Southern localities boost links in trade, investment promotion

Ca Mau (VNA) – Officials of 21 southern provinces and cities gathered at a meeting in Ngoc Hien district, Ca Mau province, on April 25 to review their five-year cooperation in trade and investment promotion.

They reported that in the last five years, they organised nearly 2,450 events to promote trade and assist businesses to popularise Vietnamese products in the domestic and foreign markets.

Those activities included nearly 90 overseas fairs and exhibitions, about 220 other overseas promotion events, and more than 125 fairs and exhibitions at regional and provincial levels in different Vietnamese localities. More than 780 domestic marketing programmes attracted over 9.5 million visitors.

In 2018, trade promotion centres of the southern localities carried out nearly 730 trade promotion events, supporting nearly 17,000 local businesses. They accounted for over 50 percent of such activities nationwide, according to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The localities have worked to boost exports to traditional markets like the US, Russia, the EU, Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Hong Kong (China), Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. They have also helped local firms expand their markets to new and potential ones such as the Middle Eastern, African and Arab countries.

Sharing local experience, Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) Pham Thiet Hoa said every year, his centre coordinates with provinces and cities nationwide to organise investment promotion conferences to learn about investors’ demand and introduce potential investment fields to them, thus inviting domestic investors to HCM City.

The ITPC has also worked closely with foreign diplomatic agencies in Vietnam such as embassies, consulates and business associations to help seek information about and access foreign investors, Hoa noted.

Meanwhile, Director of Ca Mau’s centre for investment promotion and business support Quach Van An said his province boasts favourable conditions for developing many sectors like agriculture, forestry, fisheries, renewable energy, food processing and tourism, but they are not the prerequisites for attracting and keeping investors. The important factor is an optimal business climate and legal corridor and authorities’ support for businesses.

Deputy Director of the Lam Dong centre for investment, trade and tourism promotion Nguyen Van Hung said the province have implemented various activities such as advertising its images and tourism on publications, websites, newspapers and social networks; assisting enterprises to take part in tourism fairs and workshops; and organising FAM and press trips for domestic and foreign delegations. They have generated good effects on local tourism.

At the meeting, the southern localities agreed that they will enhance cooperation in the time ahead, especially in programmes connecting provinces and cities in the region, to capitalise on each locality’s advantages. Their trade promotion activities will focus on consolidating the domestic market and diversifying export destinations.-VNA