Wall Street Journal issues special insert on Vietnam

11:18' 21/06/2007 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – On June 20, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) – the most reputed economic daily in the US, issued a special four-page insert on Vietnam on the occasion of Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet’s US visit. The photo on Wall Street Journal. Vietnam – Asia's newest star rises The most outstanding images in the insert on Vietnam are the photo of Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet shaking hand with US President George Bush in Hanoi on the occasion of the APEC 2006 and the photo of the Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. Vietnam is introduced by WSJ as a new rising star of Asia with economic achievements, the change of position in the international market, the strongly developing stock market of Vietnam, the country’s investment incentive policy, Vietnam’s cooperation with Microsoft to protect software copyright, Vietnam’s attractive golf courses, etc. This insert is on WSJ’s global issue totaling around 2.2 million copies, including more than 114,000 copies delivered in Europe, around 80,000 in Asia – Pacific, and nearly 2 million in the US. This is the first time the WSJ has an insert on Vietnam. The insert is produced by Vietnam’s 2B Media Company and US-based Partner Concepts Company. Vietnam – the focus of US media On those days, Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet’s US visit has attracted the special attention of the US media. American newspapers have reported this event as a very important one, which makes a landmark in the development of Vietnam-US relations. The Voice of America radio quoted Dr. Alexander Vuving, an expert on international relations and world security at the Belfer Institute of the Harvard University, as saying that the visit of Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet is special because this is the first Vietnamese President coming to the US. He also said that both Vietnam and the US expect that this visit will help bring the bilateral relations to a new height. In terms of economics, this visit and the signing of a framework agreement on trade and investment will promote economic cooperation between the two countries. This is the following step of the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement signed in 2001 and the first step to a closer ties on trade, even to a free trade agreement. Murray Hiebert, US Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Director for Southeast Asia, emphasised that American companies consider Vietnam as a favourite destination for investment. American companies are eager for investment in Vietnam. The Washington Post on June 19 ran a half-page letter submitted by 10 American groups, describing the visit as a milestone in the development of Vietnam-US ties. The letter said that exports from the US to Vietnam had increased by 300 percent since the two countries signed the Bilateral Trade Agreement in 2000. Joining the World Trade Organisation earlier this year, Vietnam has became a full partner in the world business community. In their letter, the American businessmen praised Vietnam's economic reforms, describing it as having turned the country into one of the fastest growing economies and most promising markets in the world. Also in the June 19 edition, the Washington Post published President Triet's photo and flags of Vietnam and the US. The ten groups signing in the letter include AES, BrooksBower Asia, Boeing, Citigroup, DHL, GE Imagination At Work, GlaxoSmithKline, Microsoft, Qualcomm and Texas Pacific Group (TPG). During the visit to the US by President Triet from June 19-23, CNN will broadcast a video clip everyday entitled, "Vietnam: A New Horizon", highlighting achievements of the "Doi moi" (Renovation) process in Vietnam over the past 20 years in all fields. Compiled by PL