Khanh Hoa (VNA)♌ – The south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa hosted an event connecting local and Chinese enterprises on December 11.

Co-hosted by the provincial authorities and the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, the gathering aimed to facilitate information exchange and unlock new cooperation opportunities in tourism, trade, agro-forestry and seafood. In his opening speech, Standing Vice Chairman of provincial People’s Committee Le Huu Hoang highlighted Khanh Hoa's strategic position in Vietnam's socio-economic landscape. He informed that the province aims to become a centrally-run city by 2030; a smart, sustainable, and internationally connected urban area that serves as a global hub for marine services and tourism. According to him, Khanh Hoa expects to welcome 10.6 million tourists this year, including over 4.5 million foreigners, a 1.9-fold increase from the previous year. China remains a key market, with an estimated 750,000 arrivals, making it the second largest source of foreign arrivals in the province. Beyond tourism, Khanh Hoa's strengths in seafood processing, agricultural exports, and industrial production present promising avenues for collaboration between local enterprises and their Chinese counterparts. Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Thanh Binh noted that Vietnam is China’s largest trade partner in ASEAN and the fifth largest globally. In the first 10 months of this year, two-way trade reached 168.5 billion USD, marking a 21.1% increase. Of this, Vietnam's exports to China reached 50.8 billion USD, up 2.1%, while imports surged to 117.7 billion USD, up 31.6%. Chinese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Wei Huaxiang said nearly 100 Chinese businesses are visiting Khanh Hoa, representing various sectors including finance, machinery manufacturing, infrastructure, tourism, environmental protection, legal consultancy, agricultural and seafood processing. This visit presents a valuable opportunity to deepen cooperation for mutual benefit. Participants engaged in discussions on tourism, agriculture, seafood, and trade - export and import, pledging to increase information sharing, connect industries, and promote further exchanges. On the occasion, a field trip was also arranged for Chinese firms to several local production facilities./.