The Vietnamese government has agreed to open a trade and business promotion centre in Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh to boost trade ties between the two countries.

This was announced by Tu Minh Thien, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) after the press conference to introduce the Ho Chi Minh City Expo 2010, which is scheduled to run from July 15-19 in Phnom Penh.

Thien affirmed that the move is one of Vietnam’s efforts to reach the target of two billion USD in bilateral trade with Cambodia, especially at a time when Vietnam becomes the second largest importer of Cambodia.

Mao Thora, Cambodian Secretary of State for Commerce Ministry, also affirmed that the opening of trade promotion centre would help strengthen trade and investment relations between the two countries.

This decision would create favourable condition for the distribution of Vietnamese goods in Cambodia, helping Vietnamese businesses understand consumers’ requirements and provide suitable goods, he said, stressing that this is a good signal for Cambodian economy.

In 2009, over 500 businesses exported goods to Cambodia through ITPC./.