At the opening ceremony, Nguyen Tran Phuong Tran, deputy head of Ho Chi Minh City’s National Assembly deputy delegation, emphasised the event’s critical significance in fostering partnerships between localities of both nations.

She expressed her confidence that the active engagement of businesses would unlock new opportunities and drive sustainable economic growth.

Vice Governor of Savannakhet Saensak Soulisak highlighted the exhibition’s role in expanding trade collaboration, enabling businesses to connect, share experience, and explore investment prospects. He also noted its significance in promoting local products to a wider market.

This year’s expo featured around 250 booths and attracted over 50 enterprises from seven Lao provinces, along with Vietnamese businesses from Australia, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. More than 130 companies from Vietnam’s Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Long An and Gia Lai provinces, and Ho Chi Minh City showcased an array of products, including handicrafts, jewelry, wooden furniture, home décor, agricultural goods, and food.

A key highlight of the event was the Laos-Vietnam Trade and Investment Promotion Conference, designed to facilitate business networking, discussions on investment policies, and insights into priority sectors. The conference is expected to pave the way for enhanced trade and investment cooperation, further deepening the Vietnam-Laos special friendship.

Vietnam, Laos promote payments in local currencies to boost trade

A conference was held in Vientiane on March 14 to promote the use of the Lao kip (LAK) and the Vietnam dong (VND) in payments for goods and services between the two countries.