Cashew nut is among Hanoi's exports to Africa. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi has carried outa range of trade promotion programmes in Africa and South Africa in particular,helping Vietnamese brands gain a firm foothold in the market, according to insiders.
The Hanoi Promotion Agency, the municipal Departmentof Industry and Trade and more than 10 local businesses participated in theSouth African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX) in South Africa lastmonth.
Apart from booths established by businesses,Hanoi set up a special pavilion at the exhibition, introducing publications andproducts of the capital city.
It also held an exchange programme betweenVietnamese enterprises and those from South Africa and Mozambique.
Nguyen Xuan Phu, Chairman of Sunhouse Group,a leading household appliance brand in Vietnam which joined the exhibition,said his group is preparing for the signing of contracts with African partners.
According to Lai Thuy Hoa, deputy head ofthe trade promotion bureau under the Hanoi Promotion Agency, South Africa has agreat demand for most of the Vietnamese exports.
Supermarkets in South Africa serve not onlydomestic consumers but also neighbouring countries, she said, noting that the1.2-billion-people market is the gateway for Vietnamese firms to penetrateAfrica.
Le Hong Thang, Director of the municipalDepartment of Industry and Trade, said South Africa is Vietnam’s largest tradepartner in Africa.
Hanoi’s major exports to South Africainclude machines, equipment, spare parts, garments-textiles, chemicals, woodand timber materials, cashew nuts and handicrafts.
As of early June 2019, the city’s exportturnover to South Africa exceeded 9.5 million USD, which, however, remained smallcompared with the country’s annual import value of 75 billion USD, he said.-VNA
VNA
