Members of the official delegation of Vietnam attended the forum with State President Nguyen Minh Trite include: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Cao Duc Phat; Minister of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; Secretary of Ben Tre Provincial Committee, Huynh Van Be; the Ambassador of Vietnam in Chile, Mr. Nguyen Van Tich; Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Doan Xuan Hung; Vice Minister of Transport, Mr. Tran Doan Tho; Vice Ministry of Industry and Trade, Mr. Nguyen Cam Tu, Deputy General Director, the Office of President, Mr. Giang Son; Tay Ninh provincial People's Committee Chairman, Mr. Nguyen Van Be; Tien Giang provincial People's Committee Chairman, Mr. Do Tan Minh; Assistant to the State President, Mr. Do Xuan Dong; Vice President Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam (VCCI), Mr. Hoang Van Dung, Officers of the Embassy and the Trade Office of Vietnam in Chile.

Vietnamese business delegation including 94 entrepreneurs, accompanied President Nguyen Minh Triet, this time to Chile is considered the most crowded in recent years. Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam (VCCI) has recruited businesses, representing 20 main sectors of export goods, tourism and services in Vietnam, such as: Agriculture, fisheries, pharmaceuticals, building and construction materials, energy, light industry, steel, electricity, wood furniture, consumer goods, gold and Silver. In the field of services, including: banking, financial services, tourism, transport and shipping service ships, hotel services and entertainment, industrial and business properties.

Attending the forum with the present of Mr. Alberto Van Klaveren, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Mr. Carlos Furche, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs - cum General Director, General for External Economic of Chile (DIRECON), Mr. Andres Concha Rodrigues, President of the Industrial Association of Chile (SOFOFA), Mr. Francisco Sáez C., Chairman of Chamber of Commerce of Chile - Vietnam, some other authorities of Chile, and 150 Chilean businessmen.

The State President of Vietnam, H.E Nguyen Minh Triet, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Cao Duc Phat, Vice Chairman of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam, Mr. Hoang Van Dung, Mr. Alberto Van Klaveren, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Mr. Concha Andrés Rodrigues, President of the Industrial Association of Chile (SOFOFA) chaired the session I of the forum.

Mr. Concha Andrés Rodrigues, President of SOFOFA, on behalf of the organization board warmly welcomes the Sate President of Vietnam, H.E Nguyen Minh Triet, the Ministers, and members of the official delegations and enterprises of Vietnam, visited Chile. He said: “This is the fourth business delegation of Vietnam to visit in Chile, was held by SOFOFA”. He thanked President Nguyen Minh Triet to participate the Business Forum: “Vietnam – Chile”, also thanked the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam (VCCI), the Embassy and the Vietnam Trade Office in Chile, for this business forum, in order to contribute to promote the economic - trade, investment and tourism between the two countries.

On the next speech, Mr. Alberto Van Klaveren, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, appreciated the official visit to Chile by President Nguyen Minh Triet and the presence of the president of Vietnam in this forum. He emphasized: “The visit of President Nguyen Minh Triet is an important step in the bilateral relations, the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, hopefully the official visit to Vietnam in 2006. Chile grants priority in relations with Vietnam. Currently Chile is supporting Vietnam's accession to the Treaty of Free Trade P-4 expanded (Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore), at the registration of participation of the United States and Vietnam”

Mr. Alberto Van Klaveren talked on the coincidence between the two countries in culture: “In 2010, Vietnam will host the celebration of 1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoi established, Chile will host the celebration of 200 years on its independence. Vietnam is an economy is rapidly rise, the fact Vietnam has become a dynamic economy in Southeast Asia”.

He would thanked the President Nguyen Minh Triet, in promoting the negotiation Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries, also thanked the Embassy and the Trade Office of Vietnam in Chile, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vietnam Nam (VCCI) and Chilean Industrial Association (SOFOFA), held this forum.

Speaking at the forum, President Nguyen Minh moved messages from the leaders of the Communist Party, State and Government of Vietnam on the business environment and investment in Vietnam to the Chilean businessmen community. Chairman stressed: "Vietnam and Chile have the relationship since 1973, when the former President Salvador Allende, the people of the two countries have had the good relationship”. The President said that the businessmen of the two countries should actively explore and exploit potential market in each country. Chairman Nguyen Minh Triet called: "Entrepreneur of both sides, must boldly go out to sea farther, can catch these big fishes”. The Chairman Nguyen Minh Triet also informed on the progress negotiating the free trade agreements (FTA) between Vietnam and Chile, at the 4^th round, with the progress was better than before. End speech, Chairman hoped that after this section, businessmen of both sides would meet to contact with each other directly on the core products for importation and exportation of each country.

Ending the part I of the forum, President Nguyen Minh Triet witnessed the signing ceremony of cooperation agreement between the Industrial Association of Chile (SOFOFA) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam (VCCI).

