Vietnamese firms seek to promote farm produce export to Russia, EAEU
Hanoi (VNA) - A workshop discussing opportunities for
Vietnamese businesses to increase export of agricultural and aquatic products to
Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was held by the Vietnam Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the Vietnam Trade Office in Russia and the
Russian trade representative office in Vietnam, on November
2 in Hanoi.
In his opening remarks, Nguyen Tuan Hai, Director of the International Relations Department of VCCI said the fruitful political and diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Russia will be a foundation and favourable condition for economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries to develop strongly in the coming time.
Since the Vietnam - EAEU Free Trade Agreement (Vietnam-EAEU FTA) officially entered into force in
October 2016, the deal has become a solid foundation for trade and
investment cooperation between the two countries, he said, adding that this pact also serves as an effective tool and good support for Vietnamese enterprises to
promote the export of their strong products, especially agricultural and aquatic products
to the Russian market, as well the EAEU.
Tsygankov Kirill from the Russian trade representative office in Vietnam said that economic
and trade cooperation is an important factor in the comprehensive strategic
partnership between Russia and Vietnam, noting that since the Vietnam - EAEU FTA took effect in 2016, 98
percent of tariff lines have been cut to zero percent.
He spoke highly of the prospect of Vietnam's
fresh fruit export to Russia, as the Southeast Asian country boasts a variety of fresh
tropical fruits and nutritious vegetables.
He recommended that Vietnamese businesses transport
goods to Russia by rail, saying that Russia's railway company and Vietnam's Railway Transport and
Trade JSC (RATRACO) have successfully tested a container train connecting
Vietnam and Russia via China's territory, which took around 2-3 weeks.
For high-value and perishable goods, air freight
may be considered, he said.
In the future, if the exchange of goods increases
between the two countries, it is necessary to organize direct transport of
goods by sea without having to transit in ports in Hong Kong (China) or China and the Republic of Korea, in order to significantly shorten the time of goods
transportation, he said.
Kirill advised Vietnamese enterprises to be more active in promoting their
goods in the Russian market through e-commerce platforms./.