Greater Seattle Viet Nam Association

The Greater Seattle Viet Nam Association
UPDATE issue 2nd Quarter 2003

Winner of
2000
Seattle’s Sister Cities Award

Seattle – Hai Phong Sister City

ADVISORY COUNCIL
Patricia Davis , Commissioner Port of Seattle
Sue Donaldson , Daniel J. Evans School University of Washington
Jan Drago, Seattle City Councilmember
William Glassford, Bank of America
Christopher J. Flint, The Boeing Company
Mike Lowry, Enterprise Washington
Jim McDermott, U.S Congress
Paige Miller, Commissioner Port of Seattle
Douglas “Pete” Peterson, Former U.S Ambassador to Viet Nam
William Stafford, President Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle
Jim Street, Executive Director, Reinvesting In Youth
Betty Tisdale, Helping And Loving Orphans

OFFICERS
Son Michael Pham, Co-President
Gary Johnson, Co-President & Treasurer
Khue Dang, Vice President
Judith Henchy, Secretary
Lea Ann Kaplan, Membership

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dave Dean
Richard Hunter
Imbert Matthee
Khan Tran

Project Committees:
Kids Without Borders
HumaniTours

Traffic between Viet Nam and Washington State

Within the month of June and July 2003, numerous business and trade visits were made between the state of Washington and Viet Nam.

VIET NAM TRADE MISSION FROM TACOMA:
Earlier in June, World Trade Center Tacoma Executive Director Andreas Udbye led a Trade and Development Mission to Viet Nam. There were six participants from the Tacoma area on the trip. The main purpose of the mission was to assist Bates Technical College in providing technical education and training for one or more industrial parks in the Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) area. The group met with high ranking public and education officials, as well as the leadership of the industrial parks, in the Dong Nai and Vung Tau areas, located within driving distance east and southeast of Saigon.
Another purpose of this mission was for Tacoma to strengthen its ties with the port city of Vung Tau, which is a potential sister city, sister county or sister port for Tacoma. Vung Tau has a fascinating mixture of industrial activity, tourism, fishing and maritime transportation. A major oil supply base is located in the vicinity of the city, but the government's long term goal is to construct a large deepwater container shipping terminal by Vung Tau.
In Hanoi, Executive Director Andreas Udbye met with the country's Vice Minister of Trade. Mr. Luong Van Tu visited Tacoma a year ago as the leader of a large trade mission, and Udbye's visit to the Ministry of Trade was to develop a mutual beneficial relationship between the two countries.
Mission participants were: Brian Ebersole, former Mayor of Tacoma and former President of Bates College; Barbara Kuhn, Bates College International Programs Coordinator; Clare Petrich, Port of Tacoma Commissioner and importer from Viet Nam; Lyle Quasim, Bates College Trustee and Chief of Staff for Pierce County Executive; Stan Rumbaugh, Bates College Trustee and Attorney in Tacoma; and
Andreas Udbye Executive Director of World Trade Center Tacoma. Tacoma Port Commissioner Clare Petrich has been importing ceramics and other articles from Vietnam through her company, Dockmandu. She has traveled there extensively, and has developed quite an expertise on Vietnam over the past five years.

VIET NAM AMBASSADOR VISITED ‘THE OTHER’ WASHINGTON:
Viet Nam Ambassador to the U.S Nguyen Tam Chien traveled to the Pacific Northwest in mid-June for a “rolling out ceremony” organized by the Boeing Company. The ceremony provided the Ambassador the first look at Viet Nam’s latest airplane acquisition. Vietnam Airlines accepted delivery of its first of two leased Boeing 777-200 ER (extended range) on April 17, 2003 when the new plane landed at Noi Bai International Airport. The second leased aircraft was delivered in June 2003.
The wide-bodied, long haul airplane is configured with 307 seats. Each is equipped with LCD screen, headphone, PC power outlet. Passengers can select audio and video programs in English and Vietnamese, traditional Vietnamese as well as international music, sports programs and games, or use an in-flight telephone service for voice calls or to hook up to the Internet.
Vietnam Airlines purchased a total of four Boeing 777 planes from Boeing, with the first delivery of Vietnam Airlines-owned aircraft expected for August 2003. These planes will serve the routes between Viet Nam and France, regional destinations and on a major domestic route between Hanoi and Saigon, where traffic is increasing rapidly.
While in Washington State, Ambassador Chien visited the City of Tacoma where he met with Mayor Bill Baarsma and spoke at a reception organized by the World Trade Center Tacoma.
Ambassador Chien was officially welcomed to Seattle by Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago and Trade Development Alliance President Bill Stafford at a Business Breakfast Reception at the Rainier Club. Over 70 business and community leaders and representatives listened to Ambassador Chien share the progress made and what is left for full implementation of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) signed back in December 2001 between the U.S and Viet Nam.

