Workshop on Vietnam-Middle East economic ties opens

A workshop to review economic and trade relations between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries was held on Wednesday in southern Vung Tau city by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), reported Vietnam News Agency. According to Le Thai Hoa, deputy director of the African, West Asian and South Asian Markets Department, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT), since 2006, Vietnam signed with Saudi Arabia many frame agreements on economic cooperation in agriculture, livestock breeding and aqua-culture; agreements on avoidance of taxation, food and energy security, labor cooperation and investment. Vietnam has established economic relations with all countries in the Middle East that have great cooperation potential in trade, oil and gas, science and technology, and tourism. According to MIT, Vietnam exports to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries garments and textiles, seafood, yarn, footwear, wood ware, steel products, computers and electronic appliances, cellphones, rubber, handicraft, agricultural products, machinery and equipment. It imports from those countries plastic materials, liquefied gas, chemical products, fertilizers and cattle feed. However Vietnam faces still barriers when doing businesses with these countries, including cumbersome administrative procedures, difficult visa granting, local instable political and security situation, racial discrimination, religious conflicts and shortage of information about the market, said the MIT official. Vietnamese participants to the workshop were introduced to cultural characteristics and behavior interaction and business style of the local people. They also learned about registration of the Halal certificate, which is necessary for them when entering the Muslims' market. Vietnam has set up two offices to grant this kind of certificate in capital Hanoi and southern Ho Chi Minh City.