Vietnam is a market with vast potential for Russian companies to foster cooperation and facilitate trade exchanges, this is the view of Russian firms at the Vietnam-Russia Business Forum held by the Russian Export Centre (REC) in Ho Chi Minh City on April 10.

Travel companies and authorities of Vietnam and Morocco joined together at a seminar held in Hanoi to discuss potential co-operation between two countries in promoting tourism.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), travel firms and hotels will hold tourism promotion programs in four Chinese cities in China and five others in Europe this month and in June.

The 28th Vietnam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo 2018) themed “Enhancing Regional and Global Economic Links” opened on April 11 at the International Exhibition Centre in Hanoi.

As a country where agriculture takes up most national production, Vietnam has great potential for agro-tourism. Yet the potential remains untapped with no legal framework available for its development.

The 2018 Ho Chi Minh City’s Tourism Festival will feature 150 booths from travel agencies, hotels, enterprises and airlines, offering various tourism opportunities for locals.

Recently clean agriculture has become a buzzword in Vietnam as the urgent need for safe food is growing due to the consequences of rampant food contamination and the distribution of food without clear origins.

Online tour bookings are projected to expand 50% in 2018-2020, almost twice as much as e-commerce, but this tourism segment will face many difficulties. A 2017 survey of international tourists showed 71% of tourists search for online information, and 64% book and buy services online when traveling to Vietnam.

The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival 2018 will get underway at 23/9 Park from April 12-15, offering nearly 60,000 domestic and foreign tour vouchers at 15-16% discount.

Once the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA) is signed and the tariff is cut to zero percent, textile and garment exports to the market may obtain 7-8% growth rate per annum, experts say.