Vietnam - US Full Normalization and Vietnam's Entry Into WTO Marked

DS_Blumenauer_Simon_Web_Resized.jpgA senior diplomat expressed his belief that investment and trade volume between Viet Nam and the U.S. as well as official contacts between the two countries' administrative and legislative agencies would further increase in the future.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007

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A smile that's called Vietnam

Photo: VNN

US President Signs Proclamation to Boost US-Vietnam Trade

US President George W. Bush on December 29 signed a proclamation formally extending full US-Vietnam trade ties and cleared the way for Vietnam to receive US military aid, key steps in normalising bilateral relations.

President Bush lifted trade restrictions imposed on Vietnam under the so-called "Jackson-Vanik" amendment since 1974.

“The US welcomes Vietnam's progress in enacting free-market reforms, and looks forward to Vietnam becoming the 150th member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on January 11,” said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.

US Group Gets Nod for $1.2 bln Resort in Vietnam Island

The US-based Rockingham Corporation has reached agreement in principle with Vietnam’s southern Kien Giang province to lease land for a US$1.2 billion tourism complex on Phu Quoc Island.
The province has agreed to make available 923 ha on the island but further details of the agreement are awaited. It will allot the land by next year.phuquoc.bmp

Keen Interest from the US Parlays into Big Investment Dollars

US investment inflows in Vietnam reportedly reached US$4.4 billion to date, fuelled by a series of recent large-scale projects on the books, according to statistics from the ministry of planning and investment.

Foreign direct investment projects to November from the US are reportedly worth $2 billion, ministry statistics said.

The balance was sourced from the US firms based in Hong Kong and Singapore.

“You'd be amazed at what it's like to be in Vietnam": President Bush

President George W. Bush today signed into law a bill that includes establishing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Vietnam. The PNTR provisions were part of a larger bill that dealt with taxes, health and other domestic social provisions that the Republican-controlled Congress passed during the final minutes of its session this month. Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Tam Chien was present at the signing.

Vietnam Airlines to Open Direct Flight to US For the First Time

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will seek government approval for a first-ever direct flight to the US in the next few weeks, after PM Nguyen Tan Dung called for opening the route by 2007.
Airline vice director Pham Ngoc Minh said the route would bear “great social and political vietnamair_121_06.gifsignificance”.

Former President Bill Clinton Arrives in Vietnam for HIV/AIDS Work

Former US President Bill Clinton arrived in Hanoi Tuesday on a two-day visit to Vietnam as chairman of the Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS Initiative.

Welcoming Clinton at the airport were senior officials from the health and foreign affairs ministries and the US embassy.

On Wednesday Clinton and his delegation will have meetings with Vietnamese agencies, discussing distribution of drugs to children with HIV/AIDS under the initiative.

He will also speak to Vietnamese students about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

US-Vietnam Coalition Urges Congress to Act on Vietnam PNTR

pntr.bmpThe US-Vietnam WTO Coalition has asked the US Congress to approve Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for Vietnam.

In the December 1 letter to the leaders of the US Senate and the House of Representatives, the coalition said its members urged that PNTR for Vietnam be approved before the adjournment of the 109th Congress.

USTDA Names Vietnam Country of the Year

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) recently named Vietnam as its 2006 Country of the Year in recognition its “remarkable achievements”, read a press release issued by the agency.
The agency presented the 2006 Country of the Year honor based on Vietnam’s strong and growing partnership with the USTDA, the statement said.med_tower.jpg

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