HANOI - Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade in coordination with the authorities of China's Guangdong province held a forum on Monday in Vietnam's southern Ho Chi Minh City to boost trade exchange between Vietnam and the Chinese locality.

Addressing the forum, Zhao Yufang, vice governor of China's Guangdong province spoke highly of the achievements in trade and economic cooperation between Chinese Guangdong and Vietnamese businesses in the past years.

A dynamic economy with rich natural resources would be a firm foundation for Vietnam to further promote trade cooperation with China, including Guangdong province, said Zhao.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Cam Tu, for his side, said the outcome of cooperation in trade and industry is still not commensurate with potentials of the two sides.

The Vietnamese official affirmed that his ministry always attaches great importance to the relations with the authorities of China's Guang Dong province.

According to the website of Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, in 2012, trade turnover between Vietnam and China's Guangdong reached $8.75 billion, up 13.9 percent year-on- year. The figure hit $8.83 billion in the first nine months of 2013, an increase of 43.1 percent year-on-year.