The Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa participated in a festival held in Johannesburg city from April 5-6 to promote economics and tourism.

Highlighting the trade potentials in Vietnam, Ambassador Le Duy Hoang introduced to participants a tourism programme that features myriad national wonders, cultural festivals, and traditional cuisines.

The Vietnamese pavilion showcasing a number of fine arts, handicrafts and books on local popular tourist destinations and gastronomy drew much attention from the festive goers.

Ambassador Hoang told reporters from the Vietnam News Agency that there has been much potential in developing the nation’s tourism industry, which needs more investment and popularisation.

Through their visits, tourists not only help Vietnam popularise its images, but also introduce various services and products as a way to help push global trade ties forward, Hoang said.

He suggested making effective use of the nation’s historical and cultural values besides focusing on the high-quality services to lure more visitors to Vietnam.

According to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), two-way trade between Vietnam and South Africa hit 920 million USD last year from 722.6 million USD in 2012.-VNA