Marko Walde, chief representative of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam, said 90% of German enterprises are of small and medium size and they often plan for long-term investment, lasting 15-20 years. To operate production machines, they need highly-skilled laborers.

"German businesses do not come to Vietnam for cheap workforce and then shift their production to other destinations a few years later,” said Walde at the workshop "Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership: situation and prospects” held in HCMC on Monday. The event was organized by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Association of HCMC in coordination with Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

Vocational training is identified as one of the important areas to the development of relations between Vietnam and Germany in the coming time. Conrad Cappel, German consul-general in HCMC, said the two countries had agreed to cooperate in investment in human resources.

In October 2011, on the occasion of German Chancellor Angela Markel’s visit to Vietnam, leaders of the two nations signed an agreement to raise the bilateral relationship into strategic partnership.

Vietnam and Germany have joined hands in certain education and vocational training projects. For example, the Vietnamese-German University, specializing in training high-tech engineers, was established in HCMC in 2008 and recently the International German School was opened in HCMC’s District 2 on September 19.

Jurgen Mallon, principal of the Vietnamese German University, said the school combined vocational training and scientific research in order to supply high-level human resources to German enterprises as well as Vietnamese firms active in supporting industries.

Mallon informed a similar campus would be developed on a 50-hectare area in Binh Duong. The project worth US$180 million is set for completion in 2017.

As of July 20, 2012, Germany still had 184 valid projects in Vietnam, with total registered capital of US$904 million ranking 24th among 95 nations and territories with investment in Vietnam.