VietNamNet – Quang Ninh’s Au Lac Co. Ltd. signed with the US's Dye Vietnam Limited a contract to establish a joint venture in Hanoi on January 26.

Mr Cao Ky presents the VND100mil cheque to Mr Duyet, President of VFF Central Committee's Presidium.

The contract was signed at the headquarters of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee in the presence of VFF and Government officials, some Vietnamese and American business people and Nguyen Cao Ky, Vice President of the former Saigon regime, who brought about the co-operation.

 

The joint venture, called the Ha Long Joint Venture Company Limited, will operate in tourism and recreation with a total investment of up to US$1.5bil (legal capital of over $880mil). Of this, Dye Vietnam Limited has contributed 51%, and Au Lac Company 49%.

 

The joint venture (JV) is based in Tuan Chau Island in Quang Ninh Province ’s Ha Long City, and has a representative office in the US .

 

“The aim of the joint venture contract is to upgrade and take full economic advantage of Ha Long Bay, one of the world’s natural heritage sites, and other landscapes in Vietnam ,” said Dao Hong Tuyen, chairman of the board of directors of Au Lac Company.

 

During its 70 years of operations, the JV will build a 36-hole international golf course, hotels with 140 rooms, 50 luxurious golf villas, an artificial channel measuring 580mx125m, a 1km-long beach, a helipad, an eco-tourism site, an underwater entertainment site and other services on Tuan Chau Island.

 

Also in Quang Ninh, the JV plans to build a complex of Nui Thong Golf Course and Lang Qua Club and thousands of rest houses at the Yen Trung Lake , Uong Bi Town.

 

In addition, it seeks to develop luxury recreational and resort centres in Ha Noi, the central city of Nha Trang and HCM City .

 

At the signing ceremony, Mr. Cao Ky and his wife presented VND100mil to the Fund for Poor Students in Chu Van An High School in Hanoi .

 

VFF President Pham The Duyet thanked Mr Ky ’s family for their sentiments towards their homeland and for their contributions to the establishment of the Ha Long JV and expressed his hope they would continue doing good things for Vietnam .

 

PV

The US’ Success Alliance Project said it would continue to provide assistance to 1,600 households in southern Ben Tre Province to grow 530ha of cocoa trees next to their coconut and fruit trees.

The beneficiaries will be provided seedlings and farming techniques to grow cocoa. The project will also be carried out in two other southern provinces, Tien Giang and Binh Phuoc, this year with 1,000 farmers benefiting from it.

ACDI/VOCA, an American non-profit organisation that offers technical assistance in various fields, will grant US$500,000 to help Vietnamese farmers grow cacao by 2007.

According to the director of the HCM City Agriculture and Forestry University’s Biotechnology Center, cocoa costs less to grow than coffee but fetches double the price. Cocoa farming remains limited in Vietnam since it is still a new crop for farmers not to speak of consumers.

The southern part of the central coastal region, the Central Highlands, the eastern part of the southern region and the Mekong Delta have been identified by scientists as the four key potential cocoa cultivating regions.

(Source: Nhan Dan)

VietNamNet – Two-thirds of Americans advocate trade with, and support for Vietnam’s WTO accession said Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, Former US Trade Representative this morning in Hanoi.

Ms Charlene Barshefsky.

Ms Barshefsky had spent one hour this morning talking with the business community, scholars, students about the Vietnam – US relationship, especially after the BTA (Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement), and about Vietnam’s accession process to the WTO.

 

“The US-Vietnam economic relationship over the last four years since signing the BTA is positive,” said Ms Barshefsky. It shows new logistical links, symbolised by the United Airways direct route to Vietnam, and it shows people-to-people contact, with annual visits from Americans to Vietnam rising from 208,000 in 1999 to almost 300,000 this year.

 

The US sees Vietnam as a market with considerable growth and export potential, and America’s role as an export market, source of technology, and outward investor means the benefits of a normal economic relationship for Vietnam would be considerable.

 

The implementation of the BTA over the last four years has brought many achievements to both the US and Vietnamese economies despite the fact that disputes, misperceptions and friction still exist.

 

Most obviously, Vietnamese trade to the US has grown rapidly since BTA, with estimates showing that Vietnam could earn an extra $1.5bil per year. But in reality, Vietnam’s exports to the US have risen by $4.2bil in four years. The US is now Vietnam’s biggest export market, passing Japan in 2002 and level with the EU.