SEATTLE – HAI PHONG PARTNERSHIP PROJECT:
A delegation representing various government sectors of the City of Hai Phong was in Seattle from June 15 to June 23, 2003. The visit was coordinated by the City of Seattle, the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, and the University of Washington.
Representatives from Hai Phong included members of the City People’s Council, City People’s Committee, Commerce Department, Aquaculture Department, Finance Department, Urban Planning Institute, Legal Department, Planning & Investment Department, and Foreign Affairs.
The delegation was received by Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis and Councilmember Jan Drago. The group was introduced to the Seattle City Council during a formal meeting of the Council.
During their one week visit, members of the delegation also met with officials from the Port of Seattle, the Port of Tacoma, Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and Seattle-King County Public Health Department, Bellingham-Whatcom County Visitor & Convention Bureau, various departments of the City of Seattle, and various disciplines of the University of Washington.
The Seattle-Hai Phong Partnership Project was originally initiated by The World Bank President James Wolfensohn and former City of Seattle Mayor Paul Schell back in 1999. This model program creates partnerships between a developed city with a city in a developing country, in this case Seattle and its sister city Hai Phong, Viet Nam. The primary goal of the program is to develop a new approach to reducing poverty in developing countries. Some of the key organizations on the Seattle side are: the City of Seattle, the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, the University of Washington, the Port of Seattle, and several Seattle-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This program is funded and supported by the World Bank, USAID and USAEP. The outcome of this model program will serve as a prototype for other cities and regions in fighting urban poverty around the world.

VIET NAM DOCTORS TRAINING at HARBORVIEW HOSPITAL:
Four teams of doctors from several cities in Viet Nam arrived in Seattle for a two-week training program at Harborview Hospital. The four teams of doctors specializing in trauma and EMS arrived from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Danang, and Nha Trang. During their limited free time, they were able to participate in several Seafair events including a performance of the Blue Angels. The program is sponsored by Counterpart International and the University of Washington.

AN UNCOMMON JOURNEY ...

By Debbie Jefkin-Elnekave

    To visit Viet Nam is to awaken your soul and journey through an invisible threshold into an exotic new world of mystery and charm. Photographs and descriptions have made the sights familiar, but to see its glory first hand is an experience never to be forgotten. I made my first month-long, whirlwind visit there in March 2003, starting in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and the Mekong Delta and working my way north to Danang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, and finally to the hill tribe communities in the north west. My first reaction was enchantment – compounded with amazement – when I compared the actual experience to what I knew – or thought I knew – about the country. It is so enchanting, so utterly entrancing, that it seems as though the country and its inhabitants have been sprinkled with magical powder.
    Viet Nam’s legendary cities offer all the hustle, bustle and modern amenities of any first-rate city, not to mention the world’s best cuisine. Yet for anyone drawn to exotic cultures, spirituality and otherworldliness, there are traces everywhere of an older, changeless East. The more I explored the towns, temples, markets and historic sites, the more I felt I was meeting a Vietnamese spirit as old as time.
    I enjoyed every moment of my exploration, taking in each intriguing detail, feeling the tremendous energy of Saigon’s temples and markets, the Mekong’s canals and waterways, Hoi An’s picturesque seaport, My Son’s imperial ruins, Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Sa Pa’s colorful hill tribe communities. But as captivating as the physical attractions are, like any place that holds special regard, the lure of Viet Nam is largely about intangibles. With each new discovery in that magical trove, the mystery of its ancient civilization deepened, and I constantly wondered if I was awake or in some strange, wonderful world of dreams.
    I can’t help but reflect on the singular power of this remarkable place, which calms the soul even as it stirs the senses. To experience Viet Nam is to step out of the chaotic whirl of contemporary life, cast off your burdens and live in the moment. It is to wake before dawn to meet Hmong and Dzao villagers arriving to market; to make a new friend; to stand in the Buddhist, Taoist and Cao Dai temples and listen with gratitude to the calm silence. Enchantment follows enchantment, and there is wonder afoot for anyone willing to notice the simple pleasures that edify the mind and quiet the soul.
Of course a month isn’t nearly long enough. No matter how long you stay, there is still something to see, something to learn, something to experience. Viet Nam is not a monolith, but rather an eloquent tapestry of historic treasures, gracious people and time-honored traditions. Fantastic water puppets; timeless villages; beautiful, smiling faces peeping out from under conical hats are but a few of the images that stand out in memory. Little threads that make up the tapestry of what it’s like to visit Viet Nam.
    Incredible is this country, a world in itself, where every custom holds its meaning and importance, where every life way is defined by ancient practices, religious beliefs & local traditions. Viet Nam is a world of natural beauty, intriguing cities and picturesque villages. But still more, it is a society of gentle graciousness, a reflection of the Vietnamese people, their joys and faith, wisdom and values. A journey through Viet Nam is also a journey into your innermost heart. It offers a respite from the world…and a deeper connection with it.

