President Tran Dai Quang arrives at Luxor International Airport on August 26, 2018, beginning the first visit to Egypt by a Vietnamese head of state. (Photo: VNA)

The visit reaffirms commitments that Vietnam and Egypt made last year. President Quang told Egyptian media prior to the visit that bilateral cooperation has grown but there still much room for improvement. He noted that Vietnam is ready to help Egypt access the ASEAN market while Egypt can serve as a gateway for Vietnamese products to penetrate Middle East and African markets. President Quang is scheduled to hold talks with President Abdel Fattah Sisi and meet Egypt’s Prime Minister and Parliamentary Speaker.

Egypt is one of the first Arab countries to establish relations with Vietnam and is the first North African country to recognize Vietnam’s market economy. 

It is the fifth largest trade partner of Vietnam in Africa with bilateral trade reaching 350 million USD in 2017. Vietnam’s main exports to the country included seafood, auto spare parts, fabrics, farm produce, and consumer goods.