HCM CITY (Biz Hub) – A range of products from auto parts to jewellery are on display at the 2013 Thailand Trade Exhibition that opened in HCM City on Thursday.

Held as part of a Thailand Week, it has attracted 183 Thai as well as Vietnamese companies, who are displaying their products.

On at the Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Centre, it features 307 booths displaying vehicle components, construction materials, machinery and equipment, food, beverages, garment and textiles, and many other items.

The four-day event also offers visitors Thai food and art performances, Malinee Harnboonsong, director of the Thai Trade Centre in HCM City, said at the opening ceremony.

Thailand, which has invested in 313 projects in Viet Nam to rank ninth, wants to further promote trade and investment, she said.

A range of products from auto parts to jewellery are on display at the 2013 Thailand Trade Exhibition opens in HCM City.— VNS Photo Do Xuan Huong

The exhibition, organised by the centre and Sao Quang Minh Trading Services Co., Ltd, is a good platform for companies from the two countries to look for partners, which would help boost trade, she said.

Le Ngoc Trung, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's

southern division, said bilateral trade has seen significant growth, and though Thailand enjoyed a surplus, Viet Nam has gradually narrowed the gap.

Trade topped US$8.6 billion last year, a 5.5 per cent rise year-on-year, with Viet Nam's exports valued at $2.8 billion.

Thailand's major exports are food, beverages, machine parts, motorcycle components, and plastics, and Viet Nam's, mobile phones, household electronics, computers and parts, agricultural produce, and seafood. - VNS