Connecting the Mekong Delta agricultural supply chain with the Middle East

Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh speaks at the Conference

The conference was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang; UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam Bader Almatrooshi; Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh; leaders of Departments and Bureaus under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; representatives of leaders of Mekong Delta provinces and many industry associations and domestic and foreign enterprises.

In his opening speech, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh said that hosting this conference is an important opportunity to promote the potential and strengths of the locality as well as the Mekong Delta region to the Middle East and African markets.

Tay Ninh currently has nearly 37,500 enterprises, of which 48 import-export enterprises via the UAE with a turnover of more than 82 million USD in the first 7 months of 2025. Notably, the province has 57 enterprises granted Halal certificates, opening up great prospects in connecting, promoting agricultural product consumption and market development.

In the context of the global economy still facing many difficulties and demand not yet recovering strongly, trade connection activities are even more practical, helping businesses find partners, expand exports and develop sustainably.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang speaks at the Conference

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed that the Vietnam-UAE relationship is developing positively, especially after the two countries upgraded to a comprehensive partnership and signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). In 2024, bilateral trade turnover will reach 6.5 billion USD, up 37% over the previous year, but the potential for cooperation is still very large.

The UAE, as a global logistics hub, is considered a gateway for Vietnamese goods to penetrate deeper into the Middle East and Africa. Through the conference, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes to turn good political and diplomatic commitments into concrete economic cooperation results, focusing on the fields of agriculture, food and Halal industry.

Speakers participating in the discussion at the Conference

At the conference, speakers presented their papers on the potential, opportunities and solutions to enhance cooperation between the Mekong Delta and the UAE; import trends and market demand in the UAE in the coming time; Vietnam's Halal standards and certification system and some notes for businesses; the Middle East - a potential market for Vietnam's high-quality agricultural products, etc.

Through the Conference, the units also focused on exchanging and discussing comprehensively from the perspectives of the Government, businesses, and researchers on measures to further promote the relationship between Vietnam and the UAE, especially promoting the supply of agricultural products in the Mekong Delta region; directions to resolve problems that businesses are still facing regarding the activities of linking and developing import and export in the UAE market, taking advantage of market opportunities to promote trade;...

This is an active bridge for businesses to find cooperation opportunities, promote product exports through foreign distribution systems, further promote import and export activities of goods; especially the market and the important, strategic role of the United Arab Emirates in connecting the Middle East - Africa market.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates to Vietnam Bader Almatrooshi speaks at the Conference

Speaking at the Conference, UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam Bader Almatrooshi highly appreciated Vietnam's dynamic development, affirming that the two economies have great complementarity and open cooperation prospects.

He said that UAE corporations such as Dubai Port World, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, and Lulu Group are actively supporting the introduction of Mekong Delta agricultural products to the world through global logistics and distribution systems.

The Ambassador also hoped that Vietnam would participate in the Abu Dhabi Development Week 2025, an event expected to bring together many joint initiatives in the fields of green growth, sustainable agriculture and climate change response. At the same time, he emphasized that the global Halal food industry is forecast to exceed 6,000 billion USD by 2033, and Vietnam is in a favorable position to seize this opportunity with the companionship and support from the UAE.

The conference is expected to become an important bridge, contributing to supporting businesses in Tay Ninh and the Mekong Delta provinces to access new markets, promote agricultural exports, and deepen the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the UAE, towards the goal of sustainable development and long-term prosperity for both countries./.

Thao Minh - The Giang

Source: https://baolongan.vn/ket-noi-chuoi-cung-ung-nong-san-dong-bang-song-cuu-long-voi-trung-dong-chau-phi-a201191.html