Thursday, September 21st, 2006
TDLC and VDIC: Collaborating to Enhance Development Activities in Japan and Vietnam
New Center to Open in Vietnam’s Second City
With Vietnam fast becoming a success story in poverty reduction, the TDLC is working with its counterpart in Hanoi, the Vietnam Development Information Center (VDIC), to enhance development activities in both the public and private sectors.
Efforts began in April 2006, when VDIC Manager Linh Hoai Nguyen was invited to visit the TDLC so that the 2 Centers could jointly market GDLN services to development agencies such as JBIC, JICA and JETRO in Tokyo. Encouraged by the positive response, TDLC Manager Ryu Fukui visited Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in May and met representatives of JBIC, JICA JETRO and the Japan Business Association in both cities. A new brochure introducing the TDLC and VDIC will be distributed for reference in Japan and Vietnam.
The second most populous country in ASEAN, GDP growth in Vietnam is estimated at 8.4% for 2005, with investment rising from 38.4 % of GDP in 2004 to 38.9% in 2005. Its economic relationship with Japan is also very strong, with agreements between the two governments to promote, protect and liberalize investment. “The need for capacity building is high, which is where the GDLN can be of assistance, especially with World Bank projects” says Fukui.
Both Managers are keen to establish the GDLN as an indispensable tool for the private sector as the need for training and communications between local and head offices expands. Private sector investment in Vietnam continues to show rapid expansion, with 40,000 new businesses registered in 2005.
To tackle the volume of activity, a new GDLN Center will open in Ho Chi Minh City in December 2006. Financed by the Ho Chi Minh City Government with assistance from the World Bank and the Governments of Canada and Denmark, the new center is expected to focus on private sector programs.
The TDLC hopes to establish a cooperative relationship with Osaka University’s Nakanoshima Center, which would connect the two major centers for business and commerce in Japan and Vietnam – Tokyo and Osaka, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh – creating a powerful network supporting private sector activities.
