Russian firms enter ASEAN

ASEAN is of increasing interest to Russian companies. Therefore, Vietnam -with its close ties with Russia - is considered the gateway to ASEAN markets for these Russian firms.

Softline is a Russian information technology firm. The company opened a representative office in Vietnam for the Southeast Asian region 5 years ago. Its customers in Southeast Asia tripled and the company has opened representative offices in 6 countries in the region since its establishment.

Russian car manufacturers, like Kamaz and Gaz, have also chosen Vietnam as their base and are looking to expand to other ASEAN markets. They are also actively preparing for the implementation on car manufacturing and assembly co-operation between Russia and Vietnam signed in March this year.

According to the Chief Representative of the Russian Trade Office in Vietnam, Maxim Golikov, Russia will open a trade centre in Hanoi this year. The centre will provide advice and financial support for Russian small and medium firms to implement their projects in Vietnam, and eventually expand to the wider ASEAN market in the near future.