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UK and Vietnam work to strengthen trade and investment ties during Lord Green’s visit

UK Minister of Trade and Investment, Lord Green will seek to strengthen UK and Vietnamese bilateral trade and investment ties during his visit next week.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
UK Minister of Trade and Investment, Lord Green will seek to strengthen UK and Vietnamese bilateral trade and investment ties

UK Minister of Trade and Investment, Lord Green will visit Vietnam next week.

The UK and Vietnam committed to increasing bilateral trade as part of their Strategic Partnership Agreement and Lord Green will have the chance to discuss with Vietnamese officials and British businesses how this already good relationship can be further enhanced.

Looking forward to the visit, British Ambassador Antony Stokes said:

Lord Green visits Vietnam at a time of opportunity for both countries. We set ourselves ambitious targets to boost trade and investment under the 2010 Strategic Partnership Agreement. Now in the 40th year of Vietnam – UK diplomatic relations, this high level visit will stimulate further growth and support flagship commercial projects.

During his visit, Lord Green will discuss ways in which the UK can support urban development plans in Ho Chi Minh City, including work on an urban railway system; a new Central Business District (‘Thu Thiem’) and an international hub airport, Long Thanh. Projects which have rejuvenated inner city areas in the UK in recent years offer great ideas and examples of how urban development can transform places and lives.

Lord Green’s visit will also be a chance to share the UK’s experiences of successfully delivering the London 2012 Olympics and Para-Olympics - the world’s largest sporting events - with the Vietnamese Government as they prepare for the 2019 Asian Games.

Note for editors

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint has been the UK Minister of Trade and Investment since 2011. Lord Green’s visit to Vietnam on 11 and 12 June is part of a tour of the Southeast Asian region and his first to Vietnam, as a minister.

In Ho Chi Minh City: Lord Green will chair a roundtable discussion together with the Vice Chairwoman of the City’s People’s Committee Ms Nguyen Thi Hong and witness the signing of two Memorandums of Understanding by the British Business Group Vietnam and the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe.

In Hanoi: He will meet Prime Minister Mr Nguyen Tan Dung and Vice Minister of Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ms Ho Thi Kim Thoa. He will co-chair a roundtable discussion with the Vice Minister of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Mr Le Khanh Hai and witness the signing of an agreement for a UK-funded project “Enhancing the effectiveness of intellectual property rights enforcement in Vietnam”. Signatories are the British Ambassador in Hanoi Dr Antony Stokes and Director General of Market Surveillance Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Mr Truong Quang Hoai Nam.

Vietnam and the UK signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2010.

The UK is fifth largest exporter of goods to Vietnam from within the European Union. It is also the third largest EU investor and the second largest in financial services.

Published 7 June 2013