Algiers (VNA) – Trade between Vietnam and Tunisia is complementary, with many Vietnamese goods, particularly agricultural products, earning recognition from Tunisian businesses and consumers for their competitive prices and quality.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Hoang Duc Nhuan, Vietnam’s Trade Counsellor in Algeria concurrently responsible for the Tunisian market, said they have demand for a wide range of Vietnamese products, particularly farm produce, industrial products, and textile, garment and footwear materials.
Each year, Tunisia imports around 30,000 tonnes of green coffee beans, mainly robusta, 30,000 tonnes of rice and 360,000 tonnes of sugar. Under current regulations, the Tunisian Trade Office imports basic commodities such as rice, sugar, coffee, and green tea through international tenders.
However, since 2024, under Law No. 120, certain Tunisian private enterprises can import these products with authorisation from the Tunisian Trade Office, creating new opportunities for Vietnamese goods to expand their presence in this North African market.
Nhuan noted that businesses in both countries still face several challenges, including a lack of mutual trust in business dealings, payment arrangements, high import tariffs and the absence of resident diplomatic and trade missions in each other’s capitals.
According to Vietnam Customs, bilateral trade reached 59.43 million USD in the first nine months of 2026, up 9.7% year-on-year. Vietnam’s exports totalled 45.47 million USD, an increase of 10.2%, while imports from Tunisia stood at 13.96 million USD, up 8.3%.
Vietnam’s exports to Tunisia include footwear and materials, mobile phones, printed circuit boards, printers, coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, desiccated coconut, fishery products, electrical and electronic products, yarn, power cables, electrical transformers, garments, fabrics, plastic materials and carboxylic acids.
Meanwhile, Vietnam imports seafood, medical, surgical and dental equipment, animal feed and ingredients, dates, figs, cotton, plastic materials, tanned leather and textiles from Tunisia.
In March 2026, the Vietnam Trade Office in Algeria, which also covers Tunisia, held an online market consultation session for Vietnamese businesses to improve understanding of the Tunisian market.
In June, the office visited Tunisia and met representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Export Development, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA) and the Confederation of Tunisian Citizen Enterprises (CONECT). It also attended the international food industry trade fair IFTA AFRICA 2026.
On the occasion, the office worked with UTICA to organise an online business-matching conference connecting 30 enterprises from the two countries./.
