The event was organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) and the Asia-Africa Markets Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). Speaking at the matching, ITPC Director Tran Phu Lu said Bangladesh is Vietnam's second-largest trading partner in South Asia, accounting for 9.3% of Vietnam's exports to South Asia and 2% of Vietnam's imports from South Asia in 2023.
The import-export turnover in the first six months of 2024 between Vietnam and Bangladesh is estimated to have reached 562 million USD, with Vietnam's exports to Bangladesh estimated at 505 million USD.
Major export commodities include clinker and cement (110 million USD), various fibers and yarns (83.8 million USD), textiles and garments (90 million USD), raw plastics (28 million USD), and materials for textiles, garments, leather, and footwear (37 million USD).
The business matching between Bangladeshi and Vietnamese enterprises focused on trade connectivity in various industries including textiles and garments, electricity, electronics and energy, machinery, tourism, logistics, healthcare, and raw materials (plastics, paper, and chemicals).
Stressing that Vietnamese enterprises can consider Bangladesh as a gateway to penetrate and expand into the South Asian market, Ashraf Ahmed, President of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called on Vietnamese investors to invest in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has an impressive investment mechanism, diverse financial and non-financial benefits, and a favourable legal environment for foreign investment, he added.
Ashraf Ahmed further proposed that the two countries should expedite studies on the possibility of signing a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to strengthen the stability of bilateral economic and trade relations in the region. In addition, he advocated for the early establishment of direct air connectivity between Dhaka and Hanoi to facilitate trade and investment as well as to promote tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
