Hanoi, Vientiane share experience in State management
VOV.VN - The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade and the Vientiane Department of Industry and Trade of Laos held a conference on July 3 in Hanoi as part of efforts to share experience in State management in the field of industry and trade.
The purpose of the event is to realise their co-operation agreement for the 2022 to 2025 period signed in Vientiane on November 4, 2022.
The two sides focused their discussions on improving the management in the sector and the capacity of personnel, stabilizing the market, promoting trade and developing the One District One Product (ODOP) and the One Commune One Product (OCOP) distribution systems, and raw material zones for production. This is along with bringing goods to supermarkets and shopping malls in the two cities, as well as accelerating the consumption of traditional craft products.
They also mulled over the potential development of handicraft products from traditional craft villages, with a specific focus on product designs that are environmentally friendly and suitable for export, as well as solutions which seek to launch vocational training schemes in craft villages in Vientiane and Hanoi.
Last year saw the Vietnamese capital’s exports to Laos stand at US$200 million, or 1.2% of its total exports, up 20% on-year. Some of its major exports include minerals, machinery and equipment, and electronic components-computers, duly accounting for 14.8%, 14.4%, and 5.3% of the total, respectively.
Meanwhile, its imports from the Laotian market hit US$211 million, equivalent to 0.5% of its total imports, an annual rise of 12.6%, specifically farm produce, fertiliser, and food.
In a recent visit made to Laos by Phung Thi Hong Ha, a member of the standing board of the municipal Party Committee and permanent Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council, as many as 13 memoranda of understanding between firms from Hanoi and Laos were signed, opening up plenty of opportunities to develop material zones, as well as bringing more goods from Vientiane and Luang Prabang province to Hanoi and vice versa.
Vanmany Phimmasan, director of the Vientiane Department of Industry and Trade, expressed hope that Hanoi will consider holding effective trade promotion activities and encourage further Laotian investment in agriculture, farm produce processing, and technology transfer, thus helping Laos’ goods to penetrate into the distribution channels of Hanoi and reach the global market.