HANOI - The sixth Zhejiang Export Fair (Vietnam) 2017, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, kicked off here Thursday, luring many visitors.

Featuring 150 booths, of nearly 100 well-known businesses, mainly operating in the fields of machinery, electronics, building materials, hardware, garment, textile and consumer goods, from Zhejiang, eastern coastal province of China, the annual trade fair attracted thousands of Vietnamese businessmen and visitors in its first day.

Emphasizing Vietnam's role as Zhejiang's largest trade partner in Southeast Asia, representative of the Zhejiang municipal trade department Tao Fei said the three-day trade fair will help further boost economic ties between the Chinese province and Vietnam in particular and between the two countries as general.

The bilateral trade between Zhejiang and Vietnam rose 12 percent to $6.7 billion in 2016, according to Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade.

By the end of last year, 186 Zhejiang companies invested in Vietnam with total capital of nearly $1.7 billion, while Vietnam had 26 firms in the Chinese province with combined investment of $20 million.