VIETNAM LOGISTICS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (VLA) 5 OUTSTANDING EVENTS OF 2023

On July 12, 2023, in Hanoi, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with the President of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and the delegation of the Vietnam Logistics Business Association (VLA) led by Chairman Le Duy Hiep. This meeting coincided with the visit of FIATA leadership to Vietnam to inspect and prepare for the FIATA World Congress 2025 (FWC 2025), which VLA successfully secured the hosting rights for. Prime Minister Chinh expressed interest in FWC 2025 and highly appreciated VLA's role in the development of the Vietnamese logistics industry. The reception at the Government Headquarters was a significant honor for VLA and the logistics industry in Vietnam.

On November 17, 2023, in Ho Chi Minh City, VLA organized a ceremony to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The event highlighted VLA's integral role in the country's economic liberalization, showcasing its correct vision and necessary steps in the industry's development, especially its significant contributions in the last decade. With over 700 members, including major enterprises, VLA has played a crucial role in all aspects of the logistics industry's development in Vietnam. The association has also been a prominent voice during challenging times, such as supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The 30th-anniversary celebration included the launch of the book "30 Years of VLA," providing valuable insights for businesses, localities, and the logistics industry in Vietnam.

On November 17, 2023, for the first time in Vietnam, VLA introduced the Vietnam Provincial Logistics Competitiveness Index (LCI) during the 30th-anniversary celebration. This initiative, launched in collaboration with Dream Incubator (DI) and the Vietnam Logistics Research and Development Institute (VLI), aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of provincial logistics capabilities in Vietnam for the year 2022. The LCI results, released in a printed book titled "Vietnam Provincial Logistics Competitiveness Index 2022," serve as essential reference material for central and local government agencies in planning and implementing economic development policies, particularly in the logistics sector.

For the first time in Vietnam, the Vietnam International Logistics Exhibition (VILOG) was organized by VLA and Vinexad Advertising and Trade Fair Joint Stock Company (VINEXAD) from August 10-12, 2023, at SECC (Hall B), 799 Nguyen Van Linh, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. The exhibition featured 354 booths with participation from 256 businesses representing 22 countries and territories. With 25,018 visitors, including 21,157 trade visitors and 3,851 public visitors, VILOG highlighted logistics as one of Vietnam's fastest-growing and stable industries, with an average annual growth rate of 14-16% and a scale of 40-42 billion USD per year. VILOG has since become an annual event, with VILOG 2024 scheduled for August 1-3, 2024, at the same venue.

On July 14, 2023, VLA hosted, for the first time, the Regional Annual Conference for Asia-Pacific of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA RAP) in Da Nang, Vietnam. The conference included FIATA representatives' lectures on the Digital Journey, FIATA certificates, and the global FIATA-IATA program's benefits for the Asia-Pacific region. As the host country, VLA organized discussions emphasizing the role of logistics centers in developing cross-border transport and the East-West economic corridor in Vietnam. FIATA, a non-governmental organization with 114 national associations and over 5,500 individual members, represents approximately 40,000 freight forwarding companies worldwide. During this event, VLA successfully conducted the mid-year meeting of the Asian Freight Forwarders Association (AFFA) and facilitated B2B meetings for hundreds of AFFA member businesses.