To help businesses in Nghe An province get closer to the South African market.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of April 14th, the Nghe An branch of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), in coordination with the South African Embassy, ​​organized a seminar on promoting trade, investment, and tourism between South Africa and Vietnam in Vinh City.

Attending the seminar were Ms. Kgomotso Ruth Magau - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Doan Duy Khuong - Vice President of VCCI, Mr. Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, representatives of provincial departments and agencies, and a large number of businesses interested in exploring cooperation opportunities with South Africa.

Overview of the Conference.

South Africa boasts favorable natural conditions, modern infrastructure, and is considered a gateway to Africa. Over the past 10 years, trade between Vietnam and South Africa has increased fivefold, reaching US$1.2 billion in 2015. The prospects for cooperation between the two countries are immense. South Africa has a high demand for many of Vietnam's key products, such as agricultural products, handicrafts, textiles, and construction materials. Conversely, South Africa is a potential market for supplying Vietnam with iron and steel, metals, wood, cotton, and fertilizers.

Comrade Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - highly appreciated the significance of the workshop, viewing it as an opportunity for Nghe An businesses to get closer to the South African market.

Speaking at the seminar, Mr. Le Ngoc Hoa, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, said that in recent years, Nghe An has emerged as a destination for foreign investors, attracting many large corporations and businesses to consider investment opportunities in the province. This is a driving force and a catalyst for breakthrough development in Nghe An in the coming years. There is much untapped potential for cooperation between Nghe An and South Africa; the trade turnover between the two sides in 2015 only reached nearly 150,000 USD, with no goods imported from South Africa.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee affirmed that the workshop is a valuable opportunity for Vietnamese businesses in general, and those in Nghe An in particular, to better understand the South African market, enabling both sides to connect information and cooperate to exploit each other's potential and strengths, thereby contributing to consolidating and expanding cooperation in trade, tourism, culture, education and training, etc.

Ambassador Kgomotso Ruth Magau of the Republic of South Africa delivered a speech at the conference.

Within the framework of the seminar, representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa provided delegates with an overview of South Africa, trade statistics, the attractiveness of investment opportunities, and incentives for investing in South Africa.

Representatives from the Department of Industry and Trade highlighted the potential for trade and tourism in Nghe An, with its abundant natural resources and rich cultural identity, making it attractive to foreign investors and tourists.

Thu Giang