Da Nang (VNA) - A forum to connect businesses in Da Nang and enterprises owned by overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in Thailand took place in the central city on July 4.

Jointly held by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand, the event  gathered representatives from enterprises and business associations in Da Nang, and 40 businessmen who are overseas Vietnamese in Thailand.

Addressing the event, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Ngo Thi Kim Yen said the forum aims to boost trade and investment cooperation between firms from Da Nang and Thailand, contributing to strengthening bilateral relations across all fields.

A series of investment promotion activities and forums have been organised in Da Nang recently, while international air routes to Da Nang have been reopened after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.

Vietnamese expatriates, including OVs in Thailand, have always serving a bridge connecting the Vietnamese community abroad with the homeland, contributing the national development, Yen noted.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh said Da Nang is the first stopover of a delegation of OV entrepreneurs in Thailand in their trip to five localities in Vietnam, namely Da Nang, Quang Nam, Kien Giang, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

This is the firts time the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand has organised the programme, which, Thanh said, aims to connect investment, trade and tourism between businesses owned by OVs in Thailand with Vietnamese businesses at home, thereby promoting economic cooperation between Vietnamese localities and Thailand.

Participants at the event discussed potential, strengths and policies to encourage investment, buisness and cooperation opportunities, import-export needs and tourism connections between Da Nang and Thailand.

Ambassador Thanh suggested the central city’s authorities give specific mechanisms and policies to create the best conditions for OVs-owned businesses across the world in general and in Thailand in particular who wish to do business and invest in Da Nang.

He said Da Nang should  organise a delegation to Thailand to explore  investment and business opportunities.

Thailand is a major economic partner for Vietnam, and the 9th largest foreign investor in Vietnam with over 600 projects worth more than 13 billion USD. Thailand is also Vietnam's largest trading partner in ASEAN, with two-way trade hitting 19.5 billion USD in 2021, and 5 billion USD in the first quarter of 2022. The two countries are striving to lift trade to 25 billion USD by 2025./.