On 18 October 2026, the Swiss business delegation supported by Stratburg and its consortium partners joined the Official Opening Ceremony of SVEF Hanoi 2026, co-organised by the Swiss-Viet Economic Forum (SVEF) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam. Our Managing Partner Marco Förster co-hosted the ceremony in his role as SVEF’s Hanoi Representative, alongside Rachel Isenschmid, Secretary General of SVEF.
The ceremony coincided with the official visit of Swiss President Guy Parmelin and brought together senior leaders from both countries, including Minister of Industry and Trade Lê Mạnh Hùng, State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO), Ambassador Thomas Gass, Ambassador Châu Mai Anh and economiesuisse President Silvan Wildhaber. Coming straight after the signing of Vietnam’s free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the opening underlined the strong political momentum behind Swiss-Vietnamese economic cooperation. EFTA’s members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
SVEF Hanoi 2026 at a glance
The forum ran from 18 to 20 October 2026 and brought together nearly 300 delegates from government, business, academia and international partner organisations. Bilateral trade rose nearly 20% in 2025 to almost CHF 2.9 billion (about USD 3.5 billion), and President Parmelin named advanced manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare, sustainable infrastructure, clean technologies, and digitalisation and innovation as priority areas for the partnership.
SVEF also presented its cooperation roadmap for 2026 to 2030, built on eight pillars: finance and capital markets; industrial transformation and supply chains; infrastructure and urban development; energy and sustainable development; innovation, AI and the digital economy; healthcare and life sciences; education and human capital; and legal frameworks, market entry and value chains.
A first deal under the new agreement
Hours after the agreement was signed, the first deal followed. DKSH and the Vietnam Pharmaceutical Companies Association (VNPCA) signed a memorandum of understanding to help Vietnamese pharmaceutical companies go global, in the presence of President Parmelin, Ambassador Châu Mai Anh and Ambassador Thomas Gass.
The partnership covers:
- Strengthening the export readiness and competitiveness of Vietnamese pharma companies
- Identifying the right products, target markets and market-entry pathways
- Connecting local firms with international customers, distributors and investors
- Building export, logistics and supply chain capabilities
Why it matters
Vietnam is aiming for USD 1 billion in pharmaceutical exports under its national pharma strategy. VNPCA brings 207 member companies to the table, while DKSH brings more than 35 years in Vietnam and over 160 years of Swiss market expansion know-how. Turning a signed agreement into real business is exactly what a free trade agreement is for.
Congratulations to Charaf Kadri, Stefan P. Butz and the DKSH team, and to Ms Tran Thi Thu and VNPCA.
Further reading
- DKSH partners with Vietnamese pharmaceutical association at the Swiss-Vietnam Economic Forum (VZ VermögensZentrum)
- Swiss-Viet Economic Forum 2026: ties poised for growth as EFTA deal opens new opportunities (Viet Nam News)
- EFTA and Vietnam sign free trade agreement (EFTA)
- Swiss-Viet Economic Forum outlines eight pillars for its 2026 to 2030 cooperation roadmap (VOV)
More from Stratburg
- Briefing the Swiss Presidential CEO delegation in Hanoi
- Building at Vietnam speed: moderating the SVEF Hanoi 2026 infrastructure panel
- Stratburg consortium leads Swiss investment mission to Hai Phong
Looking to make the EFTA-Vietnam FTA work for your business? Get in touch.
