Pretoria (VNA) – A Vietnamese trade promotiondelegation that includes 22 local businesses from five localities is visitingSouth Africa from June 21 – 29, seeking partnerships and export opportunities.

Co-organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) andthe Hanoi People’s Committee as part of the 2019 national trade promotionprogramme, the trip aims at showcasing Vietnamese products, looking for tradepartners and investment opportunities, and studying consumers’ taste andimporters’ requirement in the market.

On June 24, a workshop on connecting Vietnamese and SouthAfrican businesses took place in Johannesburg, with the participation of over 100local firms.

Speaking at the event, Trinh Huyen Mai from the MoIT’sVietnam Trade Promotion Agency said despite the geographical distance, the twocountries’ bilateral trade increased continuously from 658 million USD in 2010to over 1 billion USD in 2018.

However, she added the figures still fall short of potentialdue to the lack of information shared between Vietnamese and Africanenterprises and of regular delegation exchanges. Efforts should be made totackle the issue, the official noted.

Bernadette Zeiler, head of the international trade unit at theJohannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed the hope that tradepromotion activities will help turn potential into practical outcomes, bringingbenefits to the two business communities and strengthening the Vietnam – SouthAfrica relations.

Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Vu Van Dung stressedthe embassy and its trade office always consider boosting the bilateraltrade-investment ties among top priorities.

As scheduled, Vietnamese firms are showcasing the nation’skey products, such as apparel, rice, coffee, processed food, and constructionmaterials, at the South African International Trade Exhibition 2019 (SAITEX),which runs from June 23 to 25. The expo brings together over 320 enterprisesfrom 34 countries.

On June 25, the delegation plans to have a meeting withrepresentatives of the South African Ministry of Trade and Industry to discussmatters of common interest and plans for future cooperation opportunities.

On June 27, it will organise a workshop on Vietnam-SouthAfrica trade in Cape Town. They will also hold separated meetings with localimporters, and retailers, including Advance Cash & Carry.-VNA