PRETORIA — Vietnamese enterprises are displaying their products at the 25th South African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX), which began in Johannesburg on June 24. 
As the largest trade fair in Africa, the event features nearly 400 enterprises from 36 countries. It is expected to draw thousands of visitors. 
Ngô Khải Hoàn, deputy head of the Department of Africa, West Asia and South Asia Markets under the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), said Việt Nam’s attendance at the event was hoped to help expand trade ties between Việt Nam and South Africa. 
He added that South Africa was a key market and the most important trade partner of Việt Nam in Africa. 
Although two-way trade currently stands at only US$1 billion, the potential for expanding bilateral trade is huge, Hoàn said.
Besides introducing Việt Nam’s traditional products such as coffee, rice, textiles and construction material, the country has, for the first time, introduced high-tech medical products for cardiology. 
According to Đào Mạnh Đức, head of the Vietnamese Trade Office in South Africa, the latter and other African countries are potential markets for Việt Nam’s commodities of various sectors. 
There are increasingly successful transactions between Vietnamese businesses and African partners, he said, adding that SAITEX offers a chance for Vietnamese firms to learn about the demands of the African market and seek business opportunities and set up partnerships. 
On the occasion, MoIT’s trade promotion delegation led by Hoàn and representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy will have working sessions with those from the ministries of mining, industry and trade, foreign affairs and health of South Africa to seek to enhance trade bonds between the countries. 
A seminar, themed “Doing Business with Vietnam 2018,” will be held in Johannesburg on June 26 and in Cape Town on June 27, offering opportunities to enterprises of the two countries to understand more about operating in Viet Nam. — VNS