During his stay in Tunisia, Commercial Counselor Hoang Duc Nhuan worked with leaders of the Department of Cooperation with Arab Countries and ASEAN and the Department of Trade under the Ministry of Trade and Export Development, the Department of Asia under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Migration and Tunisians Abroad, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the capital Tunis and the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts (UTICA) to discuss the situation of trade cooperation and measures to promote bilateral relations.
Vietnam-Tunisia online trade conference at the headquarters of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts (UTICA)
On April 24, 2025, the Trade Office and UTICA jointly organized an online trade conference with the participation of 60 representatives of Tunisian ministries, sectors and businesses of the two countries.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Mohamed Koolie, Vice President of the Tunisian Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, emphasized that this is a good opportunity to promote bilateral economic and trade relations and the two sides need to organize it at least twice a year.
Although a small country with an area of 163,610 km2 and a population of about 12.5 million people, Tunisia is one of the most dynamic and competitive economies in the African-Arab region, deeply integrated internationally, and conveniently located near Europe (140 km away). Tunisia has participated in 8 multilateral and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), of which it is one of the pioneers in implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) with 54 member countries. Therefore, this can be considered a gateway for goods from countries, including Vietnam, to penetrate the African and Arab markets, especially the North African region.
Tunisia needs to buy 30,000 tons of raw coffee (mainly robusta) every year, 30,000 tons of rice and 360,000 tons of sugar. According to regulations, basic commodities such as rice, sugar, coffee and green tea are imported exclusively by the Tunisian Trade Authority through international tenders. However, from 2024, according to Law 120, some Tunisian private enterprises can be licensed by the Trade Authority to import these commodities.
Ms. Dalenda MEKKi, Head of Promotion and International Relations, Tunis Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in 2024, the import-export turnover between Vietnam and Tunisia will reach 267 million USD, nearly 3 times higher than in 2023, mainly including footwear, phones and agricultural products. Of which, Vietnam exports items such as footwear and raw materials, raw coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, seafood, machinery and equipment, razors, fabrics, etc. and imports seafood, dates, chemicals, plastic products, clothing, raw materials for animal feed, etc.
On this occasion, Mr. Hoang Duc Nhuan, Commercial Counselor in Algeria and Tunisia, introduced the economic and trade situation of Vietnam, import-export policies and relations between the two countries. Regarding the legal framework, Vietnam and Tunisia have signed a number of important documents such as the Trade Agreement (1994) in which the two sides committed to granting each other Most Favored Nation status, the Agreement on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation (1999), the Framework Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation (2002), the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation, Support and Development of the Business Community between the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Tunisian Federation of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts (UTICA) (2005), the Agreement on Visa Exemption for Diplomatic, Official and Special Passport Holders (2007), the Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasion (2010).
The two countries have also held three Intergovernmental Committee meetings, the most recent of which took place in Tunis in April 2018.
The Trade Office also introduced a number of international trade events in Vietnam such as Vietnam International Sourcing Expo 2025 (September), Vietnam Food Expo (November), Vietnam Expo (December) and invited Algerian agencies and businesses to attend.
Vietnamese Trade Counselor works with Vice President of Tunisian Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Handicrafts
The Vice President of the Tunisian Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Crafts was very impressed by the figure of 786.29 billion VND in import-export turnover of Vietnam in 2024 and said that he would study and organize a delegation to Vietnam to attend a number of major international fairs and exhibitions in 2025. Mr. Mohamed Koolie also called on businesses of both sides to actively learn about each other's strengths to strengthen cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit, inviting Vietnamese businesses to study the possibility of investing, forming joint ventures, and associating with Tunisian partners in areas such as processing industry, new technology, marine fish farming, etc. to take advantage of the strategic location, rich resources, modern infrastructure, highly skilled workers and exporting to other countries in the region.
Tunisian delegates also raised some difficulties such as the recent high prices of some Vietnamese export products (coffee, pepper), sharp increases in transportation costs due to conflicts in the Middle East, the issue of business confidence, high import taxes on dates into Vietnam, etc. Some delegates recommended that the two governments should have policies to facilitate goods from each side to penetrate each other's markets through negotiations to reduce import taxes, propose signing bilateral preferential trade agreements and establish business councils. Businesses from both sides also raised many questions about market prospects, products, trade policies, tariff issues, payment methods, visa procedures, main flight routes, support from authorities at all levels, etc. and were satisfactorily answered by the Organizing Committee.
On this occasion, the Trade Office displayed catalogues and samples of Vietnamese enterprises and invited delegates to attend directly at the headquarters of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Commerce and Crafts to enjoy Vietnamese coffee products. Some Tunisian enterprises have found partners to negotiate the possibility of importing raw coffee, spices, rice, powdered milk, mechanical products, consumer goods, etc. and exporting dates, olive oil, chicken feet, seafood, etc.
The two sides agreed that in order to promote bilateral trade relations, it is necessary to actively organize trade promotion activities, exchange delegations, promote each other's potential and strengths, promote trade connections, provide information and support businesses to participate in major international fairs and exhibitions held in each country, coordinate verification and advise businesses to resolve disputes arising during transactions...
Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/thi-truong-nuoc-ngoai/viet-nam-va-tunisia-tang-cuong-hop-tac-thuong-mai.html
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