 

The BTA, for example, has helped Vietnam sell 50mil pairs of shoes every year, making the country the fourth largest supplier to the US. Vietnamese furniture companies exported to the US 20,000 chairs in 2000 when the non-NTR (normal trade relation) tariff was 60%, and 2.6mil chairs in 2004 with 0% NTR tariff.

 

The rapid growth to the US has led to the improvement of Vietnam’s exports, which rose from $11bil in 1999 to $20bil in 2003, and foreign investment is also up, from $13bil then to $20bil.

 

In return, the US has also gained a considerable growth in exports, rising from $330mil in 2000 to $1.2bil in the last year. Vietnam has bought aircraft to develop its air fleet, heavy trucks, and cotton for textile and apparel industry.

 

Ms Barshefsky did not avoid the negative aspects of relations, which she said are part of all trade relationships.

 

She said that in its negotiations, the US keeps firm view point on the intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement. The US side has expressed its concern about the serious violation of copyright.

 

“A 99% rate of piracy for music, film and computer software is unusually high even for South East Asia, and if it persists, as has been the case with China, it will likely be a continuous source of friction,” she warned.

 

In addition to that, there have been significant complaints from US businesses about the issuance of licences for insurance companies, about the independence of the telecom regulatory agency, and the early phases of value-added telecom liberalisation.

 

Vietnamese businesses also have problems with the US trade policies, namely the imposition of a textile quota in 2003 and the antidumping penalties on catfish and shrimp.

 

However, Ms Barshefsky stressed that the application of antidumping law on Vietnam’s products is not unusual. The law exists in every country and it must not be seen as a result of the BTA.

 

The law may be problematic for Vietnam since Vietnam’s exports are gained from a fairly small range of products. Vietnam’s top 25 exports account for two thirds of its export revenue to the US.

 

Regarding accession to WTO which was the major concern of this morning’s audience, Ms Barshefsky stressed that trade liberalisation would be seen as the best solution.

 

Job losses and fierce competition will be big challenges for Vietnam to become a WTO member. The US, for example, has lost 15mil manufacturing jobs in the last 10 years, while the figure for China was 18mil. A similar case was reported from Japan. However, she said, the WTO membership offers large rewards, including dispute settlement rights, export opportunities, domestic reform and diversification.

 

Asked about the prospect of the bilateral agreement with the US under Vietnam’s accession to WTO, Ms Barshefsky said that the agreement with China has set a very high bar, that means the requirements from the US in the agreement with Vietnam would not be low, and Vietnam should well prepare for that.

 

Ms Barshefsky also said she did not see any possibility of the removal of quota mechanism for Vietnam before Vietnam’s official WTO membership.

 

Nguyet Ha

VietNamNet – A Da Nang software firm has reached agreement to update the Hanoi US Embassy's GTIM network, a global trade database. 

The Global Trade and Investment Management Network (GTIM) is a highly accurate database of trade and investment businesses worldwide, which is updated regularly.

 The GTIM system in Vietnam will include three parts: database, enterprise websites and a service centre to support participating enterprises.

By early 2005, the Da Nang Software Centre (Softech Da Nang) will invest in technical infrastructure for this system with assistance from the embassy's Commercial Service.

It will also act as the hub making contact, and gathering and processing information about the Vietnamese business community to enter into the GTIM system. These tasks are to be completed within 2005.

“The involvement in this system will help Vietnamese enterprises access GTIM's huge database while boosting e-commerce,” said Softech Da Nang’s director Pham Kim Son.

Hai Chau

The US will grant another US$25mil to an emergency plan on HIV/AIDS control in Vietnam for the year beginning in April, 2005, said the residential US taskforce on HIV/AIDS at a seminar held in Hanoi on January 11.

The funding will continue to support Vietnam's nine-point national strategy on HIV/AIDS up to 2010 and the next decade so as to help reduce the HIV patient rate in Vietnam to less than 0.3%, said the taskforce.

 

Like the current stage, which will end in September, the US aid will focus on communications to change behaviour, mitigating adverse impact, providing care and support for HIV carriers, supervision and evaluation of HIV patients, medical treatment, preventing the transmission of the disease from mothers to babies and through sexual intercourse, ensuring safe blood transfusion, and increasing the staff capacity and international cooperation in HIV control.