Debbie Jefkin-Elnekave is the owner of Uncommon Journeys, LLC., a photo tour company (more info at www.uncommonjourneys.biz). She also owns Jefkin/Elnekave Photography
(www.uncommonimages.biz), a freelance and stock photography company. You can view some of her photographs, and information on her future trips via these websites

THANK YOU             CÁM ƠN

YOUR MEMBERSHIP:
    Your annual membership dues pay for the expenses to produce and get this newsletter to you. Without paid staff, our association relies 100% on financial support from individuals and businesses through membership dues and donations.
    Your membership invoice was included in the last Update issue. Please accept our sincere thanks if you have renewed your membership. If you did not receive your dues invoice, please contact us at (206) 322-1178 or email info@seattlevietnam.org.

TEACHING ENGLISH PROGRAM:
    On behalf of the students in our Teaching English Program in the Go Vap Orphanage in Viet Nam, the Greater Seattle Viet Nam Association would like to express its gratitude to the individuals, businesses, service organizations and groups who support us to continue this valuable program. If we have erred or omitted anyone, please accept our sincere apology.

/   Tuan Dang & Phuong Ha
/   Ellen Ferguson
/   Don Funk
/   Debbie Jefkin-Elnekave
/   MICROSOFT GIVING CAMPAIGN
/   Sindy Nguyen
/   Rotary Club of the University District Seattle
/   Anthony Tran
/   Justin Voskuhl & Vy Chu

    100% of your contributions go toward the program. Each class costs US$2,000 per year. We hope to expand our program at the Go Vap Orphanage in Saigon, and to bring this program to other orphanages in different cities in Viet Nam.
    Thank you for your generous support. To support this program, please join us at our “TEACH ME TO FISH” Benefit Dinner on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 (information in this issue).

Teach Me To Fish
A Benefit Dinner to Support Children in Viet Nam Orphanages
SPONSORED BY:

You are invited to join us at one of the Benefit Dinner series to raise funds for the “Teaching English Program” of the Greater Seattle Viet Nam Association. Join Chef André Nguyen for a four-course dinner featuring food unique to different regions of Viet Nam. Chef André will discuss the special traditions and foods of the featured region. Guests will learn cooking techniques and tips, and get complete recipes and information on where to shop locally for ingredients.

Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Reception at 6pm. Dinner at 6:30-8 p.m.
Andre’s Eurasian Bistro
14125 NE 20th Street, Bellevue WA

$50.00 per person for member of the GSVA; $60.00 per person for non-member.
(Proceeds will support program of the GSVA, portion of cost is tax-deductible charity contribution.)

Advance reservations required by calling (206) 322-1178 or email info@seattlevietnam.org.

About the ‘Teaching English Program’:
Currently, GSVA is supporting an English class for the orphans at the Go Vap Orphanage located in Saigon. In a developing country such as Viet Nam where the local economy depends heavily on tourism, children and young people need to speak French or English to compete for the very few decent paying jobs in over crowded cities. As orphans, these children are usually behind in their education and have no possibility of learning English. Our program helps them to better compete for themselves when they leave the orphanage at the age of 17 or 18 years old. GSVA plans to expand the current program at the Go Vap Orphanage in Saigon, as well as start new programs at the Hoa Phuong Orphanage in Hai Phong. Future programs will be considered for orphanages in Hue, Danang, Dalat, and Bac Lieu.

About André Nguyen:
André Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam. He grew up, as many great chefs do, watching and assisting his mother as she prepared the family meals. The French influence on his homeland encouraged a young André to spend time in France gaining first-hand knowledge of its people, food and traditions. He then arrived in Seattle with dreams of a cooking career, and enrolled in Seattle Central's four-year Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management Program. After graduation he spent the next seven years working in the kitchens of many of Seattle's major hotels. During this time he met and married Noël Tu and together, in 1987, they opened André's Eurasian Bistro in Bellevue. This highly acclaimed Vietnamese restaurant has earned many awards and much recognition over the years. André's active involvement within the local community has led to numerous cooking classes and demonstrations. His participation in many local and national fund-raisers has brought him much satisfaction and visibility. His desire to share his knowledge of the cuisine of Vietnam came from his mother, Huong Ding.

Future Benefit Dinner Events: Tuesday, October 14, 2003; Tuesday, November 11, 2003. Each event is limited to a maximum of 30 persons.

For additional information on the events, sponsorships, or how to contribute to our projects, visit us at www.seattlevietnam.org, or contact us at 206-322-1178 or email info@seattlevietnam.org. Join us on our
 

“If you give me a fish, I will eat it today; If you teach me to fish, I will eat my whole life long”. Asian Proverb

HUMANITOUR© October/November 2003
Join us … A project in partnership with the GSVA, Kids Without Borders and the Rotary Club of the University District.

