An executive from an Indian firm exchanges information with a Vietnamese counterpart at the Việt Nam-India business meeting in HCM City on August 23. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY — A visiting delegation of Indian business executives from the ceramic tile, porcelain floor, wall and decoration tile, bathroom sanitary ware and related industries met with their Vietnamese counterparts in HCM City to compare notes and seek tie-ups.

The Việt Nam-India business meeting on August 23 saw Vishal Acharya of the Emerald Worldwide Connections Private Limited pointing out that India was the second largest ceramic tiles producer in the world after China and accounting for 20 per cent of the global production.

India, like Việt Nam, is a rapidly developing country, with booming construction, which is pushing up demand for tiles and other building materials, according to the businessman.

Indian enterprises are very interested in the Vietnamese market, and they want to not only export to the country but also invest and produce there.

Nguyễn Hữu Nam, deputy general director of the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said India was among the top 10 trading partners of Việt Nam, which in turn was considered an important country in India's ‘Look East policy,’ which is reflected in the multi-faceted co-operation between the two countries in recent years.

Trade between them reached US$13.2 billion last year, up 36.6 per cent year-on-year. India’s exports to Việt Nam were worth $6.95 billion, up 56.7 per cent from 2020, while Việt Nam’s rose by 19.6 per cent, he said.

The two countries target soon reaching $15 billion.

“To achieve this goal, Việt Nam and India need to further strengthen co-operation in fields where the two sides have strengths and competitive advantages and complement each other,” he said.

Organised by the VCCI and Emerald Worldwide Connection, the meet was among activities to promote the Ceramics & Bath Industry Show (CBIS) to be held in January 2023 in India, he said.

“After more than two years of disconnection due to COVID-19, the event today will provide Vietnamese businesses with useful information about products, markets and incentives to attend CBIS in India.

“Besides, the B2B business networking session offers opportunities to find new partners and strengthen business relationships for businesses from both sides.”

Acharya invited Vietnamese companies to participate in the exhibition, saying it would showcase the best-in-class products and technologies in the fields and offer business matching, factory tours and seminars on the latest industry developments.

The expo would be a perfect platform for manufacturers to showcase their products and network with the “most influential industry stakeholders and generate business leads,” and visitors could source the latest materials and services and meet directly with decision-makers in companies to negotiate prices, he added. VNS