The first containers are shipped from France to Viet Nam via the new waterway route linking an inland port in the French department of Yonne with Cai Mep seaport in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

Nearly 600 tonnes of malt from France’s central Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region will be shipped weekly to Viet Nam via a new waterway route linking an inland port in the French department of Yonne with Cai Mep seaport in HCM City.

The route will create favourable conditions for trade ties between Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region and Viet Nam, which is expected to thrive thanks to the European Union-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) signed on June 30.

From September, malt planted in Yonne will be transported to Viet Nam to produce beer. The two sides recently inked a contract on shipping the first batch of 5,000 tonnes of malt to Viet Nam.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Thiep stressed that the shipping route allows businesses to transport goods at a high speed to the two seaports of Le Havre in France and Cai Mep in Viet Nam.

The route is expected to lift trade between the two countries by 20 per cent when the EVFTA takes effect, he added.

France’s malt exports to Viet Nam will increase to 250,000 tonnes next year, the diplomat noted, adding that Viet Nam’s staples will also be shipped to France via this route if they meet European standards. — VNS