 

The US-funded emergency plan against HIV/AIDS for Vietnam began in June, 2004 with an initial budget of $18mil, making the country one of the 15 in the world and the only one in Asia to benefit from the move.

 

Deputy US Ambassador to Vietnam John Boardman and representatives from 20 international organisations were present at the seminar to discuss the implementation of the programme.

 

(Source: VNA)

VietNamNet – United Airlines, the world second largest airline, January 12 opened its office in Hanoi, after two months in Vietnam .

The Hanoi office is the airline’s second in Vietnam , with the first becoming operation at HCM City in November 2004.

After launching the first direct Vietnam-US flight from San Francisco to HCM City which transits in Hong Kong on December 9, 2004 , United Airlines became the first American airline offering a daily direct air route between Vietnam and the US after 30 years of interruption.

“This air route is the result of many years of work and close cooperation between the two governments. The opening of the United Airlines’ Hanoi office is part of our long-term commitment in providing high-quality aviation services and contributing to economic growth of Vietnam ,” said Mark Russell, United Airlines’ Executive Manager in South Pacific.

“ Vietnam is integrating into the global economy and we hope that travel demands between the two countries will rise. With our new office in Hanoi , we can effectively provide diverse services to passengers not only in Hanoi but other northern provinces and cities,” said Joe Mannix, United Airlines’ Director in Vietnam .

United Airlines is now the world's second biggest airline. From major airports in Los Angeles , San Francisco , Denver , Chicago and Washington DC , the firm and members of the United Express and Ted groups provide more than 3,500 flights per day to over 200 cities in the world.

It is also the founder of the Star Alliance, which connect flights to over 700 destinations in 130 countries. United airlines has nearly 62,000 employees worldwide.

In Vietnam , the airline offers daily flight UA862 from HCM City to San Francisco at 6.20am . Passengers from Hanoi can transit at Tokyo and Osaka to ten gateway cities of the US and transit at Seoul to four cities.

Hong Phuc

Vietnam has requested that the United States conform with the principles of bilateral relations on the basis of mutual understanding and respect in order to not undermine the broad interests of the two countries, said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman yesterday.

Spokesman Le Dung.

Spokesman Le Dung made the comments in response to questions from reporters on Vietnam's reaction to the US State Department designating the country as "one of particular concern" in its annual report on religious freedoms.

The US has granted a 90-day extension period to Vietnam while it decides whether or not to proceed with sanctions.

Vietnam's consistent policy is to respect and protect the freedom of religion and the freedom to worship or not to worship, he said.

This is categorically stated in the Constitution and concretised in other legal documents, especially in the Ordinance on Beliefs and Religions approved by the Vietnam National Assembly.

FM speaks on North Korea refugee incident

Also yesterday, Le Dung confirmed Vietnam's decision regarding the refugee issue relating to six citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) who recently fled to the French and Swedish embassies in Hanoi.

Mr Dung confirmed that Vietnam will maintain its traditional ties with the DPRK and comply with international law.

Mr Dung, when asked by AFP and Reuters correspondents on whether these people would be allowed to leave Vietnam if they apply for asylum status in the Republic of Korea, said the French and Swedish embassies in Hanoi have already informed the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry of this issue.

He said the ministry is contacting related parties to solve the issue in line with both Vietnamese and international law, the humanitarian spirit and the realities of the situation.

When asked by a DPA correspondent on whether the issue would affect Vietnam's relations with the DPRK or Vietnam's policy towards illegal DPRK citizens in its territory, Mr Dung said Vietnam and the DPRK enjoy long-standing relations.

He also said Vietnam wants to promote bilateral relations in the interest of each nation for peace, stability, co-operation and development.

(Source: Viet Nam News)

VietNamNet – The first United Airlines San Francisco – HCM City air route is more than an air route between two places officials from United Airlines and San Francisco City said.

HCM City gives a warm welcome to passengers of the first US-Vietnam direct flight.

At a press conference held in HCM City after the first San Francisco – HCM City flight landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, officials from United Airlines and San Francisco City said that after 30 years of interruption this first air route between the US and Vietnam opens opportunities for increased trade, investment and tourism between the two nations.

