Patrick Regis, CEO of Rolls Royce Vietnam and chairman of the British Business Group in Vietnam complained that Rolls Royce a year ago applied for an investment license in Vietnam’s electricity sector and that the procedures went smoothly at first but turned complicated leaving the company to knock on ministry or department doors. He was speaking at a conference of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and foreign-invested companies in Hanoi on Monday (18 May 2009).

Michael J. Pease, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi (Amcham), approved of simplifying the business mechanism as Amcham’s enterprises show interest in power and deep-water port projects in the country.

VCCI should set up an agency to deal with foreign direct investment (FDI) business associations instead of giving different instructions at different offices, Regis added.

VCCI chairman Vu Tien Loc shared their views, saying Vietnam should improve its investment environment and help FDI enterprises.

Ashok Sud, vice president of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Eurocham), said that Vietnam has too much paperwork. The matter is serious with Unilever who make nearly 20,000 orders a month.

FDI enterprises in the country’s distribution industry asked for more administrative transparency and for more objective criteria to license international retailers. Vietnam must answer to the World Trade Organization to establish retail chains.

Harry Beirnaert, president of the Belgian Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, said that Vietnam’s universities are not prepared to meet the demand for human resources of FDI enterprises. Foreign investors, Belgian companies in particular, have found it necessary to re-train local manpower who should have been trained at university, he said.

Andrew You, chairman of Singapore Business Association Vietnam, offered to design curriculum for local economic universities to make graduates more useful to Singapore-based companies.