Hanoi, Vietnam | The Pearl of Africa Business Forum – Vietnam Chapter closed on 12 August 2026, with officials on both sides clearly optimistic that Uganda and Vietnam are ready to do business differently.
The Forum was convened by the Uganda High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, together with Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies; and the Private Sector from both countries. As the Mission accredited to Vietnam, the High Commission in Kuala Lumpur led the process to turn a long-standing political friendship into real economic results.
Trade: the numbers are starting to tell a new story
For years, trade between Uganda and Vietnam was quiet. That is now poised to change. H.E. Le Anh Tuan, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the Forum that bilateral trade grew from USD 28.6 million in 2024 to USD 53.4 million in 2025.
Other official figures shared during the week put total trade for 2025 at USD 95.47 million. Uganda’s exports were led by coffee, cotton and meat at USD 49.85 million, while imports from Vietnam came in at USD 45.62 million. These include animal feeds, cement clinker, electronics, garments and footwear. Uganda ended the year with a trade surplus.
The bigger picture, however, is that with Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) open, Ugandan companies met Vietnamese buyers this week who want consistent supply of coffee and leather. Vietnamese manufacturers asked Ugandan partners about distribution into Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and DRC. That is the kind of conversation that dominated the Forum and will turn trade lines into supply chains.
Investment: from commitments to concrete projects
Vietnamese FDI in Uganda currently stands at about USD 40 million. Ba Dinh JSC has committed USD 35 million to gold exploration. ATAD Steel has invested USD 500,000 in construction. But the interest at the Forum this week went beyond those numbers.
At the sector sessions run by UIA and PSFU, the questions were practical: land, energy tariffs, skilled labour, and how fast a factory can be operational. The focus areas were agro-processing, manufacturing, minerals, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and tourism.
Deputy Minister Tuan put it plainly: “Vietnam is not looking for aid. We are looking for partners to build with. Uganda offers the market and the resources. We bring technology and experience.”
ICT: the area with the most energy
If trade is the foundation, ICT is where both sides see the quickest wins. This was the first time Ugandan and Vietnamese tech firms sat down together without a long agenda. They talked about three things: digital payments for cross-border trade, agritech tools for coffee traceability, and a BPO pilot that could employ Ugandan graduates to support Vietnamese companies.
Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, captured it during the signing of the Coffee Value Chain Agreement: “Our farmers are already on their phones. Our youth are already online. Let’s build the platforms here so the value stays here, in Kampala and in Hanoi.” Both sides agreed to come back with two practical pilot proposals within 90 days.
What this means going forward
Over 300 people attended the Forum — government, business, and members of the Ugandan community in Asia. On the sidelines, Uganda and Vietnam signed a Collaboration Agreement on Coffee Value Chain Development following a technical visit earlier this year. Hon. Tumwebaze was direct: “An MOU means nothing if a farmer doesn’t see a better price next season. That is the test.”
In closing, H.E. Ambassador Betty Oyella Bigombe, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur with accreditation to Vietnam, said: “We did not come to Hanoi to make speeches. We came to find partners. Uganda brings the land, the people and the market. Vietnam brings the skills and the speed. Together, that means factories, jobs and exports. That is the new era.”
She added: “If we strengthen bilateral relations and economic diplomacy with Việt Nam, we can achieve our goal of becoming a top middle-income country.”
Uganda and Vietnam share over 50 years of diplomatic ties rooted in South-South cooperation, industrialization, and agricultural transformation. The partnership was revitalized by H.E. President Museveni’s State Visit to Vietnam in November 2022.
The business forum was attended by Ambassador Richard Kabonero, the Head of Regional Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Susan Kabonero Muhwezi, the Senior Presidential Advisor on AGOA, and the CEO of Uganda Tourism Board, Juliana Kagwa.