The Presidium control the section 2 of the forum: "Prospects for the economic relation of Vietnam and Chile”, including Vice Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Cam Tu, Vice Chairman of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam, Mr. Hoang Van Dung; Mr. Carlos Furche, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs - cum General Director, General for External Economic of Chile (DIRECON) and Mr. Andrés Concha Rodrigues, President of the Industrial Association of Chile (SOFOFA).

Present at the forum, Vice Chairman of VCCI, Mr. Hoang Van Dung, has introduced an overview of economic and society of Vietnam. Although the impact of the global financial crisis, Vietnam has achieved an average GDP growth rate 6.24% in 2008, including growth of industry reached at 6.33%, agriculture 3.79% and services 7.2%. The main industrial resources including crude oil, electricity, coal, steel products, cement, paper and fertilizer. The main agricultural products: cashew nuts, rice, tea, coffee, seafood, meat cattle and poultry of all kinds.

In 2008, the export turnover of Vietnam reached 62.90 billion U.S. dollars (US$), increased up 29.5% over the same period in 2007. The main export items of Vietnam are: Crude Oil with 10.45 billion US$, textiles and garments with 9.10 billion US$, footwear with 4.69 billion US$ seafood with 4.56 billion US$, products and wooden furniture with 2.79 billion US$, rice with 2.90 billion US$, electronics with 2.70 billion US$, coffee with 2.02 billion US$ and rubber with 1.59 billion US$.

Import turnover of Vietnam in 2008 reached 80.71 billion U.S. dollars, including 17.81 billion US$, trade deficit. Structure, Vietnam imports mainly machinery, equipment, raw materials for textile and leather shoe industry to produce the export products.

Tourism, in 2009 had 4.3 million tourists came to Vietnam, up 0.6% over the same period in 2007.

Attracting the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Vietnam, there were 1,271 projects with total investment capital of 64 billion US$ in 2008, which focus on industry and construction 32.6 billion US$, equivalent with 54.1%, services 27.4 billion US$, equivalent with 45.5%, agriculture - forestry 252 million US$, equivalent with 0.4%.

Next, Mr. Carlos Furche, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs - cum General Director, General for External Economic of Chile (DIRECON), introduced an overview of the Chilean economy. Chile has the population of 16.4 million (2008), average income (GDP) per capita of 14,698 US$ (2008), economic growth, the average GDP in 5 years is 4.82% per year, unemployment rate (2008) is 7.7%. Chile has signed the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with 20 groups of countries and main economies in the world, such as the United States, Japan, China, Korea, Canada, Mexico, EFTA, Central America, etc ... Chile is negotiating FTAs with three countries: Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. The total value of import and export turnover of two-way with the countries which signed FTAs constitute 85%, other countries are 15%. In 2008, Chile exported 69.58 billion U.S. dollar, imports 56.46 billion U.S. dollar, 13.12 billion US$ in export surplus. Chile has the most opening tariffs in the world; the import tax rates almost in Chile have found a level of only 6%.

The trade relations between Chile and Vietnam, from January to August 2009, Chile imported from Vietnam 96 million U.S. dollars, exports to Vietnam 51 million U.S. dollar, deficits for import from Vietnam  (-) 45 million U.S. dollar. Vietnam considered as an important partner by Chile in Southeast Asia.

In contacting between businessmen by both sides, Chilean companies interested in sectors from Vietnam, such as garments, textiles, footwear, furniture, construction materials, machinery and equipment for mining and construction etc ... Some main items such as office furniture from  Xuan Hoa Company, Coffee from Coffee Corporation of Vietnam, Trung Nguyen Coffee JSC, the construction ceramic from Viglacera company, textiles from Phong Phu JSC ect., Some customers would like to import equipments from Vietnam, for construction of small hydropower plants in Chile.

Some Chilean companies interested in the tourism industry of Vietnam, and plan to take Chilean tourists to Vietnam in the near future.

 
In addition, some Chilean companies wish to offer wood raw materials, pulp and fishmeal to Vietnam; it is the raw materials for domestic production in Vietnam for re-exporting would also recommended by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam.

However, due to limited time (two hours), many Chilean companies have not been in contact with Vietnamese businessmen. These enterprises are expected through the Vietnam Trade Office in Chile, to introduce them with Vietnamese partners late.

In general the meetings between the two countries' businesses, with many opportunities for businesses in Vietnam, may export goods and services to Chile. Hopefully after this trip, the enterprise leaders of Vietnam, will continue instructing the export managers to contact with partners who contacted in Chile, in order to proceed to the conclusion and implementation of export contracts, contributing to exploit the new market in South America.

Viet Hoang Tuan

Commercial Counselor

Trade Office, Embassy of Vietnam in Chile