Vietnamese and Lao businesses signed several co-operation agreements at the conference in Vientiane on Friday. - Photo VNA

Nearly 100 businesses from Viet Nam and Laos gathered at a conference in Vientiane on Friday to seek partnership opportunities, an activity within the framework of the Laos-Viet Nam Trade Fair 2018.

The business-to-business conference was held by the Viet Nam Association for Women Entrepreneurs (VAWE) and the Vientiane Businesswomen’s Association.

Chairwoman of the Ha Noi Small and Medium Enterprises Association, Mai Thi Thuy, who is also a member of the VAWE Executive Board, said this is the fifth time the VAWE has taken part in Laos-Viet Nam trade fairs and organised meetings between the two countries’ businesses.

About 40 per cent of Vietnamese companies participating in the four previous trade fairs successfully sought partners or received orders from the Lao side, which has growing demand for high-quality goods of Viet Nam.

The VAWE’s participation in this year’s trade fair aims to learn more about the local market and look for cooperation with Lao enterprises to open distribution agents for Vietnamese goods in Laos, Thuy said.

She asked participating businesses to share information about their firms and demand and suggest suitable cooperation methods to form as many business partnerships as possible, thereby helping to enhance the countries’ economic links as well as special friendship and solidarity.

At the conference, Vietnamese and Lao companies introduced products and goods they have demand to sell or buy. They also demonstrated their need for partnerships in goods distribution and production.

Six co-operation agreements were signed at the event, focusing on goods distribution, tourism, hospitality and services. - VNS