Switzerland supports administrative reforms

(01-08-2005)
 http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01COM010805 

Viet Nam News spoke with Switzerland’s new ambassador to Viet Nam Benedict de Cerjat to mark the Swiss National Day, which is today.

Swiss Ambassador Benedict de Cerjat. — VNS Photo Khanh Chi

Could you tell us a little bit about your national day?

Switzerland was founded in 1291. This is more than 700 years ago, so we have a long standing tradition of celebrating August 1, even though it has only recently been designated as a national holiday.

When I was a young boy, we didn’t have a holiday on national day so I went to school and my father went to work.

Traditionally, Swiss people get together at night and go to the mountains and have a big communal fire so on the night of national day one can see big fires all over the country.

In Viet Nam, we have a small Swiss community of about 300 people. Most of them live in Ho Chi Minh City. They will have a special get-together on this day, as will we here in Ha Noi.

How do you view Viet Nam’s Doi moi (renewal) process almost 20 years after its implementation?

The Dôi moi process has created a very dynamic climate, which is favourable to reform. Viet Nam has experienced many interesting years that have seen a fast-growing economy and a lot of changes. I’m impressed by this very dynamic country. Of course, there are a lot of things to be done as the fast-growing economy presents many challenges.

The main challenge is to control the growth and to ensure that everybody is on board and that the gap between poor and rich and between cities and provinces doesn’t increase. It is also important that everybody benefits from these opportunities.

I am very interested in the current discussions in view of the 10th Party Congress next year, especially discussions about relations between Party members and businesses as well as the problem of corruption, which has to be handled.

The leaders of Viet Nam are taking these challenges very seriously.

How has Switzerland supported Viet Nam’s administrative reform?

Switzerland supported Viet Nam in its development for more than 30 years with a lot of different programmes. One of them is in the field of administrative reform. We are very proud to see some initial, positive results, especially at the local level with, for instance, the widespread use of the one-stop shop concept.

I’m convinced that it’s helpful. It makes administration more efficient and it’s also a way to avoid corruption at the local level.

We will continue this effort as I am convinced that there is still a lot to be done in this field.

Switzerland is the fourth biggest European investor into Viet Nam. In which areas are Swiss businesses most interested in?

We have some very big companies which has been operating in Viet Nam for more than 10 years.

The largest Swiss investor is Holcim in the cement sector. Other very important companies are ABB which produces electrical transformers, Nestle which produces coffee, Milo, milk, yoghurt and Lavie water. Other companies like Novatis (pharmaceuticals), Syngenta (agrochemicals) and many smaller companies help to provide more than 2,500 jobs in Viet Nam.

I hope that this interest in Viet Nam will continue. I’m confident that this will be the case, especially when Viet Nam becomes a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Swiss companies in Viet Nam operate under different circumstances. Most of them have local partners, this is the case for Holcim, for instance. I expect after Viet Nam’s WTO accession, some companies will run under their own ownership.

The Swiss Import Promotion Programme aims to help Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises to export their products to Switzerland. How is this scheme progressing?

This is a very interesting programme. I think Switzerland is leading in this field, in helping developing countries exporters to gain access to export markets. We have had very good experiences with bio-shrimp promotion and the promotion of black tiger shrimp from the southern Ca Mau Province. These products are now available in large Swiss stores.

We are now promoting other Vietnamese products, which includes food products but we also recently launched a programme for medical herbs, textiles, and wood products. In fact at the moment the best Vietnamese exports to the Swiss market are footwear and textiles. With our SIPPO programme we support other sectors that we think have good potential. Footwear and textiles already have good market access and a good market share, whereas others, namely coffee or tea, need support. We recently opened a programme to help lychee exporters and I saw on the news that the fruit is exporting well to the Swiss market.

Is it true that Switzerland has agreed to allow citizens of Schengen nations to enter the country without visas? Is this as indicator that Switzerland will join the EU soon?

In early June we held a referendum and the Swiss population agreed to join the group of Schengen under which European countries share policies on regulations, politics and justice.

The Schengen group does not fit exactly with the European Union. The UK (a member of the EU) is not a member of Schengen but Norway (not an EU member) is a member of Schengen.

A view of Zurich, Switzerland. — VNS file photo

Now new policies have to be ratified by the Schengen member states before coming into force. There are some technical issues to prepare the connection between the member countries.

I am confident if not in 2006, in 2007 or early 2008 we will complete this part of the system. This will mean that by this time Vietnamese citizens who would like to visit Switzerland will be able to visit the country with a Schengen visa obtained at the German, French or Italian consulate. When Vietnamese citizens visit Switzerland they will be able to travel all over the Schengen nations with one visa.

I’m convinced that this is very good, although, I was not optimistic that we could convince our people that it was good.

It doesn’t mean that we will be able to join the EU in the near future because the Swiss population seems reluctant in terms of the political integration.

The current discussions among EU member states following the referendum about the EU Constitution show that there are some issues open for discussion and EU member states need to discuss the advancement of the community.

We expect the Schengen states to ratify the accession of Switzerland because we have created a treaty and the Swiss population has accepted it and now it is up to the Schengen members to decide. If one member state doesn’t accept it, it will not be implemented.

I don’t see why the Schengen member states would veto our accession because it is also advantageous to them. They will be able to travel through Switzerland without a passport or a visa and without having to pass through border controls.

