Vietnamese goods caught the interest of South African partners at the 22nd Southern African International Trade Exhibition, which took place in Johannesburg city from June 21-23.

The Hanoi Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (HASME) opened three booths to introduce products from over 20 enterprises in Hanoi and other localities.

Products on display include agro-products, garments and textiles, construction materials, computers and software, appliances and handicrafts.

Chairwoman of Johannesburg City Council Connie Bapela and around 200 importers from South Africa and countries in the region visited Vietnamese booths.

Bapela said that Johannesburg authorities and enterprises are willing to help Vietnamese products deeply penetrate their domestic market and that of other countries in the region.

Vice Chairman of HASME Mac Quoc Anh said that providing information to the organisers about products on display at the fair in advance helped foreign partners reduce fact-finding time and advance to signing contracts.

Le Huy Hoang, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa, expressed his delight at the attention Vietnamese goods received at the fair, especially from South African partners.

Hoang asked enterprises to continue improving the quality and diversification of their products, conduct research into South African consumer demands and tastes and establish linkages.

On the occasion, a working group from the Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade had a meeting with representatives from the South African Department of Trade and Industry to discuss measures to lift trade to 1.5 billion USD in 2016.

SAITEX is the largest annual multi-sector fair in Africa; this year it drew more than 15,000 visitors.-VNA