"Iran can be a safe gateway for Vietnam to reach the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Central Asia region, Caucasus, Afghanistan and Iraq," Shafeyee said in a meeting with Chairman of People's Committee in Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Thành Phong.
He also said that Vietnam can be a gateway for Iran to enter the world’s fifth-largest economic bloc that is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In relevant remarks on Thursday, Vietnamese President Trần Đại Quang called on his country's banks to broaden mutual cooperation with Iran in the fields of trade and banking.
"I welcome the expansion of relations between the Iranian and Vietnamese businessmen while urging the Vietnamese banks to initiate the relations with the Iranian banks," the Vietnamese president said in a meeting with Shafeyee in Hanoi.
The Vietnamese president pointed to close relations between Hanoi and Tehran, and said, "We witnessed two good incidents last year; a visit by former Vietnamese President Trương Tấn Sang to Iran and President Rouhani’s visit to Vietnam both of which led to closer relations between the two countries."
Iran can supply export products such as petrochemicals, bitumen, polymers, base oils, building materials and minerals to Vietnam.
Vietnam’s main exported products are footwear, textile and garment, fruits, rubber, coffee, rice, pepper, whereas Iran could provide Vietnam with energy sources.
The presidents of the two countries agreed last year to boost bilateral trade to a level of $2 billion by 2021.