During the ‘Vietnam–readiness for WTO accession’ forum held in Hanoi recently, the country’s Prime Minister, Phan Van Khai, stressed the need for Vietnam to become a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Van Khai claimed that WTO membership is required in order raise Vietnam’s standing in the international arena and create new drivers for national development.
In recent years, Vietnam has improved its trading relationship with 165 countries and signed bilateral commercial agreements with 172 countries. The country joined the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in 1996 and became a member of APEC in 1998.
At a separate event, the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (VNLFA) said it hoped to raise its international profile and increase exports of footwear through the introduction of a D25 billion ($1.6 million) promotion campaign.
The programme will focus on completing a database for the footwear industry, training industry managers, providing updates to member enterprises and establishing a trade magazine for the footwear industry.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has meanwhile set up six mobile medical teams in the northern, central and central highland regions of the country, in an effort to combat the spread of the SARS epidemic and detect and treat the virus more effectively.
