A forum was held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 3 for businesspeople from Vietnam and the UK to foster their trade ties, as part of activities to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The forum attracted the attendance of 13 leading UK businesses specialising in education and training, financial management, construction, agriculture, e-commerce and digital communications, among others.

It created a good chance for Vietnamese enterprises to study the UK market and seek partners in the fields of mutual interest as well as establish long-term business cooperation.

As of the end of last year, the UK ranked fourth among EU investors in Vietnam, operating 163 projects in the Asian country with a total registered capital of nearly 3 billion USD.

Vietnam’s exports to the UK saw an annual average increase of 17 percent.

The country mainly imports chemicals, tobacco and telecommunications equipment from the UK while shipping footwear, garments and textiles, tea, rice, coffee, seafood and rubber to the market.-VNA