Sign-up now for the upcoming HumaniTour, departing Seattle early November 2003, space is limited. The current itinerary includes the following visits: Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ha Long Bay (Cat Ba and Ha Long City), Hue, Quang Tri, DMZ, Khe Sanh, Saigon, and Tay Ninh. Some of the projects on the tentative itinerary: Thanh Xuan Peace Village (children victimized by Agent Orange), ‘Helmets for Kids’ by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, Hoa Phuong Orphanage in Hai Phong, landmine programs by Clear Path International, the Go Vap Orphanage in Saigon. We are also working with two non-governmental organizations based in California, the Wheelchair Foundation and VNHelp, to arrange for more than one thousand new wheelchairs to be delivered to disable people throughout Viet Nam. Funds supporting these wheelchairs were donated by the Rotary Club of the University District Seattle through the efforts of Rotarian Alex Hubbard-Shimizu and her husband Mike, supporter and members of the GSVA.
    For more information on the HumaniTour, costs, special discounts for GSVA members and Rotarians, … please contact GSVA or email info@seattlevietnam.org. Deadline to sign up is September 14, 2003 based on space availability.

IN THE NEWS

Visas Required for Certain Textiles Exporting Viet Nam on or after Aug. 11

    EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL NEWS FLASH: The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) today posted a Federal Register notice directing the Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish export visa requirements for certain textiles and textile products produced or manufactured in Vietnam which export Vietnam on or after August 11, 2003.
    The directive, dated July 24, instructed CBP to prohibit entry into the Customs territory of the United States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool and man-made fiber textiles and
textile products subject to specific quota limits, produced or manufactured in Vietnam and exported from Vietnam on and after August 11, 2003, for which the Government of Vietnam has not issued an appropriate export visa.
    The directive stated that a visa, in the form of a circular stamped marking in blue ink appearing on the front of the original commercial invoice or successor document, must accompany each commercial shipment of affected textile products. CITA added that the original visa cannot be stamped on
duplicate copies of the invoice, and that the original invoice with the original visa stamp will be required to enter the shipment into the United States. Duplicates of the invoice and/or visa may not be used for this purpose, the notice instructed.
    "Interested persons are advised to take all necessary steps to ensure that textile products that are entered into the United States for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on and after August 11, 2003 will meet the visa requirements set forth in the letter...," CITA stated in the directive.
    According to the Customs and Border Protection web site, several quota
categories are filling quickly for Vietnamese textile goods. The Vietnam Bilateral Textile Agreement allows the Vietnamese government to request certain percentage increases for textile categories. However, as of this writing, CITA had not indicated that the flexibility measures available in the agreement have been exercised. A copy of the agreement and the accompanying textile visa arrangement, can be accessed on-line at
http://otexa.ita.doc.gov.

Asia Pacific Cities Summit on Track

    The countdown is on to the 2003 Asia Pacific Cities Summit, now scheduled for 20-22 October. Have you booked your place yet? Register now at www.apcsummit.org
    Organizers have been busy rescheduling all Summit arrangements since the postponement of the event due to SARS, and are pleased to announce that speakers, sponsors and international delegations have reconfirmed their participation in the October event. This reaffirms the Summit’s position as the premier regional event for civic and business leaders.
The Summit will be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, in the heart of the city’s attractive Southbank precinct.
    Expert speakers assembled for the Summit will include:

• Professor Johan Galtung, one of the founders of modern peace studies, is set to present his ideas for peace in the current international political climate and participate in a forum on global local governance with Rod Sheard, Senior Principal of HOK Sport + Venue + Event
• Tachi Kiuchi, Chairman of the Future 500 Group, is set to take part in a keynote debate with Group Vice President of Health, Safety and Environment for BP United Kingdom, Greg Coleman
• Malaysian ecological architect Ken Yeang is set to speak about greening our cities, alongside Vandana Shiva, from the Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in India
• Australian social commentator Richard Neville is set to take on the role of MC

    New Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Tim Quinn is highly supportive of the Summit. Lord Mayor, Tim Quinn, said the Summit was an important event for the region that will bring together civic leaders, businesses and academics to formulate plans for the future prosperity of our cities and to develop business alliances to facilitate these plans.
    "The City of Brisbane and the Queensland Government are pleased to continue our strong partnership by staging this event, and we have reconfirmed all event sponsors," The Lord Mayor said.
Highlights of the Summit program will be featured in regular editions of this bulletin, over the coming months. For more information or to register online visit www.apcsummit.org, phone +61 7 3403 6179 or email apcs@brisbane.qld.gov.au.
    World Cup Rugby is another good reason to attend the Asia Pacific Cities Summit. The Rugby World Cup 2003 will be the biggest sporting event in the world this year, and it will be staged in Australia from 10 October to November 22, coinciding with the Asia Pacific Cities Summit.
    Twenty of the world’s best rugby nations will contest a total of 48 matches, over 44 days, for Rugby’s ultimate prize. Matches will be played in six Australian capital cities and four major regional centres, leading up to the final at Stadium Australia, Sydney on 22 November 2003.
    Feature matches to be played in Brisbane around the time of the Asia Pacific Cities Summit are:
- Saturday October 18 – Australia v Romania
- Monday October 20 – Scotland v USA
- Friday October 24 – New Zealand vs Tonga
For further details, including a full match schedule and ticket prices, go to http://www.rugby2003.com.au/http://www.rugby2003.com.au or phone +61 2 9956 3444.

