On 4 November 2026, our Managing Partner Marco Förster spoke at the Vietnam Export Promotion Forum 2026 in Hanoi, where the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) officially launched the Go Global Programme. Under the theme “Go Global: Expanding Globally Together with Businesses”, the forum was organised by the programme’s Steering Committee at MOIT, in coordination with the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).
From exporting goods to building a global presence
Opening the forum, Vice Minister of Industry and Trade Luong Hoang Thai set out the programme’s division of roles: “The State creates the environment and connects resources. Localities take the initiative. Partners walk alongside. Businesses are at the centre and create the value.” He noted that 18 provinces and cities have already issued their own Local Go Global programmes.
Vu Ba Phu, Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), presented the programme’s four pathways: expanding exports, cross-border digital trade, joining regional and global value chains, and investing abroad through offices, subsidiaries, joint ventures or acquisitions. By 2030, Go Global aims to train 10,000 businesses, build expansion plans for 1,000 and give in-depth support to 100 companies investing overseas. “The measure of the programme’s success is how many businesses actually move forward on their journey into the world,” he said.
Our keynote: test, establish, scale
In his presentation, “Global Opportunities, Global Ambitions: Positioning Vietnamese Businesses in International Value Chains”, Marco set out why the timing is right. Vietnam’s economy is estimated at USD 542 billion in 2026, closing in on Thailand’s USD 599 billion, with growth of 8.4% and GDP per capita now above Indonesia’s. A fast-growing home market gives Vietnamese companies the capital and scale to go abroad.
He also pointed to the gap the programme must close. Of Vietnam’s USD 475 billion in exports in 2025, 77% came from foreign-invested companies, rising to 98% in electronics. Small and medium-sized enterprises make up 97% of all businesses but contribute only around 7% of exports.
For companies taking their first steps abroad, Marco proposed a three-stage approach:
- Test (year 1): validate demand at low fixed cost through distributors, online sales, trade fairs and Vietnam’s trade offices abroad.
- Establish (years 1 to 3): open a representative office or find a local partner, register the brand, meet local standards and hire the first local staff, aiming to cover operating costs from local revenue.
- Scale (year 3 onwards): expand through joint ventures, acquisitions and local warehouses or factories, turning the market into a hub for further partners.
His message: set a clear strategy from day one, so that risk stays controlled and every step builds on the last.
At the forum, Marco also represented the Swiss-Viet Economic Forum (SVEF), where he is Hanoi Representative, and RMIT University Vietnam, where he is an Associate Lecturer. Representatives of Foreign Trade University (FTU) and Thuongmai University (TMU) also took part. Higher education has a key role to play in Go Global: building the capabilities of the next generation of business owners and helping them see the opportunities abroad.
A partnership network for Go Global
The forum also launched the Go Global Partnership Network, which brings together business associations, trade promotion bodies, financial institutions, advisers, research institutes and international partners. VIETRADE signed cooperation agreements with supporting organisations, including SIPPO and VCCI. The panel discussion that followed brought together VIETRADE, SIPPO and BIDV with companies already active abroad, including FPT Software, TH Group and TikTok Shop. Marco joined the panel for Stratburg.
In the media
- Vietnam News: Go Global Programme seeks to move firms beyond exports to global brands
- VietnamPlus: Go Global, the shift from exporting goods to establishing Vietnamese brands (Vietnamese)
- Bao Dau Tu (Vietnam Investment Review): International expansion plans for 1,000 Vietnamese businesses (Vietnamese)
- Thoi bao Ngan hang (Banking Times): Taking goods to the world, and how to hold on to markets (Vietnamese)
More from Stratburg
- Speaking at the launch of Vietnam’s Go Global Programme
- Three years on: revisiting the B20 India recommendations on global value chains
- Our Expansion practice
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