Vietnam and Thailand have agreed to cooperate in the Meetings,Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry to promotebilateral trade.
An agreement to this effect was signed by Directorof Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) Supawan Teerarat,and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)Hoang Van Dung, in Hanoi on March 16.
Last year’s two-waytrade between Vietnam and Thailand rose 25 percent to 9 billion USDwith Vietnam ’s export earnings from Thailand up 45 percent.
Thailand has become one of 10 leading investors in Vietnam with a total of 230 investment projects.
Teerarat said the document will focus on human resources developmentand cultural and economic cooperation through MICE, expressing herhope that the cooperation will increase Vietnam ’s market share inThailand by 30 percent or 2.5 million USD in value.
Meanwhile,Dung said that the document will help enhance cooperation betweenbusinesses through MICE expert training programmes. In addition, VCCIwill closely coordinate with TCEB in promoting trade and MICE activitiesto stimulate business development.
Vietnam is one of Thailand’s potential markets in the MICE industry, especially in the exhibitionsector. This year, TCBE plans to expand its operation in the field ofmeetings.
Vietnam ranks fourth among ASEAN nations in thenumber of tourists to Thailand , after Malaysia , Singapore andLaos . From 2010-2011, Vietnamese tourist numbers grew by 30 percent.-VNA