Viet Nam's film Vua Bai Rac to be shown in the U.S. and Canada

    Ha Noi, July 22 (VNA) - The Canada-based BM Films International Firm has bought the copyright to the film, Vua Bai Rac (King of Debris), planning to show it at cinemas, on TV and to publish on VCDs in the U.S. and Canada in the next ten years.
    Under a contract with the Vietnamese Feature Film Company- the manufacturer, the BM Films International Firm will facilitate the film's participation in festivals, design posters and make English and French captions.
    Vua Bai Rac was directed by Do Minh Tuan in 2002. The film creates a world exactly as its title suggests: a colourful kingdom of garbage where, at the centre, lies a house of abundant children, out-laws, rubbish personalities and out-of-date items.
    The film’s realistic scenes have gathered together various kinds of "trash" from all aspects of life, creating an artistic realm that is topsy-turvy but cosy, tiresome but desirable.
    Director and scenario writer Do Minh Tuan, who returned to feature filmmaking after seven years focusing on television series, has taken audiences to eat, breath and sleep with people often regarded as living at the bottom echelon of society, highlighting the humanity in those often dismissed as undesirable.
    The film brings audiences to a garbage field by the Hong (Red) River bank, where poor people from a range of origins congregate.
    The story centres on Trong (played by Vo Hoai Nam) who proclaims himself "king" of the garbage field and rules the area’s poor people by setting his own laws.
    At one point, leisurely strolling through his kingdom, Trong randomly encounters Thuy (Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc), a poor orphan who had to sell her virginity to pay for her adopted mother’s medical treatment.
    Upon discovering that Thuy’s adopted father plans to turn her into a professional prostitute, the "King of Garbage" convinces her to join him in the rubbish field to live with him.
    The man’s love for Thuy, a kind-hearted woman, his friendship with a blind street-singer (Cuong Tuc) and the honesty of the film’s characters, who are often dejected as hopeless and useless, awakened the good will in Trong’s heart.

These factors trigger in him a transformation, from a tough gangster to a sympathetic leader aiming to improve the living conditions of those in his community.
    The movie makes a visual impact depicting the miserable lives of garbage sorters on the outskirts of Ha Noi, by portraying the length to which they go to choose a straight path despite the many temptations to get involved with violence and morally dubious actions.
It has also turned a rubbish field into a united family and a jubilant festival, where people wear refuse-made clothes and develop their penchant for contemporary art.
    Vua Bai Rac, more than anything else, is a confirmation that love, self-respect and a great desire for a beautiful life comprise the spiritual and emotional foundations for marvelous things to happen, even in a desolate life.
    Playing the lead character, Trong, actor Vo Hoai Nam has made his first impression on the big screen. The role brought Nam the prize for best young actor at the 48th Asia-Pacific Film Festival in the Republic of Korea in Oct. 2002.

VIET NAM HOPES TO RECEIVE 2,000,000 TOURISTS in 2003

HA NOI — Viet Nam hopes to attract 2 million foreign tourists this year as the SARS epidemic wanes across Asia and foreign tourists return to the region, a Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism official said on Sunday.
    The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) anticipated this year’s arrivals could drop by about 1 million when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) peaked in Viet Nam and Asia.
    As the situation is clearly improving, VNAT deputy director Pham Tu was confident that the country’s tourism industry could reverse the decline and lure foreign tourists back.
    "The crisis affected all sectors of the economy, especially tourism and aviation," Tu said.
    "Foreign visitors in the second quarter were half of that of last year’s numbers, however, tourism has bounced back since June after the World Health Organization removed Viet Nam from the list of countries effected by SARS," Tu said.
    By the end of June, Viet Nam had received 1.07 million foreign visitors so far this year, mainly from China, Europe and other ASEAN countries, and Tu hopes that the SEA Games event in December will attract more.
    The tourism recovery is evidenced by increasing room occupancy rates at many HCM City hotels, up by 20 per cent to 50-60 per cent last month, and the statement by Germany’s TamAsia Tourism Company director Jorg Waldmann said that many Germans have re-booked tours to Viet Nam.
    At a mid-July conference on revitalizing Asian tourism held in Hong Kong, VNAT head Vo Thi Thang committed the organization to promotional campaigns around the world by the end of this year.
    "Vietnamese will co-operate closely with Asia and other countries in reviving the region’s tourism industry in the aftermath of SARS," said Thang.
    VNAT’s plan to boost tourism involves the organization participating in seven major international tourism fairs, including TOP RESA 2003, a travel industry show in France; JATA World Travel Fair 2003 in Japan; World Travel Market 2003 in the UK, and the International Travel Expo Hong Kong 2003.
    It will also focus on promoting Viet Nam’s tourism in key foreign markets, including Japan, the US, France, Germany, Hong Kong, and Australia.
    Earlier this year Viet Nam set a target of attracting 2.7 million foreign visitors but the goal was hit hard by the SARS outbreak. — VNS

