The contingent, organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) and the Hanoi People’s Committee, is the largest of its kind to ever go to South Africa thus far.
The trip aims to help Vietnamese firms access the South African market and learn about the consumption trends, customers’ tastes and the requirements of importers.
During a seminar themed “Vietnam-South Africa Business Matching”, held in Johannesburg on June 24 with the participation of over 100 local companies, Trinh Huyen Mai, head of the trade policy division under the MOIT’s Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, highlighted the constant growth in two-way trade over the past few years, from US$658 million in 2010 to more than US$1 billion last year.
The aforementioned revenue, however, has yet to match the potential for trade exchange between the two countries, she said, urging the two sides to promptly deal with the existing issues and exert greater efforts to increase Vietnam-South Africa trade turnover.
Bernadette Zeiler, chief of the international trade division under the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed his wish that trade promotion activities would turn potential into practical cooperation results, bringing economic benefits to the two countries’ business communities and further tightening the inherently good diplomatic relations between Vietnam and South Africa.
Representatives of South African enterprises visit the pavilions of Vietnamese firms at the seminar "Vietnam-South Africa Business Matching" in Johannesburg on June 24. (Photo: VNA)
Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Vu Van Dung emphasised that alongside political and cultural diplomacy, economic diplomacy is one of three pillars of Vietnam’s foreign affairs and is being strongly accelerated. As a connection bridge, the Vietnamese Embassy and its trade mission in South Africa always view the enhancement of trade-investment ties between the two countries as among their key tasks, he stated.
As part of their working trip, Vietnamese businesses participated in the 26th SAITEX - South African International Trade Exhibition 2019, in Johannesburg from June 23 to 25, during which they showcased products of Vietnam’s strengths, including garments, rice, farm produce, fishery products, processed food, coffee, rubber, construction materials, cosmetics and metallic products.
On the occasion, the Vietnamese delegation will hold a seminar to boost trade exchange between Vietnamese and South African firms in Cape Town on June 27. In addition, they will also have working sessions with South Africa’s major importers, supermarkets and distribution channels, such as Advance Cash & Carry, in order to explore the requirements of importing and distributing goods into the system of South African supermarket chains.
