"We are trying to strengthen our relations with all our neighbours," the PM said referring to her recent visits to Thailand and Myanmar.

Khaleda was exchanging views with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien when he called on her at the Prime Minister's Office yesterday.

Nien conveyed greetings from the Vietnamese president and prime minister to Khaleda and invited her to visit his country.

The prime minister accepted the invitation and in turn extended invitation to the Vietnamese president and prime minister to visit Bangladesh.

She recalled her meeting with the Vietnamese president during the NAM Summit and said Dhaka is waiting to welcome him sometime in the next year.

Referring to the existing friendly relation between the two countries, Nguyen recalled Bangladesh's support for the independence of Vietnam.

Khaleda said there were similarities between the two countries in many areas. The two countries should share their experience in different successful areas for their mutual benefit.

She particularly mentioned Vietnam's success in agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture.

The Vietnamese foreign minister also praised Bangladesh's success in different sectors including education, health and poverty alleviation.

Nguyen pledged Vietnam's support to Bangladesh for its membership in various international bodies including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

He referred to the ASEAN-European Meet (ASEM) scheduled to be held in Hanoi next October and invited Khaleda to join it.

During the meeting, the prime minister mentioned the scope of enhancing trade and economic cooperation between the two countries and indicated the possibility of Vietnam importing more jute, jute goods, leather, textiles and garments from Bangladesh.

The Vietnamese foreign minister said that he has had a meeting with business leaders in Dhaka and identified various ways for boosting bilateral trade. He said single-country trade fair could be held in Hanoi and Dhaka to enhance bilateral trade.

Other matters of bilateral, regional and international cooperation also came up during the discussion.

Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, Foreign Secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury and Vietnamese Charge d'Affaires Ngo Van Hoa were present during the meeting.