Press Release

Commerce Secretary Gutierrez Announces Vietnam Business Development Mission Participants

First Cabinet-led Business Mission to Vietnam Since WTO Accession

WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced that 23 companies will join him on the first-ever Cabinet Business Development Mission to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Nov. 4-8, 2007 designed to expand bilateral trade ties and boost U.S. export opportunities.

“Vietnam is a growing economy with excellent opportunities for our American manufacturers, businesses and workers,” said Gutierrez. “These companies make vital contacts and acquire information to allow them to prosper in the Vietnamese market, increasing exports and creating higher paying jobs for our workers at home.”

Mission participants represent a diverse cross-section of U.S. industries with a strong interest in doing business in Vietnam. Vietnam is one of the world's fastest growing economies, and the business development mission will seek to expand the market share of U.S. companies doing business there. The mission will also strengthen economic relations between Vietnam and the United States following Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier this year.

Participants in this mission will be briefed on the opportunities for business in this growing market, develop business and government contacts, solidify business strategies and ultimately work to expand the amount of business they are doing with Vietnam. For some participants, this trip will open the door to Vietnam as a market for the first time. For others who are already doing business in Vietnam, the mission will offer opportunities to build on relationships with existing Vietnamese partners as well as cultivate new ones.

The mission will also provide a platform to strengthen U.S.-Vietnam economic and commercial relations by advocating for openness, transparency, fair trading and distribution rights, and effective protection and enforcement of IPR as keys to ensuring Vietnam’s continued economic development and access for U.S. goods and services.

3M Company
Abaxis Inc.
ALCOA Inc.
Altec, Inc.
AmericanTours International
Baxter International Inc.
Carus Corporation
Century Aluminum Company
Crown Equipment Corporation
Cummins Inc.
Eaton Corporation
GANNON International
Gerber Scientific, Inc.
Marriott International, Inc.
Northwest Airlines Corporation
Oshkosh Truck Corporation
Rockwell Automation
Terex Corporation
The AES Corporation
The Dow Chemical Company
The Ford Motor Company
The Timken Company
VeriSign, Inc.

Background
Vietnam has a GDP of $61 billion and a young population of 85 million. Since the implementation of the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement in 2001, two-way trade has increased from $1.5 billion to $9.7 billion in 2006. During the first eight months of 2007 exports grew 67 percent to $1.044 billion.

For more information on the business development mission, visit www.export.gov/vietnammission.

Note: The companies listed above contain links to their Web sites. The United States Government does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any private sector Web site, product or service. The inclusion of these links does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation but are provided solely for the reader’s convenience.