Vietnam, the latest Asian dragon is a country filled with captivating natural beauty and tranquil village life. Its highlands and rainforest regions continue to yield new species and team with exotic wildlife. Its islands and beaches are among the finest in all of Southeast Asia. Today, this gracious and graceful country is an outstanding travel destination.  Beyond nature, the curious and open-minded visitor will find in Vietnam a feast of culture and history.

The economy of Vietnam is a developing market economy. Over the past 20 years, Vietnam has made a shift from a centrally planned economy to a Socialist-oriented market economy (this period named Đổi Mới- renovation). Over that period, the economy has experienced rapid growth. Nowadays, Vietnam is in the period of integrating into the world's economy, as a part of globalization and is in transition from a planned economy to a market-oriented mixed economy.

In a recent article, The Herald Sun quotes a visitor to the country (which joined the World Trade Organization in 2007) saying that “the natural entrepreneurship of the people is rapidly flourishing.” Less than 6% of its 86 million people are over the age of 65: a unique advantage for Vietnam in the global marketplace.

In September 2009, The Economist reported that credit in Vietnam is “cheap and flowing, and the stock market has more than doubled in value in the past six months.” As a result, Vietnam’s economy is expected to “grow robustly over the next couple of years.”

Main industries: Oil, coal, food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, steel, paper  

Exports US$63.73 billion (2008 est.)
Export goods: Crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes , pepper
Main export partners US 20.8%, Japan 12.5%, Australia 7.3%, China 6.9%, Singapore 4.5% (2008)  
Imports US$79.37 billion (2008 est.)

Import goods Machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles Main import partners China 19.9%, Singapore 12.1%, Taiwan 11%, Japan 9.9%, South Korea 8.5%, Thailand 6% (2008)

VIETNAM VISA REQUIREMENTS

Only citizens of certain countries can visit Vietnam without an entry visa (valid for visit within 30 days). Those countries include: most Asean countries, Korea, Japan & Scandinavia (2005). All other citizens are required to get an entry visa before departure or a pre-approved entry visa (visa is issued on arrival at Vietnam’s International Airports) supplied before arrival in Vietnam. 

For delegates to the AEBF 2010 who require a visa, please send photocopy of your passport to the AEBF Secretariat to facilitate processing of visa.  You will be provided with the necessary Instructions.