Vietnamese push for greater access to South African markets

Although Vietnam and South Africa already have strong trade ties, the Vietnamese are asking South African officials to open their market further for its fresh produce exports, which include dragon fruit, lychee, longan, rambutan and star apple. Bilateral trade between the two countries was worth over US$1 billion in 2018, and, in 2019, the figure had already reached US$951 million by September, with Vietnam showing a net surplus. Vietnamese deputy minister of industry and trade, Cao Quoc Hung, highlighted the many similarities the two countries share in terms of agricultural production but also their great potential to complement one another’s productions.