Hanoi (VNS/VNA) — Vie♍tnamexported 5.3 billion USD worth of goods to Canada in 2021, up 21 percentyear-on-year despite facing challenges caused by the prolonged pandemic,according to the Vietnamese Trade Office in Canada.

Thismarked the third consecutive year that Vietnam has recorded positive exportgrowth to the market since 2019 after both countries officially became membersof the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Among themajor exports were handsets and components with 820 million USD; computersand parts with 408 million USD, and machinery and components with 345 millionUSD.  Accordingto the office, the trend of shifting supply chains coupled with the impressiveproduction capacity of local enterprises helped lure the great interest ofCanadian businesses in the Vietnamese support industry products. Meanwhile, garment,textile and footwear exports regained their growth momentum, rising 16.6percent to nearly 1.4 billion USD, while furniture exports saw ayearly increase of 6.5 percent to 234 million USD thanks to therelationship between businesses of the two countries, in which Canada firmsexported wood materials to Vietnam while Vietnamese companies produced andthen exported finished wooden goods to Canada.  Exportsof cashew nuts hit 111 million USD, up 20 percent while that of pepper and freshfruits and vegetable topped 14 million USD and 35 million USD, up 45 percentand 18 percent, respectively.  Despitean increase in market demand, a lack of containers in recent years resultedin a shortage of supply for local agricultural products, typically freshfruits to Canada last year, the office said.  ThoughVietnam is now Canada's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, thereremains room for Vietnamese businesses to penetrate the market in thefuture as Vietnam’s market share accounts for a modest 1.7 percent ofCanada's import value.  Accordingto Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Cao Phong, to adapt to the new normalsituation in the post-COVID period, businesses of the two countries neededto discuss the establishment of a common governance support centre, B2Bmodel, research and development, after-sales service, digitisation and digitalsecurity./.