 

United 869 landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City at 10.25pm December 10, marking three years the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and resumption of US air travel after a 30-year absence.

 

“It is an important and remarkable event,” said Mark Chandler, Foreign Trade Manager of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office.

 

Mark Chandler, Foreign Trade Manager of San Francisco Mayor Office: "For nearly ten years, San Francisco has had cultural, education, sports and trade relations with HCM City. We plan to organizer a visit to Vietnam for San Francisco companies as well as request HCM City authorities to do the same thing on an annual basis. The direct air route will be the foundation for us to conduct this mission.”

Mr Chandler, who joined the first flight along with other San Francisco officials, said that the flight was become an outstanding event for the American business community and a remarkable event after the signing of the BTA.

 

Once again, images of Vietnam have appeared in US media, opening opportunities for advertising and promotion of Vietnam trade, investment and tourism activities.

 

“These flights will offer more development opportunities… after the signing of BTA,” noted Mark White, United Airlines Vice President of marketing.

 

Three years after the signing of the BTA, Vietnam has had a real opportunity to do business with the US. The country’s export turnover to the US has grown by 450% since the signing.

 

San Francisco and HCM City have been sister cities for a decade, and this first flight between the US and Vietnam should tighten the ties. Mr Chandler said that the key target in relations between the cities was to create more trade exchange opportunities.

 

Minh Quang

Vice-chairwoman Ton Nu Thi Ninh of the Vietnam National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee held a press conference in Washington, D.C. during her ongoing tour of eight states and 12 cities in the United States.

On tour to expand "Vietnam-US Dialogue": Ms Ninh.

Ms Ninh told the media that her visit took place at a significant time. The US presidential and parliamentary elections have taken place and Vietnam is ready to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the war, leading to national reunification (April 30), and the 10th anniversary of the normalisation of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties (July 11) next year.

In reply to questions about “Vietnam’s human rights and religious freedom” at the US National Press Club, Ms Ninh said some individuals and organisations in the US have distributed biased and erroneous information about the current situation in Vietnam.

On the refusal to grant an entry visa to US Representative Loretta Sanchez to Vietnam, Ms Ninh said that the Vietnamese Government's policies are open and flexible to facilitating US citizens and government officials to visit and work in Vietnam.

However, Ms Sanchez's case is "one of exceptions" because her purpose to Vietnam was not serve the bilateral relations, but to meet the demands of some of her voters, the vice-chairwoman said.

"The Vietnamese National Assembly has over the past years welcomed many US parliamentary delegations to create favourable conditions for US congressmen to achieve the purpose of their visits," the official stressed.

Ms Ninh and her entourage had also met people from universities, research institutions, non-governmental organisations, associations, the American Vietnamese community, and companies doing business with Vietnam.

Ms Ninh’s visit, scheduled to last from November 30 to December 19, aims at maintaining and expanding "Vietnam-US dialogue", and promoting the relations between the two nations.

(Source: VNA)

TGL – Mary Moses lays it out straight for TGL Alumni this week, but after offering winning words of advice for youngsters, got stymied by the Kryptonite.

Has to be seen firsthand… oops.

1: The ‘local knowledge’ section:

What brought you to Vietnam? 

An escape from the rat race, and a timely grant from USAID.

What keeps you in Vietnam?

I ask myself this question every day. My answer: my job, my friends, and a nice lifestyle, opportunities that could be just around the corner.

What should your friends send you from home?

Updates on their lives, smutty American magazines and Sour Patch Kid candy.

Do you have a mantra for the streets? 

Don’t think, just do.

2: The ‘what’re ya like’ section:

What was the last album you bought?

Picked up a copy of the “Garden State” Soundtrack and an album by !!! back in US. See, I actually do pay for music.

Why do you stand out in a crowd?

Blond hair, blue eyes, red motorbike.

What was the most rock n’ roll thing you did last week? 

Finally bought a motorbike after a year of renting.

What’s your poison? 

Depends on the night, my mood, and the locale.

If The Good Life could arrange someone to cover you at work on Monday, what would you do? 

Take a long weekend away, lay on the beach, read a book, do nothing. Yeah, not too original, but sounds nice, doesn’t it?

3: The ‘why the in-laws like you’ section:

What are you going to be when you grow up? 

If I only knew…

How do you keep fit? 

