Online forum connects Vietnamese and Latvian businesses

At the event, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai emphasised that the forum provided an ideal venue for participating businesses to seek ways to recover and develop the market as the world moves into the post-COVID period.

Edmunds Valantis, secretary of State of the Latvian Ministry of Economics, highlighted the ties of friendship and all-round co-operation between the two countries over recent years, especially in the fields of agriculture, seafood, furniture, garments, textiles, and footwear.

He noted that Vietnamese engagement in free trade agreements has exerted a positive impact on trade exchanges between Latvia and Vietnam over recent years.

In response, Vietnamese Ambassador to Sweden and Latvia Phan Dang Duong said Latvia is Vietnam’s largest economic partner among the three Baltic countries, while the latter represents the former’s largest partner among ASEAN member states.

Vietnam wishes to further boost co-operation with Latvia across multiple fields, including economics, trade, investment, education and training, labour, and tourism, said the diplomat.

Vu Ba Phu, director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), expressed his hope that the trade exchange programme would help both Vietnamese and Latvian businesses gain greater insights into the various strengths and products of each business, thereby allowing further contracts to be signed moving forward.

Phu revealed that Vietrade will organise a number of business delegations to explore the markets of Sweden, Norway, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Eastern Europe this August and September.

Vietnam expects to receive businesses from Latvia to explore co-operation opportunities, especially in the fields of digital transformation, intelligence, information technology, and furniture, he said.