Bangkok (VNA) – Aweek of Vietnamese goods themed ‘Taste of Vietnam’ began at the CentralWorldmega-shopping complex in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 18.
Aiming to promote Vietnamese commoditiesin Thailand as well as creating export opportunities for Vietnamese suppliersin the Thai market, the event has attracted the participation of close to 50Vietnamese businesses, who are introducing their products with high exportpotential such as tea, coffee, snacks, fresh fruits and spices. With a totalexhibition area spanning nearly 1,000 square metres, the fair is expected tolure some 500,000 visitors over its five-day course.
First held in Bangkok in 2016,the annual event is an initiative jointly implemented by Vietnam’s Ministry ofIndustry and Trade and Thailand’s Central Group as part of the ministry’sproject on promoting Vietnamese enterprises' direct participation in foreigndistribution networks up to 2020. The project was endorsed by the PrimeMinister in his Decision No 1513/QD-TTg dated September 3, 2015.
Speaking at the opening ceremony,Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai expressed hisdelight at the growing Vietnam-Thailand cooperation, particularly after the twocountries’ relations were elevated to the level of strategic partnership in2013.
He said the Vietnamese Governmenthas in recent years created favourable conditions for domestic firms to boostdirect exports to distribution systems of foreign nations, including Thailand.
Hai highlighted the week of Vietnamesegoods as an important event for the products to get involved in thedistribution chain of the Central Group, which runs the CentralWorld.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit lauded progress in collaborationbetween the states and private sectors of Vietnam and Thailand and hoped forfurther assistance from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevantagencies toward smooth trade and exchanges between the sides.
The relationship between Thailandand Vietnam is not just a bilateral cooperation but also connected to the ASEANmultilateral collaboration framework, the official noted.
Trade between Vietnam andThailand hit 17.5 billion USD in 2018, up 13.5 percent year on year. The figurewas 10.2 billion USD in the first seven months of 2019, an annual increase of6.6 percent./.
VNA