The new British Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Alexandra Smith, has laid emphasis on bolstering trade with Vietnam and affirmed the UK’s continued support for sustainable development of the Southeast Asian country.

Consul General Smith was speaking at her first meeting with local media on Thursday after she recently commenced her four-year term in the city, a southern economic hub of Vietnam. 

The diplomat reiterated the UK’s commitments to the Asia-Pacific region and especially to the diplomatic and trade partnership with Vietnam.

Vietnam has become one of the UK’s leading trading partners in Southeast Asia, with two-way trade reaching US$7.14 billion in 2023, up 4.47 percent from a year before, according to official figures.   

In the first half of 2024, the bilateral amounted to $3.9 billion, a 21.7-percent surge year on year.

In addition to the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the potential to enhance bilateral trade relations is also fueled by new mechanisms such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which Vietnam is a member, Smith commented.

In June this year, Vietnam ratified the UK’s accession to the CPTPP after the European country got approval from the CPTPP Council to be admitted to this multilateral free trade agreement in July 2023.

In addition to beefing up trade cooperation, the UK will continue supporting Vietnam in sustainable development, with a focus on education, finance, and energy transition, said Smith.

As of May 20, British investors had operated 567 direct investment projects in Vietnam, with a total investment of US$4.36 billion, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The UK Consulate General also highlighted a series of major trade and economic events that will take place in the coming time.

Specifically, the Mayor of London will visit Vietnam next month to strengthen the financial cooperation relationship between the two countries.

A British delegation will also attend the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum scheduled on September 25, with the theme of ‘Industrial Transformation: New Driving Force for Sustainable Development in Ho Chi Minh City,’ which is aimed to promote initiatives and economic cooperation opportunities between the UK and the metropolis.

In November, another UK delegation will attend the Green Economy Forum and Exhibition (GEFE) 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss solutions for sustainable energy transition. 

Two more events in late 2024 will be the British King Charles III’s birthday celebration, also in November, and a UK seafood fair that will kick off in December, centering on promoting high-quality British seafood products to the Vietnamese market.

In early 2025, the UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week 2024 will be conducted.

Vietnam and the UK established diplomatic relations in 1973, and celebrated 50 years of their ties last year.

The two countries upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2010.

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