Above: Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe in Hanoi with PM Nguyen Tan Dung (Photo: OPM Haiti)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti and Vietnam are continuing to increase bilateral trade, following record levels in 2011, according to the government of Vietnam.

After two-way trade rose to $11 million in 2010, it reached $40 million last year, with Vietnamese exports accounting for $15 million of that number.

Through the first half of 2012, the number stood at about $19 million, Vietnam’s government said ahead of Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe’s meeting Monday with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Lamothe, who arrived in Vietnam over the weekend, continued to push Haiti’s message that the country was “open for business,” inviting Vietnamese investors to look to Haiti.

The two countries are slated to sign a series of cooperation agreements during Lamothe’s four-day official visit.

Lamothe is also looking to increase rice importation from Vietnam, after Haiti’s agricultural sector was severely damaged by this summer’s pair of hurricanes.

According to a statement from Lamothe’s office, Haiti is looking to import rice from Vietnam to offer “better rates” and “combat speculation” in the market.