Touch rugby, running in Lenin Park, a bit of yoga. Although “fit” might not really be the appropriate word.

What are you reading at the moment? 

Sadly enough, Vietnamese language books and People magazine.

Do you have any words of advice for young people? 

Wear a helmet.

!: Bonus questions for extra smart-alec points:

What’s your special move/unstoppable tactic? 

Has to be seen firsthand. Titanic at 4am, any Saturday.

Kryptonite is to Superman, as ____ is to me. 

Sorry. Spent way too much time overanalysing this one…

The Good Life

VietNamNet – The US Government has earmarked US$155,000 to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to combat human trafficking in Vietnam.

The IOM will use the funds to implement a project in northern coastal Quang Ninh Province. 

Specifically, IOM will partner with Oxfam-Quebec and the Vietnam Women’s Union in an effort to prevent trafficking of persons and to provide social services to trafficking victims in Ha Long City.

The 18-month project will focus on groups vulnerable to trafficking, especially women and children. Populations at risk and returned victims will receive job skills training. Government and non-governmental organisations dealing with the reintegration of trafficking victims will also participate and benefit. 

This grant is part of the US Government’s global efforts to combat trafficking in persons, which is a threat to human rights, public health, and the safety and security of nations.

Anh Tran

Vietnamese and US scientists discussed measures to increase bilateral scientific and technological co-operation at a meeting in Washington DC last week.

At the fourth session of the Joint Vietnam-US Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation, the scientists agreed to further the use of research results and technological transfers.

They also agreed to co-operate in realising a scientific and technological cooperation agreement signed by the two governments in November 2000.

The Vietnamese delegation to the session was led by Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Manh Hai, and the US delegation by Acting assistant to the Secretary of State Anthony Rock.

Reviewing bilateral co-operation, the Vietnamese side spoke out about the efficiency of some projects in health care, agriculture, hydro-meteorology, and personnel training as well as their significance to socio-economic development in Vietnam.

The two sides also discussed and approved new projects in the fields of health care, agriculture, fisheries, information technology, education and training.

(Source: Viet Nam News)

VietNamNet – A letter with nearly 100 signatures of National Assembly deputies has been sent to American congressmen to call for support for the Vietnamese shrimp industry.

Due to fall of exports, VN's shrimp farms had to narrow operations.

The letter has reached US congressmen before the US Department of Commerce (DOC) released its final decision on the anti-dumping tax rates on Vietnam shrimp, November 29.

 

The signatures in the letter belong to NA deputies of the provinces and cities that have large shrimp operations in Vietnam.

 

The letter calls for US congressmen’s sharing of the difficulties of Vietnam’s shrimp industry and their requests to the DOC to make a fair, unprejudiced decision.

 

“We understand and are sympathetic to the difficulties of the US shrimp industry. However, those problems are clearly not the consequences of Vietnam’s exports and preventing or banning imports cannot solve them." the letter says.

 

" We believe that the anti-dumping tax will not help improve the economic conditions of the US shrimp industry, but on the contrary, it will negatively impact American consumers, causing job losses in the shrimp import industry.”

   

According to NA deputies, this lawsuit has caused serious losses for the Vietnamese economy.

 

Due to the fall of exports, shrimp breeding lakes and shrimp processing firms in Vietnam have had to narrow operations and many people have lost jobs. Vietnam has had to suffer irrationally high tax rates compared to other countries after the issuance of the preliminary decision of the DOC.

 

PT

A ‘talent centre’ Cooperation Declaration was held on November 17 in Washington between the Ministry of Science and Technology, the US-based Scientific Initiative Group (SIG) and the Vietnam Education Fund (VEF).

The declaration pits the Ministry of Science and Technology with several other government offices on the design of a scheme for the founding of ‘talent centres’. The scheme will later be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval, before sending it to the World Bank.

 

Both VEF and SIG are to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Science and Technology during the design of the centres.

 

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Manh Hai said that the establishment of talent centres would contribute to improved research and education in Vietnam and would develop human resources in the cause of modernisation. He hoped that SIG and VEF would help identify suitable models for the centres.

 

Pham Kien, Managing Director of the VEF, said that the establishment of such centres would open another channel for the exploitation of talented Vietnamese.

 

The World Bank has funded similar programmes in Chile, Brazil, and Mexico.

 

(Source: NLD)