The two-way trade between Vietnam and Chile reached over 791.9 million USD in the first 11 months of this year with the balance of trade in favour of the Southeast Asian nation.

During the January-November period, Vietnam’s exports to Chile were valued at 465.6 million USD while imports from the South American country were 326.4 million USD.

Nguyen Thanh Quang, a representative from the Chilean Consulate General’s Trade Office in Ho Chi Minh City said Vietnam’s main exports were footwear, apparel, coffee, plastic products, vegetable and fruits, and wooden furniture.

Chile has advantages in mining, metallurgy, fishing, wine making, and food processing which turn out products in line with Vietnam’s demand, he added.

According to Quang, through Chile, Vietnamese goods are expected enter other Latin American markets.

The free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, which came into effect on January 1, 2014, has offered numerous opportunities for businesses as well as creating a breakthrough for Vietnamese goods to penetrate into the Chilean market, he said.

Under the agreement, 87.8 percent of goods exported from Chile enjoy preferential taxes over the next 15 years. Vietnam in turn benefits from a low-to-zero tax rate for its key export products, namely garments, seafood, coffee, tea, computers and spare parts.

In 2013, two-way trade reached 534 million USD, of which Vietnam’s imports were 315 million USD.-VNA