TOP FOREIGN INVESTORS in VIET NAM – FIRST HALF OF 2003

1st Bristish Virgin Islands.
2nd Taiwan.
3rd Republic of Korea.
4th Hong Kong.
5th Singapore.
Source: Ministry of Planning & Investment.

The GREAT CATFISH WAR

From The New York Times, July 22, 2003:
    For Tran Vu Long, who lives atop his floating catfish trap on the Mekong River near the border with Cambodia, the recent biannual harvest day was not the joyous payday it usually is. Mr. Long, a 35-year-old Vietnamese catfish farmer, sold his flapping fish — 40 tons' worth, all painstakingly weighed and carried in bamboo buckets onto the trading company's launch — at a loss of some $2,000, a small fortune here.
    Mr. Long, who stood sullenly to the side as his hired hands scooped out seemingly endless gaggles of fish from underneath the space that doubles as his living room, has Washington politicians to blame. "The United States preaches free trade, but as soon as we start benefiting from it, they change their tune," he said.
    His misfortunes are just another part of the tale of how wealthy countries that preach the gospel of free trade when it comes to finding markets for their manufactured goods can become wildly protectionist when their farmers face competition. The fate of Vietnam's catfish offers a warning to poorer nations short on leverage in the world trading system: beware of what may happen if you actually succeed at playing by the big boys' rules.
    After embracing decidedly un-Marxist reforms, Vietnam became one of globalization's brightest stories in the 1990's. The nation, a onetime rice importer, transformed itself into the world's second largest rice exporter and a player in the global coffee trade. The rural poverty rate was slashed to 30 percent from 70 percent.
    The normalization of ties between Hanoi and Washington brought American trade missions bent on expanding Vietnamese free enterprise. One of these delegations saw in the Mekong Delta's catfish a golden export opportunity, with the region's natural conditions and cheap labor affording Vietnam a competitive advantage. Sure enough, within a few years, an estimated half-million Vietnamese were living off a catfish trade nurtured by private entrepreneurs. Vietnam captured 20 percent of the frozen catfish-fillet market in the United States, driving down prices. To the dismay of the Mississippi Farm Bureau, even some restaurants in that state — the center of the American catfish industry — were serving the Vietnamese species.
    Soon Mr. Long and the other Vietnamese farmers were caught in a nasty two-front war being waged by the Catfish Farmers of America, the trade group representing Mississippi Delta catfish farmers. The Mississippi catfish farmers are generally not huge agribusinesses, and many of them struggle to make ends meet. But that still does not explain how the United States, the international champion of free market competition, could decide to rig the catfish game to cut out the very Vietnamese farmers whose enterprise it had originally encouraged.
    Last year, with the aid of Trent Lott, then the Senate majority leader, the American catfish farmers managed to persuade Congress to overturn science. An amendment, improbably attached to an appropriations bill, declared that out of 2,000 catfish types, only the American-born family — named Ictaluridae — could be called "catfish." So the Vietnamese could market their fish in America only by using the Vietnamese terms "basa" and "tra."
    That was only the first step in a bipartisan assault. Congressman Marion Berry, an Arkansas Democrat, joined in a stupendously tactless disinformation campaign against the Vietnamese, suggesting that their fish were not good enough for American diners because they came from a place contaminated by so much Agent Orange — sprayed over the countryside by American forces during the Vietnam War. Catfish Farmers of America, for its part, ran advertisements warning of a "slippery catfish wannabe," saying such fish were "probably not even sporting real whiskers" and "float around in Third World rivers nibbling on who knows what."
    Not satisfied with its labeling triumph — an old trade-war trick perfected by the Europeans — the American group initiated an antidumping case against Vietnamese catfish. And for the purposes of this proceeding, Congressional taxonomy notwithstanding, the fish in question were once again regarded as catfish, not basa or tra. (Don't try explaining to Mr. Long how two branches of the American government, conveniently enough, can simultaneously maintain that his fish are two different creatures.)
    Antidumping cases involve allegations that imports are being sold more cheaply than they are back home or below cost, practices rightly banned by trade laws. But too often, domestic industries allege dumping in an attempt to shield themselves from legitimate competition.
    In this case, the Commerce Department had no evidence that the imported fish were being sold in America more cheaply than in Vietnam, or below their cost of production. But rather than abandoning the Mississippi catfish farmers to the forces of open competition, the department simply declared Vietnam a "nonmarket" economy. The designation allowed it simply to stipulate that there must be something suspect going on somewhere — that Vietnamese farmers must not be covering all the costs they would in a functioning market economy. Tariffs ranging from 37 percent to 64 percent have been slapped by the department on Vietnamese catfish.
    Hence Mr. Long's hardship. Prices along the Mekong crashed, as the exporters who buy his fish moved to protect their margins. Many farmers are refusing to sell at a loss. Faced with the prospect of losing their investment, they might be shocked to learn that our Commerce Department says they do not operate in a free market.
    The other shoe is expected to drop as early as tomorrow, when the United States International Trade Commission, an administrative agency in Washington, decides whether the American catfish industry was indeed hurt by unfair competition. Such a finding would make the tariffs permanent.
    There is usually a decided home-field advantage in these proceedings, but Vietnam's cause has been taken up by a half-dozen senators from both parties, led by John McCain, Hanoi's former prisoner. He considers this case not only naked protectionism but also a betrayal of the nation's strategic commitment to use trade to encourage change in a Communist society.
    Senator McCain is right. The catfish war is an obscure story here, but it is front-page news in Vietnam. Washington's solicitousness on behalf of a few thousand domestic catfish farmers has stirred a great deal of anti-American resentment in Vietnam, a country of 80 million, resurrecting images of an imperial bully. One lawyer on the case compares the Vietnamese public's strong interest in the catfish saga with Americans' obsession with the Lewinsky scandal.
    This all saddens Nguyen Huu Dung, the general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters, who said in a recent interview, "Our nation has a heavy history, and we try to forget it, try something new based on a spirit of cooperation and free trade, but now we are made to wonder whether you wish us ill, as much in the present as you did in the past."
    We urge the International Trade Commission to listen to Senator McCain and his colleagues and decide this case on its merits. If not, Vietnam will become yet another case study in the way the United States, Europe and Japan are rigging global trade rules so they remain the only winners.

