London (VNA) – The Vietnam Business Associationin the UK (VBUK) has made great contributions to connecting Vietnamese enterprisesat home and in the UK, heard the association’s congress held in London on October 16.

According to VBUK President Phuong Hoang, so far this year, theassociation has coordinated with the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnam TradeOffice in the UK to organise a number of activities, including Vietnamese goodsweeks in London and Nottingham, and the January Furniture trade fair in Birmingham.

The activities contributed to bringing Vietnamese productscloser to local consumers and distributors, especially furniture, handicraftsand farm produce, he said.

At the same time, the VBUK has also held many onlineconferences to give consultancy to businesses and people in corporategovernance, along with some social activities for Vietnamese firms in the UK,he added.

Phuong said that in the time to come, the association willfocus on promoting trade partnership between businesses in the UK and Europewith their peers in Vietnam, increasing activities to enhance the prestige ofthe Vietnamese business community in the UK, and stepping up charityactivities.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK NguyenHoang Long expressed his hope that the association will maintain its role as abridge for the Vietnamese business community in the UK and Vietnam.

Long noted that the Vietnam-UK relations are expanding,especially in economy, trade and investment. Last year, two-way trade rose 17%,while Vietnam’s exports to the UK increased over 20%. The UK is currently one of the 10 biggestexport markets of Vietnam, while Vietnam is the UK’s second largest exportmarket in Southeast Asia, he added.

The UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) has brought about great chances to both sides to strengthen trade ties, he said, noting that in the firsteight months of this year, two-way trade still grew despite complicated developments in the world.

The diplomat said that in 2023, many activities will be held to celebrate the50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-UK diplomatic ties. He asked for theVBUK's coordination in promoting the image of the nation and people in the UK andexplore bilateral partnership opportunities between the two countries.

Established in 2006, the VBUK has supported many businessesin the UK and Europe in seeking partnerships with their peers in Vietnam, while providingoversea Vietnamese people in the UK with information on investment regulationsin Vietnam, and assisting Vietnamese students to find study opportunities inthe UK./.