The aim of the trip is to make it easier for companies in Thuringia to access markets in the dynamic ASEAN region and to continue to promote close cooperation in the field of training between Vietnam and Thuringia. Under the leadership of Thuringia‘s Minister President Bodo Ramelow, Thuringia‘s Minister of Labor Heike Werner and Thuringia’s Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Valentina Kerst, the tour will include the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, the South Vietnamese economic metropolis Ho Chi Minh City and the city state of Singapore. The participants of the trip will be in contact with political representatives and companies from both countries. Relations between Thuringia and Vietnam have developed over time. With current economic growth of 6.8 percent, the emerging market is the growth driver of the ASEAN region. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Vietnam, which is in preparation, could further boost trade with the Asian country. The highly developed city state of Singapore invests extensively in high-tech industries and is increasingly demanding both industrial high-tech solutions and consumer goods internationally.(cdo/hw)