A Vietnamese booth at a food exhibition in Thailand. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A conference to accelerate bilateral trade and investment between Vietnamese and Thai enterprises is slated to be held in the central province of Nghệ An from September 26-30.

Information on the event was released during a working session among the Business Association of Overseas Vietnamese (BAOOV), the Business Association of Thai Vietnam (BAOTV) and provincial leaders on Wednesday.

During the event, 500 entrepreneurs from Việt Nam and Thailand as well as overseas Vietnamese firms will share their experience and discuss new business models.

An exhibition showcasing products and services in a wide range of sectors such as agriculture, hi-tech, import-export, finance and tourism will also be held along the event of 400 booths to be run by exhibitors from 28 countries and territories.

In his speech at the working session, vice chairman of Nghệ An People's Committee Lê Ngọc Hoa proposed the BAOOV to tell foreign investors about the province’s development. That will help attract more international firms to seek investment opportunities in the locality.

He described the conference as an opportunity for local enterprises to promote exports of products like farm produce, textile and garment and handicrafts to Thailand.

They will also have a chance to better understand Thailand’s quality requirements and the tastes of Thai customers, he said. 

At the conference, the central province will seek co-operation between overseas Vietnamese enterprises and those in the province while calling on investment into its key industrial parks, according to the vice chairman. 

Việt Nam’s export earnings from Thailand, a competitive market in the region, have increased sharply in recent years, with an annual average turnover of US$4-5 billion.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said Việt Nam exported $5.5 billion worth of products to its neighbour in 2018, a year-on-year surge of 15 per cent.
Việt Nam’s shipments to Thailand brought home $1.39 billion in the first quarter of 2019, up 6 per cent from the same time last year.

However, experts said made-in-Việt Nam products only accounted for a small proportion of Thai imports.
They recommended exporters enhance co-operation with the Vietnamese community in Thailand, many of whom own supermarkets and convenience stores in the country, to make Vietnamese products become more popular among Thais.  VNS