The outgoing Bangladesh Ambassador to Vietnam, Samina Naz, said that Dhaka and Hanoi are working closely to reach bilateral trade to the tune of 2.00 billion US dollars within the shortest possible time
Samina Naz said this when she called on Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
Samina Naz served in the Bangladesh mission in Hanoi during 2017-2023 and worked hard with business leaders of Bangladesh and Vietnam business leaders to increase bilateral trade.
Bangladesh’s export to Vietnam stood at 96223438.04 US dollars (over 96 million US dollars in 2022-23 fiscal year. Vietnam exports to Bangladesh stood at US$1.27 billion during 2021-22 FY, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
Vietnam’s export to Bangladesh during October, 2022–March, 2023 stood at 519.9 million US dollars.
During her tenure in Hanoi, the then Vietnamese President, Tran Dai Quang, visited Bangladesh during March 4-6, 2018 at the invitation of then Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam Do Hung Viet visited Dhaka on May, 2023.
Meanwhile, President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin urged Vietnamese businesses to make investments in Bangladesh taking advantage of the country's business-friendly environment.
The president made this call when the newly appointed Ambassador of Vietnam to Bangladesh Nguyn Manh Cuong presented his credentials to him at Bangabhaban.
Appreciating Vietnam's socio-economic development, President Shahabuddin said Bangladesh is also moving forward fast under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The president said Vietnam can import world-class products including medicine, ready-made garments, leather and ceramics from Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the second Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and Vietnam was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka May 14, 2023.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen led the Bangladesh delegation while a nine-member Vietnamese delegation was led by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam Do Hung Viet.
They also exchanged views on issues of mutual interests in the regional and international arena. Both the sides expressed optimism that the FOC, held after a hiatus of almost six years, would contribute significantly to adding further impetus and momentum to the existing bilateral engagements.
The FOC agreed to explore possibilities of concluding a bilateral FTA in order to add further substance to the steadily increasing bilateral trade and economic relations between the two regional countries, particularly in context of the LDC graduation of Bangladesh.
