A seminar, themed "How Vietnam becomes a full partner of France in the future," was opened on Thursday at the Economic and Commercial Sciences University (ESSEC), one of the top business schools in France.
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French PM Francois Fillon (4th from left, second row) and Vietnamese Deputy PM Nguyen Sinh Hung (4th from right, second row) witness the signing of cooperation documents at the Vietnam-France Entrepreneurs Forum held in Ha Noi, November 13, 2009
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This was the first dialogue between the Vietnamese Embassy in Paris and representatives for the French business community, centering on economic development programs and investment cooperation between the two countries.
Most of participants questioned about business and investment environment in Vietnam and the country’s mechanisms and policies for foreign investors.
At the seminar, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Kinh Tai briefed Vietnam’s socio-economic situations in 2009 and prospects in 2010.
Despite negative impacts of the global financial and economic crisis, Vietnam has managed to sustain its growth rate at 5.2% in 2009.
The country tops the world in exporting cashew nuts and is occupying the position of the second biggest exporter of rice (nearly 6 million tons this year) and coffee. Marine products are also its mainstay.
Vietnam boasts for socio-political stability and open investment environment. So far, the country has lured US $174 billion into 10,800 projects.
The record ODA commitment of US $8.06 billion for Vietnam in 2010, recently announced by international donors, reflects high confidence of countries and international financial organizations and institutions in Vietnam’s prospects.
At present, the economic cooperation between Vietnam and France is flourishing. France is one of the biggest European investors in the Southeast Asian country, with over US $3 billion. The two-way trade turnover is approximately US $2 billion.
The Vietnam tour made by French PM François Fillon in November 2009 marked a new advancement of the bilateral ties. In the near future, the cooperation between the two countries are expanded and deepened in various fields, such as industry, high technology, education-training, food processing, tourism, environment, and cultural development.