H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, held a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung in Hanoi yesterday during the UAE assignment's visit to Vietnam to attend the UAE-Vietnam Trade and Investment Week in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. The meeting was held in the presence of H.E Obaid Saeed Obaid Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to Vietnam; H.E. Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade Affairs; H.E. Jamal Al Jarwan, Secretary-General of the Emirates Council for Investors Abroad.

During the meeting, the Minister of Economy featured the robust and growing relations between the UAE and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that pave the way to elevate the economic cooperation between both countries to higher levels at a rapid and sustainable pace. He brought up that Vietnam is a vital accomplice of the UAE and a vital Southeast Asian trade hub. It is also the UAEs largest ASEAN trading partner, recording a total non-oil intra-trade worth more than USD 8.2 billion in 2018.

We anticipate reinforcing joint endeavors with Vietnam to increase trade and extend existing UAE investments across new sectors, especially those supporting the knowledge economy, innovation-related areas and food security, as well as developing a business model, Al Mansoori said. The UAE is a bustling tourism market and thanks to its highly developed aviation sector, serves as a hub that promotes tourism exchanges between Vietnam and many international tourism markets.

The Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister said that the relations between the two countries are growing in many fields. He underlined the significance of commonalities in the economic agenda of the two countries to support the cooperation efforts. He further praised the development and achievements accomplished by the UAE, noting that it represents a vital trade center for Vietnamese goods to enter the markets of the Middle East. He also expressed his country's desire to attract more Emirati investments, in addition to encouraging Vietnamese investments and business activities in the UAE.

In spite of our fantastic participation, I accept that we are still in the preliminary phase, and there exist extraordinary opportunities for partnership in the coming phase to elevate this cooperation to new heights. We are keen to capitalize on the pioneering experience and development accomplishments of the UAE in many economic areas, which makes it an important destination to expand our trade and investment activities towards the markets of the region. We anticipate deepening our trade and investment partnerships with the UAE and work closely with the UAE Government to encourage mutual investments, said H.E Dung.

Besides, he underscored his country's keenness to participate in Expo 2020 Dubai, featuring its significance as a perfect platform to discover business partners from around the world and to showcase Vietnam's products and opportunities, and to inform the world of its economic capabilities, culture and heritage.

What's more, the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister surveyed a wide range of specific sectors and activities during the meeting. He pointed out that his country's government is keen to develop and explore prospects for cooperation and exchange of experiences and building investment partnerships with the UAE in the services sector, smart cities, technology, transport infrastructure, road and airport networks, ports, urban development, telecommunications infrastructure and tourism.

During another bilateral meeting held at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Hanoi, H.E Al Mansoori and Tran Tuan Anh, Vietnamese Minister of Trade and Industry, discussed the establishment of a mechanism to increase the current trade exchange between the two countries and expand cooperation frameworks to include logistic, infrastructure, technology, cultural aspects, international relations in addition to the trade and investment.

Both sides consented to together form a specialized team ensures the realization of these goals, concentrating on five key sectors in the first phase. They will be recognized through coordination and dialogue between officials and relevant experts in the two countries, prior to developing a roadmap for targeted partnerships in the next five years.