A Vietnamese-Czech forum was held in Prague on September 22 by the Vietnam trade office in the Czech Republic and the Czech Trade Department to boost bilateral trade and investment.

Participants included representatives from the Euro-Vietnam Business Networking (EVBN), and the Czech branch of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and Czech businesses.

Addressing the event, Minister Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic Hoang Thuy Duong said the economic ties between the two countries have grown substantially, with two-way trade totaling 546 million USD last year.

However, Duong said, the cooperation has not yet reached their full potential, with just over 30 Czech investment projects in Vietnam so far, mainly in the fields of glassware, construction materials, electronic equipment, and food processing.

In his report , “Vietnam - trade and investment opportunities” , Commerce Counsellor Nguyen Thanh Long highlighted that Vietnam welcomes Czech enterprises and investors to come to the country to research market conditions, seek partners, and build alliances with a view to producing in or exporting to Vietnam.

He added that Czech businesses are currently drafting a number of investment plans for operations in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, EVBN representative Jana Ackermann disclosed that investment opportunities in Vietnam are very promising as the country boasts huge potential and open market.
At present, around 40,000 Vietnamese live and work in the Czech Republic.-VNA