From The New York Times, July 25, 2003:
    The United States government has just added a final flourish of hypocrisy to its efforts to crush the Vietnamese catfish industry under a mountain of protectionism. The Vietnamese, after doing well enough to capture a fair share of the American market, have been declared trade violators deserving permanent, prohibitive tariffs by the United States International Trade Commission.
    The case against the Vietnamese was brutally rigged by American fishing and political interests. It stands as an appalling demonstration to striving commercial nations that all the talk of globalization has not reined in the old power politics of marketers in the United States, Europe and Japan. Their thumbs remain all over the scales of free trade.
    No convincing evidence was presented that Vietnam is dumping its fish on the American market at prices below cost. To the contrary, a competitive edge was clearly won by hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen who were encouraged by the United States itself to set aside old wartime enmities and enter the emerging world market. The campaign that threatens to ruin them is rooted in myopic greed and blatant xenophobia. In one Orwellian tactic, labels for the fillets imported from Vietnam — genuine, obvious catfish — were denied the use of that very word in our markets by a well-timed amendment slipped into a Congressional appropriations bill.
    Thus, the Vietnamese catfish can be called only "basa" or "tra" in this country. And they will also be saddled with punitive tariffs. The next time an American delegation sets off to preach the dogma of free trade abroad, poor nations would be within their rights to thumb their noses. Meanwhile, diners in search of egalitarian fare should consider demanding basa and tra by name as a rebuff to this nation's protectionist bottom feeders.

UPCOMING EVENTS

þ The 2003 Asia Pacific Cities Summit,
will take place from 20-22 October 2003, at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Visit www.apcsummit.org for more information and to register online. Visit www.apcsummit.org for more information.

þ    “Teach Me To Fish” Benefit Dinner to
support GSVA Teaching English Program at orphanages in Viet Nam. Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003 6-8pm at Andre’s Eurasian Bistro. Reservation: (206) 322-1178 or email info@seattlevietnam.org.

þ    PhotoTech 2003: the 1st International
Imaging Technology Exhibition & Conference in Viet Nam, October 24-28, 2003 in Hanoi. More information, please email smp@usasiagateway.com.

þ    HumaniTour to Viet Nam: late
October or early November departure, 14 days. More information, info@seattlevietnam.org.

Making A Difference

YOU CAN HELP US Making A Difference … Support our projects in Viet Nam

Y Teaching English program.
Y ‘Helmets for Kids’ program by Kids Without Borders. Email info@kidswithnoborders.org for additional information.
Y Contribute to our scholarship program for disadvantage students.
Y Bring clean water to Bru villagers near Khe Sanh (along the Laos border). Email board member Dick Hunter res032rn@gte.net.
Y Donate school supplies for children at the Nang Ren Hamlet in Bac Lieu.
Y Donate computer or electronic equipment (in good condition) to our orphanages.
Y Donate airline mileage.
Y Become a member of GSVA.
 

