London (VNA) – Ambassador tothe UK Nguyen Hoang Long spoke ofcooperation opportunities between Birmingham and Vietnam, especially its big citieslike Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, in the fields of education-training, healthcare and culture, during his recent meeting with the city’s Lord Mayor MaureenCornish.

The April 24 meeting took place within the frameworkof the Vietnam Days programme in the UK, from March 28 to April 27, in celebrationof the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the twocountries.

The ambassador called Birmingham an impulse for theVietnam-UK relations, saying the city would serve as a centre of commerce andlogistics for goods from Vietnam – the UK’s second biggest exporter inSoutheast Asia.

With the UK’s joining the Comprehensive andProgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), trade revenue betweenthe two countries now stands at nearly 7 billion USD, and it is expected tocontinue rising in the time ahead, Long noted.

The ambassador added that Vietnam will needlogistics centres in the UK to facilitate connectivity between its businessesand the British market, and turn the UK into a centre of Vietnamese exports toother markets like the EU and the US.

Vietnam is looking to boost information technology,AI, science-technology, trade, and public relations, which are of strengths of Birmingham’sAston University where many Vietnamese students are studying, Long went on.

He called on Birmingham’s authorities to propose theBritish Government put forth strategies on enhancing trade ties between Britishlocalities and Vietnam, and supporting British firms to invest in Vietnamand Southeast Asia.

For her part, Cornish affirmed the close tiesbetween local authorities and the Vietnamese community, saying Birminghamalways pays attention to promoting friendship and building partnerships withlocalities in the world, including Vietnam with such potential cooperationareas as AI and science-technology.

Informing the ambassador on the city’s twinningrelations with some cities of the Republic of Korea, the Lord Mayor saidwith the model can be expanded to localities of other countries, includingVietnam.

Also on April 24, the Vietnamese Embassy and itstrade office in the UK and the British Department for Business and Tradeco-organised a seminar in Birmingham on business potential and opportunitiesin Vietnam.

In his remarks, Long noted that ample room remainsfor trade cooperation between Vietnam and the UK – its ninth biggest tradepartner – and the bilateral trade is expected to jump to 10 billion USD in thenext three to five years.

Vietnam has been focusing on three breakthrough policies tomaintain its high growth, which hit 8% last year, covering infrastructure,education and legal frameworks, he said, suggesting British enterprisesoptimise the opportunity as these areas are of the UK’s strength.

Trade Counselor Nguyen Canh Cuong emphasised thatVietnam considers the UK a key trade partner, saying the two governments havefacilitated the bilateral trade through legal frameworks such as the UK-VietnamFree Trade Agreement and the CPTPP. Cuong also expressed his hope that enterprisesof the two countries will bring into full play trade and business opportunities.

He called on British firms to study the Vietnamesemarket and directly set up ties with Vietnamese partners rather than conductingtrade transactions through a third party.

Mark Garnier, Member of Parliament, said the UK’spolicy towards Asia-Pacific after Brexit and the UK’s joining the CPTPP hasopened up great trade cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and the UK.

Vietnam, a gateway to the entire Southeast Asianregion, is a suitable destination for British firms, he said, suggesting themoptimise cooperation opportunities with Vietnam to expand trade and export toASEAN, home to a population of 650 million.

The MP also pointed to cooperation opportunities withVietnam in renewable energy, education, health care and pharmaceuticals,financial services, technology and life sciences.

The Department for Business and Trade stands readyto support British businesses to operate in Vietnam as well as Vietnamese firmsthat wish to invest in the European nation, he pledged.

On this occasion, Cuong introduced a website inVietnamese and English launched by the Vietnamese trade office, at //vietnamtradeoffice.co.uk/,which provides updates on trade policies of both countries, and featuresprestigious exporters and standardised products of Vietnam.

Currently, the UK is Vietnam’s ninth biggest importerand the fourth largest among the European and American importers, after the US,Germany and the Netherlands. The UK is also among the 15 biggest investors inthe Southeast Asian nation with 500 projects worth 4.19 billion USD./.