ITPC, or the Investment & Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is a government agency specializing in facilitating investment and trade.

1. Mission and Vision

Our mission is to promote the growth of Ho Chi Minh City’s enterprises and foreign investors. With the networks to over 20 international BSO partners, we offer services to help enterprises export, develop business capabilities, find overseas partners, enter new markets, and to help foreign investors develop their projects in Vietnam.

In the 21^st century, we focus on promoting foreign direct investment into Ho Chi Minh City and helping small to medium size Vietnamese enterprises maximize their global export potential.

2. Profile

Name: Investment & Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC)

Established: 1982

Address: 51 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Tel: (84-28) 38236738

Fax: (84-28) 38242391

Email: itpc@itpc.gov.vn

Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) is a public non-business unit, accouting by the method of paying expenses by revenue, partially supported by the State budget according to the approved plan, having legal status, owning seal and own accounts at the State Treasury and bank according to regulations.

Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) is run by a Director and several Deputy Directors. The Center’s Director is appointed and dismissed by the Municipal People’s Committee. Deputy Directors are proposed by ITPC Director to the Municipal People’s Committee for appointment and dismissal.

The struture of ITPC includes:

• Trade Promotion Division

• Investment Promotion Division
• Information Division
• Service Division
• Training Division
• Accounting Division
• Office (Organization, Administration, Planning – General, Service for corporation)

3. History

The Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), formerly known as FTDC, is now one of the two organizations in Vietnam which have been recognized as a trade promotion organization and included in the Profiles of Trade Promotion Organizations published by the International Trade Centre/UNCTAD/WTO (ITC) and the Directory of Trade and Investment-related Organizations of Developing Countries and Areas in Asia and the Pacific by the ESCAP/UN.

The ITPC was officially established in 1982 under the name of the Export Development Center with the functions and structure similar to that established in 1964 by the former Saigon government. Since its establishment, the EDC has continuously developed and expanded its range of activities by diversifying support services. Hence, its name was changed into the Foreign Trade and Investment Development Center in 1993.

In a bid to enhance further trade and investment promotion tasks in HCMC, the municipal authorities once again renamed it as the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre in October 2001. With its main functions of export promotion and attraction of foreign direct investment into HCMC, the ITPC has provided local and foreign businesses with the updated trade and investment information, match-making and consulting services, and acted as an efficient bridge between local enterprises and foreign counterparts.

4. Activities

• Matching Vietnamese with foreign business people to develop trade goods and services
• One-stop service provider to foreign investors in identifying profitable investment projects and getting them licensed. Providing necessary information on trade and investment direct or on-line
• Trouble-shooter and intermediary in solving problems concerning trade and investment in Vietnam by hosting the dialogues – direct and on-line – between businesses and government authorities
• Advising the government of policies and measures to improve business environment and enhance competitiveness
• Organizing missions from Vietnam to participate in international trade fairs or to survey new markets.
• Holding seminar, workshop on focused issue and topics concerning trade with and investment in Vietnam
• Conducting training course for business on corporate management, integration into the globalized world economy, business regulations and procedures
• Special programs for overseas Vietnam business people.

5. Products and Facilities

Books and documents

• Import and Export Directory
• Guidebook for Investing and Doing Business in Vietnam.
• Series of booklets on trade marks, international business experience...

Websites

• ITPC website: www.itpc.hochiminhcity.gov.vn
• Business-to-Government Dialog Online system: www.doithoaidn.hochiminhcity.gov.vn

Newspapers

• ITPC News Weekly (in Vietnamese and English).

Showroom Three-in-One (Exhibition – Call Center – Export Portal).

6. Partners

• EUROCHAM
• AMCHAM
• JETRO
• IE Singapore
• UN-ESCAP
• CBI
• SWISS CONTACT
• CANCHAM
• BELCHAM
• KOTRA
• AUSTRADE
• More than 30 trade and investment promotion organizations throughout Vietnam
• VIETGOODS (specialized in events communication and marketing)
• Professionals and experts in business support