The assurance came when Vietnamese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ngo Van Hoa called on Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at her office yesterday.

The envoy appreciated Khaleda's "Look East" policy and affirmed his country's support to Bangladesh, a lower riparian country of the Ganges basin, to get membership of the Mekong-Ganges Cooperation that comprises India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

During the meeting, the prime minister and the envoy stressed the need for translating the existing excellent political relations between the two Asian countries into an effective economic cooperation.

Khaleda said there was wide scope for enhancing trade relations as Vietnam can import more tea, leather, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, textile accessories, melamine, jute and jute goods from Bangladesh.

She said Bangladesh can be benefited from Vietnam's experience in agriculture, horticulture and pisciculture, while Vietnam can utilise Bangladesh experience in micro-credit and disaster management.

The prime minister also mentioned the facilities provided by her government for investing in Bangladesh's export processing zones which the Vietnamese investors can avail.

Hoa hoped that the recent visits of Bangladesh's agriculture minister to Vietnam and the Vietnamese foreign minister's to Dhaka will help further cement the ties between the two countries.

As the envoy mentioned his country's invitation to Bangladesh's cultural minister to visit Vietnam, the prime minister said the minister will soon visit Vietnam with a cultural delegation.

Hoa also said there should be more exchange of government, private, and cultural and business delegations between them.

The prime minister reiterated the invitation to the Vietnamese president and the prime minister to visit Bangladesh.

The envoy reciprocated by inviting the prime minister to visit Vietnam.