Businesses in Can Tho city will greatly benefit if they are able to penetrate the Dubai market, heard a seminar held in the city on September 27.

Dubai , one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is an important gateway to the Middle East and North Africa .

Vietnamese businesses and those in the Mekong Delta in particular; however, are facing tremendous difficulties as a result of the global economic recession and technical barriers when entering choosy markets like the US , the EU and Japan , said Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Dao Anh Dung.

In addition, they have yet to fully penetrate such affluent and stable markets as the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) grouping Saudi Arabia , Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , Qatar and the UAE.

The seminar, therefore, is a rare opportunity for local business players to explore ways to pierce these emerging markets.

Director of the LP Vietnam Academy of Entrepreneurs Nguyen Lien Phuong cited rice, seafood, processed farm produce, construction materials and green bonsai as the export strengths of Can Tho city and Mekong Delta provinces, while the aforementioned markets are assessed as those with strong purchasing power.

Vietnam ’s exports to Dubai have seen rapid growth in recent years, from 2.3 billion USD in 2012 to an expected 4.2 billion this year.-VNA