"I'm delighted that we were hosted by the new ambassador. Our meetings with Mrs. Barth, as well as with the Goethe Institute, were extremely enriching. It is important for us to establish a rapport with people from various sectors that live here, as they can offer the best insights into Vietnam. These different perspectives are important in order to be able to develop specific targets for our activities here," said Dominik Kupilas, Werder's head of fan & business development, who was part of the delegation.

A further highlight for the delegation was an after-work event hosted by the German Business Association (GBA), which seeks to connect entrepreneurs from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The so-called 'German meet-up' takes place regularly and provides an ideal opportunity to network.

Also on the agenda were two visits to two local education institutions. The delegation met with representatives from the Phenikaa International University, before heading to an inter-school competition organised via a joint initiative from SV Werder, Bremen Invest and the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad. Werder had partnered with the latter two years ago to develop educational materials that would facilitate English-language courses for students with the help of SV Werder. Vietnamese freestyle footballer, PhatFreestyle, also took part in the school event.

"Visits to educational institutions are also an important component of our strategy. We try to combine the topics of education and fitness in our projects, because sport makes it possible to make learning fun. This is a core principle that we want to implement not only in Bremen, but in Vietnam as well. Additionally, it is a key point of contact between us and the younger generation, who represent one of our target markets," said Kupilas. "It was a very successful trip. We're looking forward to the next one."