WIPO Singapore Office Undertakes First Mission Since the Pandemic

Officer-in-charge of the WIPO Singapore Office, Mr. Peter Willimott, had the great honor to be the first overseas visitor to the IP Office of Viet Nam since the onset of the pandemic back in 2020. His mission also featured meetings with a range of stakeholders and project partners in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

Whilst in Hanoi, he had the pleasure of meeting with the IP Office Director General, IP Office Director General, Mr. Dinh Huu Phi and his staff. In the meeting there was excellent discussion on the important role IP will play in helping Vietnamese enterprises recover from the pandemic. Mr. Willimott shared that WIPO stands ready to support these efforts in any way we can. A range of collaborative activities were also agreed upon targeting SMEs and women

Supporting these efforts will be the Viet Nam IP Association (VIPA). Throughout the pandemic, the WSO and VIPA continued their excellent collaboration in jointly organizing webinars for IP professionals. VIPA President, Mr. Mr. Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac, and Mr. Willimott had a fruitful meeting with a number of webinars agreed upon, as well as an in-person seminar on IP and e-Commerce in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in 2022.

Whilst in Viet Nam, Mr. Willimott held a meeting with staff from the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). VCCI has a large database of Vietnamese enterprises and represents an important stakeholder in efforts to raise the level of awareness and use of the IP system in Viet Nam. The WSO will include the VCCI on the events relating to IP and e-commerce, and collaborate on activities to support Vietnamese women entrepreneurs build stronger businesses.

Mr. Willimott’s time in Viet Nam concluded with a meeting with staff from the South-East Asian SME Helpdesk. Once again there was a strong level of support and engagement with the potential for meaningful and impactful collaborations. Of particular interest were initiatives relating to the protection of industrial designs with the Hague System, and promotion of WIPO GREEN, WIPO’s green technology marketplace.

Whilst all of these meetings could possibly have been undertaken over Zoom, the significant progress and commitments made to undertake joint activities could not have been achieved in such a short space of time without the in-person connections and communication.