Vietnam presents T-shirts advertising Hanoi beer at SAITEX 2018. (Photo: VN+).

Known as the largest international trade exhibition for retail products in Africa, the three-day event has brought together nearly 400 businesses from 36 countries worldwide, including eight from Vietnam.

According to Ngo Khai Hoan, deputy director of the Department of Asia-Africa Markets, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), and head of Vietnam’s trade promotion delegation at SAITEX 2018, Vietnam’s presence at the fair is a highlight in a series of activities planned to mark the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam-South Africa diplomatic ties.

South Africa is always seen as one of Vietnam’s leading trade partners in Africa, Hoan said, stating that there remain huge potential and positive market room for increasing the two-way trade turnover between the two countries, despite the modest annual figure of over US$1 billion at present.

Dao Manh Duc, the head of the Vietnamese Embassy’s office for trade affairs in South Africa, said that the participation in SAITEX offered a precious chance for Vietnamese firms to survey and access the potential South African and African markets, while meeting with many other prestigious partners around the world to advertise their products and seek business cooperation opportunities.

Visitors try Vietnam's bottled fruit juice at SAITEX 2018. (Photo: VN+).

As scheduled, in an effort to enhance the trade relations between the two nations, the MOIT’s trade promotion delegation and the Vietnamese Embassy will have working sessions with a number of South African ministries on June 25, on the sidelines of SAITEX 2018.

Also on the occasion, two seminars themed “Doing business with Vietnam 2018” will be held subsequently in Johannesburg on June 26 and Cape Town city on June 27, aiming to enable the two countries’ enterprises to explore the issues related to business and investment, such as the tax policies, incentives, payment procedures, and the ability to penetrate into other African markets from the South African market.

Source: NDO