On display are different items from the agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries including coffee, tea, wooden furniture, fine arts and handicrafts. Also featured are building materials, textiles and garments, leather products and footwear, pharmaceuticals, electronic components, plastics and electric cables.

On addressing the opening ceremony, the Vietnamese ambassador to Russia, Bui Dinh Dinh, said that it is the biggest exhibition of Vietnamese products ever held in Russia and expressed his hope that it will help to strengthen effective cooperation in economics and trade between the two countries.

The Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, Viktor Khristenko, stated that the Russian-Vietnamese relationship is based on many years of doing business together and cooperating in investment and politics.

He said that in recent years both countries have held crutial meetings that have created the necessary conditions to widen and increase cooperative effectiveness in bilateral economics and trade.

Trade turnover between the two countries over the past two years has increased by 40 percent and totalled US$2.2 billion, more than previously estimated despite the effects of the global economic crisis, said Khristenko. He also said he believed that Russia and Vietnam have more to offer each other in the future.

The Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade, Vu Huy Hoang, emphasised that Vietnamese and Russian businesses are striving to increase two-way trade turnover to US$3 billion by early 2011.

Mr. Hoang added that the exhibition will help Russian importers and consumers to discover Vietnam’s real export strength and potential and the ability of both economics to complement each other.

The exhibition of Vietnamese export products will last until September 18. As part of the event, a seminar on investment opportunities in commerce, agriculture, forestry and aquaculture in Vietnam also took place.