HCM City, May 23 (VNA) – The United Kingdom is now Vietnam’s leading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade turnover reaching over 3 billion USD in 2011.
Speaking at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on May 23 to mark the 60 th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the UK’s Consul General Douglas Barnes said that the constant development of bilateral relationship has developed into a strategic partnership, especially in trade and investment. Last year, Vietnam’s export turnover to the UK reached almost 2.4 billion USD, up by 42 percent over 2010. The UK has 151 projects in Vietnam at present, with a total investment of 2.58 billion USD. Cooperation in education between the two countries has also soared and the UK has announced more funding for education in Vietnam. Barnes said that the country is also committed to helping Vietnam develop a Vietnam-UK International University in the central city of Da Nang. The two countries also pledged to exchange more students for studies in each other’s country./.
Vietnam News Agency
