Vietnamese  enterprises would have more opportunities to ship their products to the European market after a successful week for Vietnamese goods in France. — Photo moit.gov.vn

PARIS – Vietnamese  enterprises would have more opportunities to ship their products to the European market after a successful week for Vietnamese goods in France, Việt Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said.

The Vietnamese goods week themed “Honouring Vietnam” ending last weekend, the third of its kind, was recently held in the French city of Lyon, attracting nearly 100 French trade agencies and firms and 20 guest Vietnamese businesses.

Goods from Việt Nam were put on display at Casino Gambetta supermarket, and they included fresh fruits, frozen spring rolls, shrimps, and beverages, in addition to rice, and apparel, among others.

Present in Lyon for the event, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hồ Thị Kim Thoa hailed the export of Vietnamese goods to the European Union via distribution outlets, particularly those in France – a strategic partner of Việt Nam – where nearly 400,000 Vietnamese are living and working.

She expected this would be an efficient trade development channel bringing benefits for consumers, distributors and producers.

A leader from the Casino giant retailer pledged to continue shipping goods from Việt Nam to Casino supermarket chains in Europe and the world in the future.

Last year, the group sold $30 million worth of Vietnamese goods, sourced from 60 Vietnamese suppliers.

However, Thoa said this was a small figure against the immense potential in trade relations between the two countries and she expected the Casino retailer to import more Vietnamese goods in the future.

So far, key Vietnamese products sold in the European supermarket system include seafood, tea, some kinds of food, garment, and footwear, apart from wooden and decoration products, she said.

Those products would join zero export tariffs when the Việt Nam-European Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) comes into effect. Therefore, French and European consumers would have many benefits when choosing Vietnamese goods.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnamese embassy in France and the Rhone Alpes region’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a seminar featuring the strong growth of the Vietnamese economy.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister Thoa hailed France as a promising market for Việt Nam and the two countries’ enterprises serve as a bridge to bring Vietnamese goods to the world and French goods to Vietnamese consumers.

Vietnamese and French business communities should utilise bilateral free trade agreements to seek mutually-beneficial opportunities, she said, and added that the Vietnamese Commercial Affair office in France was ready to provide them with assistance.

Francois Turcas, president of the General Confederation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of Rhone Alpes region, expressed interest in business opportunities in Việt Nam – a vibrant economy and a gateway to ASEAN.

Participants shared information about the business climate, policies and legal regulations to boost two-way trade and attract French investments in Việt Nam.

French businesses operating representative offices in Việt Nam spoke highly of reforms in the country, suggesting that Việt Nam should continue upgrading infrastructure to meet requirements for socio-economic development and urbanisation.

Apart from these activities, Deputy Minister Thoa also held working sessions with representatives from retailer Auchan and several other French businesses. – VNS