Business Forum and Luncheon Presided by Vietnam Prime Minister in Houston Texas

Business Forum and Luncheon Presided by
Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
in Houston, Texas - June 26, 2008

Picture: The Prime Minister at the Business Forum in Houston

After a visit to Washington on June 25, 2008 and meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, his Ministers and officers flew to Houston, Texas, and met with overseas businesses. The business forum was designed for the Prime Minister to meet with leaders from US leading groups. The selection of Houston is in part in recognition that Vietnam will in two months time have a fully functioning Consulate General in Houson, the fourth Vietnamese location in the U.S. with the Embassy in Washington, DC, Consulates General in San Francisco and now Houston and the Vietnamese U.N. delegation in New York.

Chirs Runckel

Runckel & Associated received the invitation to the Business Forum and Chris Runckel, President of Runckel & Associates, also in his capacity of Chairman of US-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce (www.USVNChamber.org), attended the function and brought clients to meet the Prime Minister and his team.

The function started with a VIP and Sponsors Pre-Luncheon Reception at 11 am with the Prime Minister greeting the guests and taking pictures with many of the sponsoring companies CEOs. The luncheon then began with Don Sweat, President of the Galleria Chamber of Commerce, giving opening remarks. The Keynote speaker was the Prime Minister.

Picture: Runckel & Associates' clients were introduced to Ambassador Michael Michalak, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, before the forum started. Ambassador Michalak said he hopes to welcome further U.S. investment in the months and year ahead.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that his government is committed to reduing soaring inflation and creating a better environment for foreign investors. He noted that he had met with economists and experts including former Federal Reserve Bank Chief, Alan Greenspan, to discuss these efforts. All experts agreed that fighting inflation today must be undertaken in a way that deals with inflation in Oil and food supply. These efforts were not a short term effort but would need to take place over 3 years or more and with a goal of reducing inflation to single digit amounts in 3-4 years.

Prime Minister Dung said his country was committed to improving its legal framework and creating a better environment for U.S. companies looking to do business in Vietnam.

At the conclusion of the Prime Minister's remarks he was recalled to the stage to be presented a Texas hat and a belt buckle in remembrance of his visit.

Prime Minister Dung is the communist country's third high-ranking leader to visit Washington since the former enemies normalized relations in 1995, two decades after the Vietnam War ended. The countries have since built strong economic ties, with the United States becoming a leading trade and investment partner. The delegation travelling with the Prime Minister came in their own chartered plane and included a large business delegation largely arranged by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

Picture: The MOU signing and Business Roundtable Forum

The luncheon was followed by MOU Signing by the Ministers and Senior government officials and Plains Cotton Growers Inc. of Lubbock, Texas and Texas Tech University and the University of Houston. After the MOU, the Busines Roundtable Forum began. The Forum was facilitated by Dr. Malcolm Gillis, Former Rice President and Economist, and the speakers were Minister Vo Hong Phuc - Minister of Planning & Investment (read our previous interview with MInister Vo Hong Phuc at http://www.business-in-asia.com/interviews/vn_interview.html), Minister Vu Huy Hoang - Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Nguyen Cong Nghiep - Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Nguyen Dong Tien - Deputy Governor of State Bank of Vietnam, Mr. Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and Mr. Duaine Priestley - Director of U.S. Department of Commerce. This was mainly undertaken in a question and answer format with questions being wide ranging from questions on infrastructure, the airports in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, shipping and ports plus several other subjects.

After the forum, the Prime Minister, Ministers and executives met one-on-one with selected businesses to discuss future investments and how the government could improve its support of business. These meetings were conducted both at the Westin Oak Hotel, the site of the lunch and forum, and at the Hilton Galleria where the delegation actually stayed.

Picture: The Prime Minister at the meeting after the forum

Biography
H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung - Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung has been the Prime Minister of Vietnam since June of 2006. He rose up through the ranks of the party beginning in Vietnam's military where he advanced to the rank of Major. He then became involved politically through advanced political studies; sitting on many government and political boards; becoming a delegate to the Kien Giang Provincial People's Council, Secretary of Kien Giang Provincial Party's Committee, member of the Party's Committee of Military Region number 9, and an elected Member of the Party Central Committee at the 6th and 7th Congress.

In the late 1990's, Mr. Tan Dung was elected a Member of the Poliburo of the Party Central Committee, and became a Standing Member of the Politburo, as well as becoming head of the Economic Commission of the Party Central Committee.

From there, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung rose to Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam; Standing Deputy Prime Minister; Chairman of the Government's Council for Finance and Monetary Affairs and was appointed by the National Assembly as Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, and by the Politburo as Secretary of the State Bank's Party Commission.

About the Author:

Christopher W. Runckel, a former senior US diplomat who served in many counties in Asia, is a graduate of the University of Oregon and Lewis and Clark Law School. He served as Deputy General Counsel of President Gerald Ford’s Presidential Clemency Board. Mr. Runckel is the principal and founder of Runckel & Associates, a Portland, Oregon based consulting company that assists businesses expand business opportunities in Asia. (www.business-in-asia.com)

Until April of 1999, Mr. Runckel was Minister-Counselor of the US Embassy in Beijing, China. Mr. Runckel lived and worked in Thailand for over six years. He was the first permanently assigned U.S. diplomat to return to Vietnam after the Vietnam War. In 1997, he was awarded the U.S. Department of States highest award for service, the Distinguished Honor Award, for his contribution to improving U.S.-Vietnam relations. Mr. Runckel is one of only two non-Ambassadors to receive this award in the 200-year history of the U.S. diplomatic service.