Workshop “Export, investment and startup capital opportunities” at Hoa Sen University

18/01/2024

Workshop on Export, investment and startup capital opportunities with international investment experts

Mr. Charlie In, Chairman of Raffles Financial Investment Fund and Victoria Financial Group in Singapore, said that the fund will spend 100 million USD to invest in the agricultural sector in Vietnam.

*Mr. Charlie In presented at the conference*

On September 9, at the conference “Opportunities to export, invest and raise capital for startups” organized by Hoa Sen University, Mr. Charlie In, Chairman of Raffles Financial Investment Fund and Victoria Financial Group in Singapore, expressed There is great interest in Vietnam’s agricultural sector and the desire to invest in this field.

Mr. Charlie In first expressed his admiration for Vietnam for being able to produce many diverse agricultural products with very good quality. This is something that his country cannot have. Even though it has money, the natural conditions of an island are not favorable for agricultural development. Therefore, the issue of food security is always of great importance to Singapore, because even though there are many deposits in banks around the world, without food, it cannot survive.

“We want to find friendly neighboring countries that can provide food for us,” Mr. Charlie In said, affirming that the two countries are “partners” and not a relationship of exploitation. “My selfish motive in doing all this is because I want to ensure food security for Singapore,” he said frankly. I want to have fresh vegetables and good fruits imported into Singapore.”

He added: “Many people don’t understand, they say, you guys came to Vietnam to force them, buy cheap from them. But not so. We know that this is not sustainable. We want to invest in you to develop sustainable agriculture, raise standards, with many environmentally friendly green products. Thereby increasing GDP, increasing income for farmers and from there we also benefit.”

In addition to investing in green agriculture, Mr. Charlie In also shared about the importance of the processing industry. He cited, if you only sell raw agricultural products, you may only earn 10 cents, but when you package it beautifully, ready to eat or cook, we can sell it for $1. GDP can also increase significantly from there. That is creating value of the product.

Representatives of Singapore’s investment fund are also proud that Singapore is the largest foreign investor in Vietnam today. “We want to invest an amount of about $100 million to start,” said Mr. Charlie In.

At the seminar, in addition to Mr. Charlie In’s presentation, there was also a sharing from MSc. Do Huu Thanh, CEO of Su Tu Vang Garment Company on Entrepreneurial Thinking. Mr. Thanh shared with more than 150 Hoa Sen University students about his startup story and his 27-year journey from an employee to the businessman he is today.

In addition, there was also Founder and General Director of Smart Logistics Vietnam Co., Ltd. Tran Van Phuong sharing about logistics trends in Vietnam.