Chairman of the Consultative Assembly of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Bin Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Sheikh arrived in Hanoi on January 31, starting his four-day visit to Vietnam.

The visit is being made at the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

Vietnam and Saudi Arabia established diplomatic relations in October 1999. Vietnam opened its embassy in Riyadh in April 2007, and Saudi Arabia inaugurated its embassy in Hanoi in December 2009.

In recent years, the two sides have strengthened the exchange of delegations at all levels to boost bilateral relations.

Economic and trade relations between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia have developed rapidly over the past years, with an average growth rate of more than 40 percent.

According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, two-way trade hit 1.2 billion in 2013.

Vietnam mainly exported garment, seafood, wooden and agricultural products, tea, machinery, paper and plastic products to Saudi Arabia while importing raw materials, chemicals and feed from the Middle East country.

VNA