Jaruwan Suwannasat, TCEB's director, said Viet Nam ranked second in terms of foreign visitors visiting trade shows and exhibitions in Thailand last year. — VNS photo Xuan Huong.

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — More and more Vietnamese businesses are visiting trade shows in Thailand to seek business opportunities, according to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

Jaruwan Suwannasat, TCEB's director, said in 2011 Viet Nam ranked third in terms of foreign trade visitors visiting trade shows in Thailand.

It jumped to the second position last year, with 3,488 Vietnamese business visitors visiting exhibitions in Thailand, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of foreign business visitors to the country, she said.

Viet Nam is one of Thailand's potential MICE (meeting, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) markets.

Thailand hosts about 77 international exhibitions a year, of which many events focus on industries such as food, foodstuff, agricultural, garment and textile and machinery.

The events have attracted many visitors from Viet Nam, who come to source new technology as well as seek business opportunities.

Bilateral trade between Viet Nam and Thailand reached US$10.45 billion last year, and was worth $8.5 billion in the first nine months of the year, she told a press briefing held in HCM City on December 3.

Viet Nam is Thailand's seventh largest importer, she said, adding that Thailand is the 10th largest investor in Viet Nam, with more than 300 projects in operation.

Thailand exports petrol products, plastics, chemicals, autoparts, steel and air conditioning to Viet Nam. It imports household utensils, steel products, electronics, petroleum, frozen seafood and computer component.

The ASEAN Economic Community, which comes into effective next year, will open more opportunities for Thailand and Viet Nam to expand further collaboration, she said.

Besides focusing on raising the quality of trade shows, Thailand offers strong government support via TCEB, with programmes such as "100 A Head" to attract more business visitors to visit exhibitions, she said.

Nguyen Ba Vinh, TCEB representative in Viet Nam, said about 600 business visitors benefited from such programmes last year.

TCEB would work to help raise bilateral trade to US$15 billion by 2020 as set by the two countries.

One the same day, TCEB organised a conference to enable leading Thai exhibition organisers to meet with Vietnamese businesses, trade associations and trade promotions centres to discuss measures to help Vietnamese firms expand market share and boost exports via trade shows in Thailand.

TCEB on the occasion also provided more information about its support programmes to local trade associations, agencies and businesses. — VNS