Agent Orange second pre-trial hearing delayed again

Wed, 10/20/2004 - 17:07

The second pre-trial hearing of the Agent Orange case, which was set to take place yesterday Oct. 12, was once again postponed until Nov. 3, a source told Thanh Nien on Oct. 13.
The main reason this time was that the defendants – 37 U.S. manufacturers of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange – were “very concerned and confused” about the new evidence raised by the plaintiffs in their second additional appeal in September, said the source.

Agent Orange letter urges chemical company to compensate victims

Wed, 10/20/2004 - 17:05

Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society on Oct. 19 publicized a letter he had earlier sent to the CEO of U.S-based Monsanto chemical company, urging him to compensate Agent Orange/Dioxin victims.

Outlook of local property market is good

Wed, 10/20/2004 - 16:53

A report from the US based CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), which manages a dozen high-rise building projects across Vietnam, says that Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were experiencing “unusually” high occupancy rates compared with the rest of Asia and this trend should continue over the next three to four years.

The outlook of the local property market is good if you look at the number of projects and the very unusual high occupancy rates in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the managing director of CBRE, Marc Townsend, said.

WTO: Full commitment leads to intrnational support

Fri, 10/15/2004 - 16:25

As much as the Vietnamese have shown their desire for independence throughout their history, they understand the benefits of economic integration. World Trade Organization (WTO) membership has become one of Hanoi's key goals for 2005 and would be the crowning achievement of a year that also celebrates 30 years of unification and 10 years of normalized relations with the United States.

Grandchildren of war ask for Agent Orange help

Fri, 10/15/2004 - 16:18

About 100 Vietnamese citizens exposed to Agent Orange during the war are seeking compensation from chemical companies in a historic class-action lawsuit. Thanks to a federal law that allows foreigners to sue in U.S. courts for alleged violations of international law, thirty years after the war, this is the first time Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange have taken legal action against American corporations that produced the highly toxic herbicide.

Foreign investment: prime location Vietnam

Fri, 10/15/2004 - 16:16

Vietnam is one of the investment success stories of the last decade, with a wide variety of industries locating facilities in one of the 76 industrial parks (IP) and export processing zones (EPZ). Some investors produce for the domestic market, but many use Vietnam as a base for exports into the East Asian region or North America, especially since the implementation of the Bilateral Trade Agreement between Washington and Hanoi in 2001.

Textile-garment quota fees to US reduced

Wed, 10/13/2004 - 04:14

 
VietNamNet – Nineteen textile-garment categories exported to the US have their quota fees cut by 70%.

Part of a newly-issued decision of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the cost reduction will be applied to 19 categories exported to the US as of January 1, 2005.

The categories have been billed as ‘hot’ product in high demand, including men’s and women’s cotton jackets, men’s and women’s cotton knit shirt, and cotton blended shirt, cotton blend mini-skirt, cotton trousers, swimsuits, polyester knit shirts and trousers.

EU, Vietnam WTO entry pact result of hard work; observers

Wed, 10/13/2004 - 04:00

Vietnam and the European Union managed to reach an agreement paving the way for Vietnam’s entry to the WTO thanks to its negotiators’ hard work during five days of intense talks, said observers.

Negotiations between Vietnam and the European Union began Oct. 5 and were scheduled to wrap up late Oct. 8. From the first day, both sides’ negotiators spent days and nights at the headquarters of the Ministry of Trade in Hanoi hammering out a final agreement.

New American school opens in HCMC

Wed, 10/13/2004 - 03:57

A new international school was recently opened in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, said the Ministry of Education and Training.

The school is called APU and will provide Vietnamese students with a social sciences curriculum used in American high schools. Students will graduate with diplomas recognized by American colleges and universities.

The APU School is also an English language center offering classes for learners at different levels.

Vietnam, EU sign bilateral agreement after concluding WTO talks

Wed, 10/13/2004 - 03:55

Vietnam and the European Union signed a bilateral agreement on EU recognition of Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organization in Hanoi yesterday Oct. 9 after the 10th round of talks wrapped up.

Vietnamese Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen and EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy announced the success of the talks at a press conference held right after the four-day negotiation round in Vietnam’s capital concluded.

“The agreement will make Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organization easier,” said Mr. Lamy at the press conference.

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