Hanoi (VNA) – The second meeting of the Vietnam-Tanzania Joint Commission for economic, trade, technical, scientific, cultural and social cooperation concluded in Tanzania on September 25, with the two sides agreeing on priority areas and measures to turn cooperation potential into concrete projects.
Held in Dar es Salaam and Arusha, the five-day session reviewed bilateral cooperation, addressed obstacles and explored new opportunities for economic and trade partnerships, contributing to strengthening Tanzania’s role as a key partner of Vietnam in East Africa.
Vietnam's inter-sectoral delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep.
At the technical session, the two sides discussed cooperation in politics, diplomacy and security; finance, investment, trade and transport; agriculture, forestry, fisheries and livestock; and science and technology, focusing on promoting the bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement (BIPA) and double tax avoidance agreement (DTA), trade promotion, agricultural production and processing, irrigation, fisheries, forest management, climate change response, digital transformation and telecommunications infrastructure.
They agreed to strengthen coordination and develop highly feasible cooperation programmes, while promoting South-South cooperation in agriculture and closer links among government agencies, businesses and professional organisations of the two countries.
At the official session, the two sides reviewed all areas of cooperation, identified priorities and signed the minutes of the session, outlining measures to implement the reached agreements. They committed to further completing key legal frameworks, particularly the BIPA and DTA, to create a more transparent and favourable business environment.
On the occasion, Intimex Group JSC signed a cooperation agreement with Akros Cashew Factory and a memorandum of understanding with Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited (METL), helping expand trade and supply-chain links between the two business communities.
The Vietnamese delegation then conduct field visits in Arusha and met with local officials, during which the two sides discussed cooperation potential in agriculture, agro-processing, environmental protection and sustainable development.
On the second working day, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation and Viettel Tanzania (Halotel), organised the Vietnam-Tanzania Business Forum, attracting more than 50 delegates and major Vietnamese companies, including Vingroup, Intimex, Phulimex and Viettel.
The forum focused on the investment and business environment and cooperation opportunities in agriculture, agro-processing, infrastructure, mining, technology, telecommunications and marine economy.
Tanzanian representatives outlined investment incentives and called for deeper processing and higher value-added production, while Vietnamese businesses shared their experience and capacity. Following the forum, Vingroup surveyed the real estate market in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, Phulimex explored agricultural opportunities, and Viettel worked with local authorities on telecommunications and digital transformation.
Vietnam–Tanzania trade relations continue to record positive growth in recent years. Vietnam considers Tanzania an important partner in East Africa and is ready to serve as a bridge for Tanzanian goods to access the ASEAN market. The two sides also agreed to promote developing stable supply chains for products Tanzania has strengths in and Vietnam needs, including raw cashew nuts, cotton, legal timber and certain essential minerals.
In investment, Halotel remains a prominent project, with total investment of about 1 billion USD. It serves more than 18 million subscribers and provides jobs for over 30,000 local workers, importantly contributing to telecommunications infrastructure and the digital economy in the Eastern African nation.
The second meeting of the Vietnam-Tanzania Joint Commission and related activities contributed to strengthening the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Tanzania while opening new avenues for all-around cooperation and turning potential into substantive projects./.
