Textile machinery manufacturers from Vietnam are interested in partnering with Vietnamese firms for their common interest, Evelyne Cholet, general secretary of the French Association of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (UCMTF), said at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Plus reported. Ms. Evelyne said French companies operating in the field have advanced technologies and quality products and would become reliable partners for Vietnamese firms and be ready to help them avail full benefit of advantages that have come along with globalization. Ms. Ho Thi Kim Thoa, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, said Vietnam is currently among the world's top five garment and textile exporters, and added that the industry has seen fast-paced development due to its efforts to integrate into the global market. Ms. Thoa said the Government has given importance to creating favourable conditions for enabling domestic textile enterprises to expand their markets. She added that the Government has also implemented steps aimed at improving weaving and sewing techniques. She suggested that the Vietnam-France business community should increasingly share experiences and technology transfer, so as to increase the added value of the industry as well as to further promote bilateral trade.
The seminar was organized by Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, in association with Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), Vietnam Cotton and Spinning Association (VCOSA), and HSBC Bank (Vietnam) Limited. The event was organized in the context of the Vietnamese garment and textile industry continuously growing at an average rate of 10-15 percent over the past decade, contributing around 10 percent to the country's GDP growth. France is the sixth largest textile machinery exporter in the world with exports of $1.2 billion per annum supplied to customers in over 115 countries. Representatives of seven leading French companies—Laroche, N.Schlumberger, superba, Verdol, Stäubli, Dollfus & Muller, and AESA—participated in the seminar.