The Indian Embassy in Vietnam held a Vietnam-India trade exchange programme on January 22, in coordination with the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (Incham).

At the Hanoi event, titled “Happy Tet: Horse Year 2014’, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Shrimati Preeti Saran stressed that the friendship between the two nations, first established by President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlan Nehru, is continuously developing to this day thanks to the work of leaders and citizens from both sides.

The two countries celebrated 40 years of official diplomatic ties and five years of strategic partnership in 2012.

The ambassador expressed her hope that cooperation will be extended in all fields, including politics, economy society, education and security defence.

The trade relationship between the two countries grew dramatically in 2013, with an estimated 5 billion USD worth of two-way trade, an increase of 33 percent compared to 2012, Incham Chairman Harish Taparia said.

The investment activity between the two countries businesses has also increased sharply, with most money being poured into tea, pharmaceutical products, information technology and energy.

The two countries have set a target of reaching a bilateral trade turnover of 15 billion USD by 2020.-VNA