Trade Office works to boost commercial ties with Laos amid COVID-19
The Vietnamese Trade Office in Laos has undertaken an array of measures to support Vietnamese exporters amid the declining trade revenue between the two countries in the first half of this year.
Vientiane (VNA) - The Vietnamese TradeOffice in Laos has undertaken an array of measures to support Vietnameseexporters amid the declining trade revenue between the two countries in thefirst half of this year.
Trade Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos LeThi Phuong Hoa told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) that the office has regularlysent lists of Vietnamese exporters to relevant Lao agencies.
Those agencies then inform local enterprises that areseeking Vietnamese goods, Hoa said.
The office has also worked with businesses to address difficultiesin goods transportation while coordinating with the Lao Ministry of Industryand Commerce to put forth mechanisms in support of companies.
According to the Counsellor, demand in Laos forproduction and construction materials and consumer goods has fallen significantlydue to the impact of COVID-19.
The pandemic has also obstructed goods transportationand trade promotion activities, she added.
As a result, trade between Vietnam and Laos in thefirst half of this year was down 14.6 percent year-on-year, reaching just 491.7million USD.
Vietnam imported goods from Laos worth 214.85 millionUSD, down 6.1 percent against the same period last year, while exporting 276.85million USD worth of goods to the neighbouring country, down 20.2 percent./.
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At Lao Bao international border gate (Photo: VNA) 