There is a statistic which states that more than 1 million people cross the border every day due to Switzerland’s geographic position. There are a lot of transits such as Italians going to Germany and Germans going to Italy and a lot of people come in for the day to work. — VNS

VN tourism group parades and promotes in Geneva
  http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2004-08/05/Stories/08.htm
  Friday, August 6, 2004

PARIS — A delegation from the Viet Nam Administration of Tourism (VAT), led by General Director Vo Thi Thang, is in attendance at the 2004 Geneva Festival in Switzerland, which runs from July 30 to August 8.

The Vietnamese delegation and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Geneva led a six-hour parade of nearly 200,000 people at the festival.

Viet Nam is the unique honorary guest at the 2004 Geneva Festival, the biggest annual festival in Switzerland.

The event is seen an opportunity for Viet Nam to introduce itself to the people of Geneva and around 2 million visitors at the festival.

At the opening of the Viet Nam Village and a meeting with the city’s mayor and the director of the Tourism Agency of Geneva, General Director Thang expressed her hope that Viet Nam’s participation in the festival would open the door for closer tourism co-operation between Viet Nam and Switzerland.

Geneva authorities and festival organisers praised Viet Nam’s activities at the festival.

Vietnamese art troupes and the Viet Nam Wrestling Association in Switzerland and other Vietnamese participants performed and introduced special dishes of Vietnamese food to visitors and local people. — VNS

Geneva to assist urban development in Ha Noi
 Monday, February 23, 2004
 http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2004-02/21/Stories/07.htm 

HA NOI — Geneva and Ha Noi could learn from each other to boost development of the two cities, the mayor of Geneva said during his five-day visit to Ha Noi.

Christian Ferrazino said the cities would intensify co-operation in the areas of urban management, urban transport, infrastructure development and environmental protection – the major issues of concern to Ha Noi.

Ferrazino reported the Vietnamese promotion, a Week of Ha Noi’s Economy and Culture, to be held in Geneva this May, would be a chance for Viet Nam’s capital city to introduce its cultural values and economic potential to the Swiss people.

Geneva plans to fund the event to the tune of 50,000 Swiss francs (US$40,000).

During his talks with Ha Noi leaders, the mayor highlighted the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Accords (1954-2004) to be marked in Geneva this April. He said Ha Noi leaders would be among the guests.

The meeting would strengthen bilateral understanding and bring closer the people and administrations of the two cities, which will be marked as a good start to the long-term cooperative ties between them, he said.

He said Ha Noi, like other cities in the world, faced many problems relating to urban traffic and infrastructure.

He said he was pleased to learn Ha Noi was working on a plan to restore a tram system, adding that Geneva soon planned to do the same after removing its tram in 1960.

Ferrazino extolled Ha Noi as a tourist attraction and a city with a rich cultural and artistic tradition. He said he would encourage Geneva residents to visit Ha Noi. — VNS

Ha Noi, Geneva bolster relations 
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2004-02/19/Stories/02.htm 
Friday, February  20, 2004

HA NOI — The newly-signed Memorandum of Understanding between Ha Noi and Geneva was a concrete demonstration of the effort to strengthen bilateral co-operation and friendship between Viet Nam and Switzerland, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dzung said on Wednesday.

Exchanges of information about urban planning and management, the promotion of the economic co-operation and organisation of economic-cultural events in Geneva during May would help consolidate the relationship, he said.

It was now for Geneva and Ha Noi to find ways of effectively implementing the MoU, he told the Mayor of the Swiss city, Christian Ferranzina.

The deputy prime minister also thanked the Swiss city for organising celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the ‘Geneva Accords’ that ended the French occupation of Viet Nam.

The celebrations will be held in April.

The festivities would give Viet Nam the opportunity to remember its struggle for national independence and freedom, he said.

They would also enhance ties between Viet Nam, Switzerland and other countries.

Christian Ferranzina thanked the deputy prime minister for his warm welcome and assured him that the celebrations of the anniversary would be well organised.

He said the Swiss people would take the opportunity to try to understand more about Viet Nam, and seek opportunities to invest in the country.

The MoU was signed by the Mayor of Geneva and the Ha Noi People’s Committee chairman Hoang Van Nghien last Tuesday.

Nghien thanked the Swiss for the help they gave Viet Nam in their struggles against both the French colonialist and the US imperialists and national re-construction. — VNS

Swiss thanked

Earlier, Swiss help to Viet Nam was recognised by the deputy prime minister at a meeting with visiting Swiss Red Cross chairman Professor Rene Rhinow.

Khiem, who thanked Professor Rhinow for his association’s contribution to Viet Nam, said he was pleased with the results of co-operation between the Viet Nam and Swiss Red Cross and hoped for more of the same.

In response, Professor Rene Rhinow said that he wanted the affiliation between the two associations further strengthened.

Swiss Red Cross has pledged VND450 million (US$30,000) for a project to help mute children in Ha Noi’s Gia Lam District that is due for completion by 2006.

It has also helped build hospitals in southern An Giang Province’s Tinh Bien District and 10,000 flood-proof houses in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces of Kien Giang and Phu Yen.

In addition, Swiss Red Cross has developed a programme to raise the capacity of the Red Cross in six central provinces that are often afflicted by storms and floods.

Professor Rhinow, who is making a nine-day visit to Viet Nam to October 17, has been awarded the For-Viet Nam Red Cross medal. — VNS