Principal market
Vietnam
Vietnam is one of the fastest-developing manufacturing and export economies in Southeast Asia, with an extensive network of free trade agreements including the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
Vietnam market programmeChapter
Southeast Asia Chapter
The Chamber's platform for trade, investment and institutional cooperation between Southeast Asia, Romania and the wider European market.
Active chapter11 economiesSingapore
Overview
The Chapter's mandate
The Southeast Asia Chapter organises the Chamber's work across eleven economies of the region. It supports companies entering or expanding in Southeast Asian markets, advises Southeast Asian companies and institutions on the Romanian and EU market, and maintains working relations with chambers, federations and public bodies in the region.
To build durable commercial and institutional links between the economies of Southeast Asia and Romania and the European Union, supporting market entry, industrial cooperation and long-term investment.
Institutional heritage
The Chamber began as the India–Southeast Asia Chamber of Commerce, and Southeast Asia has been part of its mandate since foundation. That period produced lasting institutional relationships, including the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), an Indian apex business federation, as well as working meetings in Hanoi with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The Southeast Asia Chapter continues that work under the International South Chamber of Commerce.
Our storyCoverage
Countries in the Chapter
Principal market
Singapore
Singapore is the principal financial, legal and headquarters centre of Southeast Asia and the standard base for regional management, treasury and trading functions.
Singapore market programmePriorities
Chapter priority areas
- 01
Manufacturing & industrial supply chains
Electronics, automotive components, machinery and supply chain diversification.
- 02
Food & FMCG
Food processing, ingredients, packaging and consumer goods distribution.
- 03
Energy
Power generation, renewables, transition technology and energy equipment.
- 04
Infrastructure
Transport, urban development and utilities programmes.
- 05
Logistics & ports
Maritime gateways, freight corridors and warehousing networks.
- 06
Digital economy & technology
Software, digital services, data infrastructure and e-commerce.
- 07
Financial services
Trade finance, insurance and investment structuring.
- 08
Healthcare
Pharmaceuticals, medical devices and hospital services.
- 09
Tourism & hospitality
Travel, hospitality investment and destination cooperation.
- 10
Aviation
Air connectivity, aircraft services and aerospace supply.
Focus
ASEAN business gateway
The ten member states of ASEAN form a single, increasingly integrated commercial space of more than 670 million people, supported by regional trade agreements, tariff harmonisation and rapidly developing industrial and logistics corridors. The Chapter uses that structure practically. Members are advised on which market to enter first, how regional rules of origin and supply-chain arrangements affect their operations, and where regional hubs — most commonly Singapore for finance and headquarters functions, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia for manufacturing and distribution — can serve a wider Southeast Asian strategy.
Focus
Connected strategic market: India
India is not part of Southeast Asia, but it is inseparable from this Chapter's history and network. The organisation was founded as the India–Southeast Asia Chamber of Commerce, and the relationships built in that period remain part of the Chamber's institutional capital. Chief among them is the Memorandum of Understanding with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), an Indian institution. The Chamber presents India as a connected strategic market: relevant to members through supply chains, services, technology and investment flows that increasingly run between India and Southeast Asia, and covered through the Chamber's South Asia structures rather than as a Southeast Asian market.
Services
What we do
Market entry
Structured entry advice: market assessment, entry-mode options, regulatory and tax orientation, and practical sequencing for a first commercial presence.
Business introductions
Bilateral and multilateral introductions to companies, chambers, associations and buyers, prepared and qualified before meetings are arranged.
Trade missions and delegations
Incoming and outgoing delegations, sector missions and accompanying programmes built around member objectives.
Institutional and government engagement
Engagement with ministries, agencies, embassies and partner chambers on behalf of members and the Chapter's wider agenda.
Investment facilitation
Support for greenfield investment, joint ventures and acquisitions, including introductions to investment promotion agencies and local advisers.
Partner identification
Structured partner, distributor and supplier searches with screening and shortlisting.
Business intelligence
Market, sector and regulatory briefings prepared for boards and management teams.
Events and commercial diplomacy
Roundtables, briefings and high-level meetings that place members alongside decision-makers.
Sectors
Priority sectors
Manufacturing and supply chains
Contract manufacturing, industrial relocation, component sourcing and supplier development.
Electronics and technology
Electronics assembly, semiconductors, digital services and the regional technology economy.
Energy
Power generation, renewables, LNG and energy-transition projects.
Infrastructure
Transport, urban and industrial infrastructure programmes.
Logistics and maritime
Ports, shipping, freight corridors and regional distribution.
Food, agriculture and FMCG
Agri-processing, food safety, branded consumer goods and distribution.
Healthcare and wellness
Medical devices, pharmaceuticals, healthcare services and health tourism.
Defence and aerospace
Aerospace supply chains and defence industrial cooperation, where appropriate and permitted.
Trade
Trade & investment
The Chapter monitors bilateral trade and investment flows between Southeast Asia, Romania and the European Union, and provides members with sector briefings, tariff and regulatory guidance, and introductions to counterparties, financing institutions and public authorities.
Advisory
Market entry
Market entry support covers company formation and representation, partner and distributor identification, due diligence, regulatory and certification pathways, tender intelligence and the practical steps of establishing a first commercial presence.
Programme
Delegations & business missions
The Chapter organises inbound and outbound business missions, trade delegations, sector-focused visits and participation in regional fairs and forums, coordinated with partner chambers and diplomatic missions.
Chamber delegations and institutional meetings in the Chapter's markets.
Partnerships
Institutional cooperation
The Chapter works with chambers of commerce, industry federations, investment promotion agencies, embassies and public institutions across the region to formalise cooperation, exchange market intelligence and support joint programmes.
Network
Chapter partners and institutional relationships
- Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
Strategic institutional partner — Active / inherited from ISEARCC
Memorandum of Understanding signed with FICCI, an Indian institution, as part of the Chamber's India–Southeast Asia origins.
Calendar
Events
No events scheduled for this chapter yet.
All eventsInsights
News & insights
- EU–Vietnam trade and the Southeast Asian corridorAn insight note on the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and Romanian opportunities.
- Senior-level engagement with VCCI in HanoiMeetings in Hanoi with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry opened a channel for structured cooperation.
- Connecting Romania with India and Southeast AsiaThe founding mission of the Chamber: building durable commercial bridges between Romania, the European Union, India and Southeast Asia.
Governance
Chapter leadership
Chapter leadership appointments will be announced in due course.
Chamber leadershipMembership
Join the Southeast Asia Chapter
Membership of the International South Chamber of Commerce includes access to this Chapter, its market intelligence, delegations and institutional network.