnam’s economic transformation
- On stage with Swiss President Parmelin: Marco Förster co-hosts the SVEF Hanoi 2026 opening
- Briefing the Swiss Presidential CEO delegation in Hanoi
Weighing what the agreement means for your business? Get in touch.
