• Vietnam a key friend of UK: Foreign Secretary William Hague
• UK, Vietnam to reinforce strategic partnership

The UK diplomat made the remarks to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 60-year rule and her birthday at a reception held by The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organization (VUFO) and Vietnam-UK Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City on May 23.

Two- way trade turnover in 2011 reached more than US$3 billion with Vietnam’s exports to the UK rising 42 percent to US$2.4billion and its imports from the UK increasing by 17percent to US$646 million over the previous year.

The UK now has 151 investment projects in Vietnam with a total capitalization of US$2.58 billion and is committed to helping Vietnam develop Vietnam-UK international university in Danang city as well as creating favourable conditions for more than 7,000 Vietnamese students in the UK.