On the morning of 22 September 2026, at the headquarters of Halotel in Dar es Salaam, the Embassy of Viet Nam in Tanzania, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Viet Nam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania, and Viettel Tanzania (Halotel), organized the Viet Nam – Tanzania Business Networking Forum.
The Forum was one of the important activities held on the sidelines of the Second Meeting of the Viet Nam – Tanzania Intergovernmental Committee, providing an opportunity for government agencies and the business communities of the two countries to engage directly, explore cooperation and investment opportunities, and strengthen business connections.
On the Vietnamese side, participants included Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Chairman of the Vietnamese Sub-Committee; Mr. Pham Ngoc Mau, Deputy Head of the Delegation; Ambassador of Viet Nam to Tanzania Vu Thanh Huyen; and around 30 delegates comprising members of the Vietnamese Sub-Committee and representatives of Vingroup, Intimex, Phulimex and Halotel.
On the Tanzanian side, the Forum was attended by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation James Millya, together with representatives of ministries, government agencies and businesses, including institutions responsible for trade, investment, agriculture, land, fisheries, energy and trade development.
In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister James Millya noted that the Forum was taking place at an important time, reflecting the determination of the two Governments to promote economic diplomacy and translate the strong friendship and political cooperation between the two countries into concrete results in trade, investment and industry.
He observed that bilateral economic relations were showing positive growth while still offering considerable room for further development. According to figures shared by the Tanzanian side, Tanzania’s trade surplus with Viet Nam increased from USD 140.9 million in 2022 to USD 314.2 million in 2025. Viet Nam is also an important market for Tanzanian agricultural products, particularly cashew nuts. According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), Viet Nam is among the markets with significant export potential for Tanzania.
Deputy Minister James Millya highly appreciated Halotel, an investment by Viettel Group, for its contribution to the development of Tanzania’s telecommunications infrastructure, expansion of access to mobile and internet services across many areas, job creation and enhancement of technical capacity for Tanzanian workers. He expressed the hope that the experience gained from the Halotel project could be extended to other areas of cooperation.
In presenting investment opportunities in Tanzania, the Tanzanian side highlighted development priorities under Tanzania Development Vision 2050, as well as strategic infrastructure projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the Port of Dar es Salaam, the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, industrial parks, export processing zones and special economic zones.
Tanzania also emphasized its strategic location and access to regional markets through the East African Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC), and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), offering broader opportunities for foreign investors.
Priority sectors for investment include the processing and value addition of agricultural products such as cashew nuts, cotton, sesame, coffee, soybeans and rice; fisheries and the blue economy; manufacturing and textiles; renewable energy; mining; and digital technology.
In particular, both sides recognized the strong complementarity between Tanzania’s abundant raw materials and Viet Nam’s strengths in processing, technology, supply-chain development and access to international markets, especially in agriculture and food processing.
Speaking at the Forum, Ambassador Vu Thanh Huyen emphasized the importance of strengthening direct linkages between businesses of the two countries, viewing this as an important channel for transforming cooperation potential and orientations discussed at the government level into concrete projects and partnerships.
The Ambassador reaffirmed that the Embassy of Viet Nam in Tanzania stands ready to coordinate with relevant authorities and businesses of both countries in providing information, connecting partners and facilitating mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep highlighted the significant potential for Viet Nam – Tanzania cooperation in agriculture, agro-processing and value-chain development. He shared Viet Nam’s experience in agricultural production, processing and exports, while introducing models of South-South cooperation in agriculture.
He proposed strengthening cooperation through the transfer of experience, technology and technical expertise in connection with investment, processing and market expansion, thereby enhancing product value and creating sustainable livelihoods for local communities.
During the Forum, delegates watched videos introducing Viet Nam’s investment and business environment and the South-South cooperation programme in agriculture. The Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA) also presented Tanzania’s investment policies and opportunities.
Vietnamese businesses such as Intimex, Vingroup, Phulimex and Halotel, together with Tanzanian partners including TANICA, the Tanzania Mercantile Exchange (TMX), the Cashew Board, the National Irrigation Commission (NIRC) and METL Group, introduced their capabilities, products, needs and areas of interest for cooperation.
Product exhibitions held on the sidelines of the Forum also provided opportunities for businesses from the two countries to engage directly and explore potential business connections.
The Viet Nam – Tanzania Business Networking Forum helped establish a direct bridge between government agencies and the business communities of the two countries, shifting the focus from discussing potential to identifying specific partners, sectors and cooperation opportunities.
The outcomes of the Forum also provided further momentum for discussions at the Second Meeting of the Viet Nam – Tanzania Intergovernmental Committee, with a view to translating commitments into concrete programmes, projects and long-term partnerships, thereby making a practical contribution to strengthening economic, trade and investment relations between Viet Nam and Tanzania.
