1. This week, the governor of the State Bank of Vietnam is visiting Switzerland. Vietnam is very interested in the experience of the Swiss banking sector. How is Switzerland, or you as ambassador to Vietnam, helping to position Swiss expertise in banking and public finance management in Vietnam?

Switzerland has been working with Vietnam in the areas of public finance management and banking for many years. One example is the Swiss Bank Executives Training Programme (Swiss BET), which since 2009 has been providing Vietnamese banking executives with state-of-the-art expertise in leadership, risk management, governance and sustainable financing.

At the end of August, I attended the graduation ceremony in Da Nang, where 84 executives – the future leaders of Vietnam's financial sector – completed their 18-month training programme. As Markus Bürgi, CFOO of the Swiss Finance Institute (SFI), said: “Banking executives are not only responsible for money, they manage trust, stability and opportunities!”

As an ambassador, it is particularly important to me that this programme not only imparts knowledge, but also brings people and business partners together.

2. How does the “Swiss Bank Executive Training”-project bring these very different business cultures together?

Swiss BET, which is financed by SECO and implemented by the Swiss Finance Institute (SFI), not only are board members and practitioners from the Swiss banking sector involved in transferring know-how and skills to Vietnamese bank managers and central bankers, but bridges are also being built for business opportunities between Swiss and Vietnamese bankers.

The medium-term goal is for Swiss banks to be able to rely on Vietnamese bankers and institutions when initiating and conducting business. This not only promotes Vietnam's further development, for example in infrastructure investments, but also benefits the Swiss economy. As far as I know, various business opportunities have already resulted in concrete deals in which Vietnamese banks are working with Swiss banks. Swiss companies have also been able to promote technical solutions for Vietnamese e-banking – this FinTech area is another sector that SECO specifically promotes in Vietnam.

3. What long-term opportunities do you see for Switzerland in its cooperation with Vietnam in the area of financial sector development?

Cooperation in the financial sector is part of a broader, dynamic economic relationship between Switzerland and Vietnam. Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing markets in Asia and an important partner in the ASEAN region. The networks established in the financial sector and the mutual trust that has been built up form a solid foundation for successful cooperation in other areas too, such as sustainable infrastructure, innovation, education and trade. This opens up long-term opportunities for Switzerland to further expand its presence in a promising market.