Lao-Viet trade fair opens in Vientiane
Lao-Viet trade fair opens in Vientiane
The Lao-Viet Trade Fair 2013 was officially opened at Lao-ITECC in Vientiane yesterday, aiming to showcase Vietnamese products for export to the Lao market and the north-eastern parts of Thailand.
The fair, which will end on July 22, is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Laos and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, aiming to foster more trade and investment in Laos.
The ceremony was attended by Lao Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ms Khemmani Pholsena, and Vietnamese Vice Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam Mr Tran Tuan Anh, alongside other officials and businesses from both countries.
The fair should help to drive up the trade value of the two countries to about US$2 billion by 2015 and US$5 billion by 2020, which is what the two countries' governments have planned, the press release noted.
It will also open doors for the companies and producers to advertise their products and brands, marketing them to both consumers and suppliers.
The trade fair will be an important bridge that will link the organisations of trade, production and investment between Laos and Vietnam; it will also offer opportunities for exchange of technology and business operation.
This year's trade fair expects to attract some 200 Vietnamese and Lao companies who will display their products at over 350 booths, including over 130 Vietnamese booths from over 100 companies and more than 220 Lao booths from over 70 companies from Vientiane and the provinces; much larger than the previous years.
The products on display at the fair include fishery, garment, plastic, and agricultural products along with consumer goods, household wares, machinery, industrial equipment and construction materials, pharmaceutical and medical equipment, internal wooden furniture and handicrafts, textiles, banking, cosmetics and stationery.
The event will also have activities such as business matching meetings on the day and performances in the evening. It will help foster a good relationship between the two countries' businesses and enhance future trade cooperation of the two parties towards the coming Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.
When the AEC comes into being in 2015 it will create a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region of equitable economic development, and a region that occupies a significant place within the global economy.
vientiane times
