Within the framework of the ongoing the International East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) Trade and Tourism Fair 2024, a conference on connecting trade and promoting exports took place in Da Nang on Friday in both offline and online forms.

Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong delivering the opening speech at the conference. Photo: V.H - M.Q

Delivering his opening speech at the event, municipal People's Committee Vice Chairman Tran Chi Cuong highlighted Da Nang’s crucial position in politics, economy, culture, society, and national security and defence of the Central - Central Highlands regions in general and the Central Key Economic Zone in particular. At the same time, the city is an important gateway to the sea of ​​the Central Highlands and Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar to Northeast Asian countries through the East-West Economic Corridor.

He added that Da Nang boasted advantages in terms of favourable geographical location, high-quality human resources, synchronously developed infrastructure, and inter-regional and regional transportation systems. It was one of the few localities with both an international seaport an international airport, and located on the country's main roads, making the city more favourable in economic, trade, service and tourism development.

Mr. Cuong informed that Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2019 adopted by the Politburo on developing Da Nang by 2030, with a vision toward 2045, and Resolution No. 136-NQ/TW dated June 26, 2024 recently passed by the National Assembly on the urban administration organisation and the piloting of a number of special mechanisms and policies for the development of Da Nang, were the Party's strategic political decisions to build and develop Da Nang in the long term into one of the major socio-economic centres of the country and Southeast Asia.

Accordingly, the city eyed forming a logistics service supply chain in the Central region as a gateway for delivery and transportation with localities and countries in the region and internationally, he said.

Additionally, Da Nang still has a lot of potential and strengths in attracting investment and developing production and export of many types of products such as mechanics - electricity - electronics, seafood, textiles, handicrafts, wooden products, construction materials - rubber - plastic, pharmaceuticals - medical equipment, industrial products supporting the aerospace industry, processing and manufacturing, pharmaceutical chemicals, agricultural produce and food. Also, there are local specialties from the city's craft villages such as Non Nuoc stone, Nam O fish sauce making, sesame cake and Tuy Loan rice paper, along with diverse types of OCOP products.

Currently, the commercial and service sector is a bright spot, contributing positively to the overall economic growth of Da Nang. In the first half of 2024, the city’s total two-way import and export turnover of goods hit an estimate of nearly US$1.6 billion, up 11.3% compared to the same period in 2023.

This year, the city's GRDP is expected to increase by 8%, whilst the export turnover of goods is predicted to rise by about 6%. The city is making its efforts to carry out a number of trade promotion activities, diversify programmes to support businesses in promoting and consuming products, and expand consumption markets.

Mr. Vu Ba Phu, General Director of the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade speaking at the conference. Photo: V.H - M.Q

The locality prioritises building policies to support businesses, developing logistics services, creating a favourable foundation to attract import and export goods to circulate in the area, boosting domestic and foreign consumption, controling prices, and stabilising the market.

Vice Chairman Cuong underlined the necessity and importance of trade connection activities to support enterprises in expanding markets and seeking orders and partners in the context that the world economy faces many challenges, market demand has not yet recovered strongly, and Vietnamese enterprises, including import-export ones, still encounter many difficulties in production and business.

Meanwhile, General Director of the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency Vu Ba Phu said that in the last 6 months of 2024, the production and trade development still faced many challenges although the international and domestic context has favorable factors.

He stressed the need for Da Nang to roll out solutions to promote science, technology, chain linkage in production to increase product value, regional linkage in trade promotion and export activities on a professional scale in order to maximise resources and effectively implement breakthrough action programmes.

He noted, in the coming time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will continue to accompany localities in general and Da Nang in particular to promote export and trade promotion, and trade connection activities, so as to contribute to removing difficulties for manufacturers and exporters in the context of complicated developments in domestic and world consumption markets.

Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong (right) visiting the exhibition booths at the conference. Photo: V.H - M.Q

With the policy of diversifying consumption forms, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has directed units under the Ministry to closely cooperate with relevant agencies, organisations and enterprises to expand both traditional and modern distribution channels with a focus on exploiting online e-commerce channels for Vietnamese goods in domestic and international markets.

Moreover, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will actively promote and diversifiy export markets for Vietnamese products with the drastic participation of the Vietnamese trade office system in all regions of the world, he said.

It is known that the conference consisted of two sessions. The first one concentrated on trends and opportunities for developing export markets, and issues that businesses need to pay attention to. The second focused on promoting connection activities among businesses.

Reporting by V.HOANG, M.QUE - Translating by M.DUNG, V.DUNG