With humid environment and good weather, Vietnam is rich in herbal resources, giving it potential to develop Chinese medicine products, said a Chinese pharmaceutical company official in Hanoi.

Xiao Junping, board director of the Chinese Pozin Pharmaceutical Company is attending the ongoing Second Chinese Commodity (Vietnam) Fair in Hanoi lasting until July 13. He came to Vietnam with a big interest in the local medicine market.

Gancao(liquorice), Jinyinhua (honeysuckle), huoxiang (wrinkled giant hyssop) and a number of herbs grown here can be cultivated and developed with modern technique into Chinese medicine in tablets, with the function like clearing away the heat and curing cough, said Xiao.

With hot weather and a dense population in Vietnam, Xiao is confident these products cater to local people's needs.

The four-day fair draws about 100 Chinese companies in different sectors, including home electronic appliances, Chinese medicine, machinery and garments.

At the fair, Chinese booth selling rare Chinese herbs like ginseng and glossy ganoderma also draws many visitors.

Wang Zhiwei, manager of Tianlilu Company from southwest China' s Jilin Province, brought a dozen kinds of herbs to the fair. "I came to the fair last year, and found Vietnamese people interested in buying Chinese herbs, so I travel all the way here again this year."

Dong Viet Thang, Chairman of Vietnam Pharmaceutical Companies Association, hailed the idea of Pozin company to establish a factory in Vietnam to produce Chinese medicine products.

Vietnamese people have learned about Chinese herbs and Chinese medicines for a long time. Some families recognize it as an effective and safe way to cure disease, he said.

At the booth of Pozin companies on the fair, Chinese medicine products draw visitors at all ages. A Vietnamese mother called My is very interested in a drinking medicine product to help the little child overcome cough. Some Vietnamese men spent a long time checking out a medicinal liquor product added with herbs.

Vietnamese people have the tradition to put herbs or animals into liquor to strengthen its heeling effect. In Vietnamese restaurants, liquors like this are common, one of them said.

Xiao said he has an even ambitious plan after his company gained foothold in Vietnam. He wanted to sell his medicine products produced in Vietnam to other southeastern countries.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2008)