Business group the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce (MYCCI) has forged trade links with Vietnam, and following a visit to Yorkshire by 10 Vietnamese delegates, plans are being laid to import frozen fish and other sea food from the region to Britain.

The links began with a visit to Vietnam by the Wakefield-based Chamber's International Trade Team.

They were there to provide training for the Vietnamese on international trade, leadership and management, and food technology.

They also gave Vietnamese businesses support associations, food companies and research centres a broader understanding of UK requirements for food standards, packaging and market trends.

One of the delegates on the Vietnam visit, Elsa Fairbanks, a food specialist with more than 30 years of experience, said: "Whilst opportunities for UK companies are at this stage likely to be focused on supplying technical expertise to the emerging and very impressive Vietnamese food processing industry, there is significant potential for the supply of frozen fish and seafood and also exotic fruits from Vietnam into Europe."

The Vietnamese delegation visiting Yorkshire was taken on a whistlestop tour of the region, including a visit to the Sea Fish Authority and Yorkshire and Humber's SeaFood Cluster Group in Hull.

Susana Cordoba, the Chamber's development manager, said: "This was the first important step to assisting the South Vietnamese delegation to forge links with their British counterparts."

During their time in Yorkshire, the Vietnamese delegates also visited Country Park Foods in Huddersfield, and Yorkshire Forward's Food Cluster Inward Investment team and Food Centre of Industrial Collaboration in Leeds.

Susana recently returned from South Vietnam, where she accompanied an EU delegation made up of Italian and UK representatives from the food business support and research organisations.

She said:"The delegates were very impressed with the high quality standards in the factories and processes which were the same level or even higher than those in Europe, opening clear opportunities for cooperation in the seafood sector."