Nearly 40 enterprises from Vietnam and Algeria joined an online business forum in Hanoi on June 26 to boost bilateral trade ties.

The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese embassy in Algeria.

The online forum was arranged to increase trade cooperation between the two countries and promote Vietnam’s major exports to Algeria such as rice, coffee, pepper, and footwear.

Algeria is one of Vietnam’s leading trade partners in Africa. Last year, Vietnam exported commodities worth nearly US$100 million to this African nation, up 32.5 percent against 2010.

In the first half of this year, its exports to Algeria saw a year-on-year increase of 66.5 percent to hit US$642 million. Half of the value was generated from coffee sales./.