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM:
    Make a donation to our Scholarship Program: GSVA has established scholarship programs to assist underserved children and young adults throughout Viet Nam. We have provided scholarship for K-12 students, and youth learning English in order to obtain higher education or better employment.
    For the last three years, GSVA has awarded an annual scholarship to a student at the Medical University in Saigon. The cost of an annual scholarship is US$300, which helps to cover tuition, fees, and book expenses for this student.
    About the student: her name is Tran Thi Ngoc Ha, 20 years old. Ha and her older sister live with their mother in Go Vap, the poorest district of Saigon. Ha’s mother was one of the orphans from the An Lac Orphanage, that Betty Tisdale (known as the Angel of Saigon) supported for years until the end of the war in 1975. Ha lost her father several years ago in an accident, and her mother could barely support the family of three with her single income from selling used clothes at the nearby market. Ha finished her third year at the Medical University and expected to graduate in 2006. Ha speaks fair English and moderate French, and she has received very good grades during her three years at the university. She wants to become a good doctor, and a medical researcher. Her immediate goal is to complete her studies, obtain a good job to help her family escape the life of poverty.
    Your support will help us sustain the Scholarship Program, MAKING THE DIFFERENCE in one life at a time.

CONNECTING PEOPLE:

Y Saran Bynum. Born 1966. 31 years old and currently lives in New Orleans, LA. Contact: saranbynum@netzero.com. Half Vietnamese and half African American. Orphanage unknown. Searching Adoptees with African American Backgrounds.

Y Emily Harvey. Born 1972? Contact: Eharvey@GREENVEST.COM. I am a 31 (born 1972?) year old African Ameri-Asian woman adopted through FCVN Organization. I am attempting to locate both/ either my Vietnamese mother or my African-American serviceman father. I was born in or around Da Nang and was sent to America in summer of 1975. My birth name was Huang Tu Thi Diem.

Y Thao Thi Ngoc Nguyen Contact: thiuniversal@cox.net. Born 01/11/1970. Lived in Viet Nam: first on a street named Pham Phu
Quoc, then on Hai Ba Trung Street. Mother: Mai Huynh, born 2/21/1947; GI father: Jim (no last name), African American, probably in US Army Jim had a sister & a mother, and lived in California. Vietnamese friend of Jim: Dieu, corporal in Army, worked together at Haraquay in Plei Ku.

Y Damien Ricter. Contact: DamienRigter@SPA.Stamford.com.au. My supposed birth date is 02/01/75. I came to Adelaide in South Australia on the 21st of May 1975. I was adopted from the Bethany Orphange in Bien Hoa, and was named Nguyen Knoc Khanh. I was left at the nursery by my mother, but I have no further details of her or my father. I am of Afro-Asian appearance, with more African American than Asian.

Y Meredith Safer. Contact: abiddle@nyc.rr.com or biddle03@hotmail.com. Born May 10, 1972. Born to an African-American soldier and Vietnamese mother in Da Nang, Vietnam. Taken to Sacred Heart Orphanage and then adopted by Caucasian parents from the United States (Connecticut).

Y Nguyen Thi-Phuong Nung. Contact: tully316@comcast.net. Born Sept, 1966. Born in the Army Hospital in September 1966 as Nguyen Thi-Phuong Nung to Nguyen Ut. Her father was in the army and her birthmother believes his last name was Troy. His buddies called him Buddha. He was African American. She believes she may also have a brother her in the US where she has been since she was young. Anything you can suggest to help would be very appreciated. She would like to see or talk to her father if only once in their lifetimes.

Y Nguyen Thi Hue. Vietnamese Mother searching for two children. Contact: Shern-Min Chow at KHOU TV/CBS Houston Channel 11 1 800 - 280- news email SChow@khou.com. Looking for: Do Phi Bang – boy born Oct 16, 1968; and Do Phi Yen - girl born Dec. 28, 1969. Left at Caritas Catholic Charities in Saigon. After giving up her children, the birth mother escaped Viet Nam as one of the boat refugees and eventually ended up in the US. (Father MIA soldier - presumed dead. He was half French, half Vietnamese). She remarried in the US and had 2 adult children born here. Despite a wonderful family and 3 decades, she still hopes to locate her Viet Nam born children. she delivered them to Caritas Catholic Charities in Saigon April 20th, 1975 amid many other parents leaving their children there . She returned a week later and the facility was closed.

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Greater Seattle Viet Nam Association
P.O.Box 23282;  Seattle, WA 98102 USA
206-322-1178    *    Fax 206-374-2944    *     Email info@seattlevietnam.org