Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Tran Ngoc An briefs participants on the COVID-19 pandemic fight in Vietnam (Photo: VNA) London (VNA) – As many as 50 UK businesses joinedan online meeting to get updates on socio-economic situation in Vietnam as wellas developments in the Vietnam-UK relations, and seek opportunities to cooperatewith Vietnamese partners in the future.
At the meeting, held by the Vietnam-UK Network, VietnameseAmbassador to the UK Tran Ngoc An briefed participants on the COVID-19 pandemicfight in Vietnam.
He said that initial success in the fight has helped Vietnamminimise the pandemic’s negative impacts and maintain business and productionactivities, enabling the country to attract more investment.
The ambassador held that although the pandemic has ravagedthe world over the past eight months and affected many plans of activities,Vietnam and the UK have maintained close coordination with each other.
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister PhamBinh Minh and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had a phone call in Mid-July,during which Raab thanked the Vietnamese side for curing British COVID-19patients and presenting face masks to UK hospitals and social organisations.
Raab affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner in theUK’s foreign policy for Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asia, while showing his hopefor stronger partnership between the UK and the ASEAN.
Minh affirmed that as the Chair of the ASEAN in 2020,Vietnam will support partners, including the UK, to bolster collaboration withthe grouping.
Regarding the Vietnamese economic situation, An said that TheEconomist magazine listed Vietnam among five economies with highest economicgrowth in the world in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Meanwhile, the Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB) estimated Vietnam’s GDP growth at 4.8 percent in 2020 and 6.8percent in 2021, the fastest expansion in Southeast Asia and the world.
Vietnam’s GDP growth in the first six months of 2020 reached1.81 percent, led by the strong performance of major sectors such as industry,production and processing, he said, expressing his belief that the EU-VietnamFree Trade Agreement, which took effect on August 1, 2020, will open up plentyof chances for Vietnam and UK firms.
At the meeting, some businesses held that Vietnam’s smallenterprises should apply digital technology for higher efficiency. They alsodiscussed measures to increase the number of Vietnamese tourists to the UK.
Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-UK Network Paul Smith presenteda survey showing that UK businesses are interested in Vietnamese sectors offood and beverage, pharmaceuticals, education, health care, finance, banking,financial technology, tourism, artificial intelligence, environmentalprotection and renewable energy./.
VNA
