Great prospect for VN-France investment cooperation

French PM Francois Fillon (4th from left, second row) and Vietnamese Deputy PM Nguyễn Sinh Hùng (4th from right, second row) witness the signing of cooperation documents at the Việt Nam-France Entrepreneurs Forum held in Hà Nội, November 13, 2009 – Photo: VGP/Kiều Liên

Most of participants questioned about business and investment environment in Việt Nam and the country’s mechanisms and policies for foreign investors.

At the seminar, Vietnamese Ambassador Lê Kinh Tài briefed Việt Nam’s socio-economic situations in 2009 and prospects in 2010.

Despite negative impacts of the global financial and economic crisis, Việt Nam 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.

Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam in 2010, recently announced by international donors, reflects high confidence of countries and international financial organizations and institutions in Việt Nam’s prospects.

At present, the economic cooperation between Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam 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.