Over 150 manufacturing and export businesses attended a conference evaluating trade and investment opportunities in the US held in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Nai on January 28.

Dao Tran Nhan, Vietnamese Minister-Counsellor for Trade in the US, highlighted increasing access to the US market for Vietnamese goods, especially seafood and woodwork products.

Notably, four Vietnamese fruits—rambutan, dragon fruit, longan and litchi—have been allowed to be imported directly to the US market, while mango and star fruit are under review for market licensing, he added.

According to Director of Sourcing Services of Target Group in Vietnam Giovanni Rojas, there are vast possibilities for cooperation between Vietnamese suppliers and his company. The group is currently importing Vietnamese apparel products and seeking to widen its collaboration with Vietnamese partners.

Many US business representatives agreed that while opportunities are abundant, the question is whether Dong Nai businesses can meet US market’s requirements on both quantity and quality.

According to data from the General Statistics Office (GSO), Vietnam’s exports to the US in 2014 reached 28.5 billion USD, up 19.6 percent year on year.-VNA