In March this year I had the privilege of sitting down and talking with My Tran, a Commercial Specialist with the US Commercial Service at his office located in the Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan St., Dist. 1, HCMC. The US Commercial Service provides trade advice and assists in making connections for US businesses doing business overseas.
Officer Tran explained to me that his office provides these specialized services:
Gold key service – The office in HCMC will find partners and distributors in Vietnam and will facilitate personal introductions. This service is available only to persons present in Vietnam.
IPS (International Partner Search) – The US Commercial Service makes available to persons in the US a database used to locate partners and distributors .
Single Company Promotions – The US Commercial Service will help design and facilitate a promotional plan to introduce your business to local customers.
Market Research – The US Commercial Service will provide customized market research on the topics of market entry costs, competition, and market size. This market research can be requested by email or conference call from the US to My Tran’s office.
Recommendations for Support Advisors – The office in HCMC will recommend consulting firms on the topics of law, business set-up, and other consulting services.
Officer Tran offered these observations on doing business in Vietnam:
Licensing to do business in Vietnam can take years, but licensing time is improving.
A joint venture equity investment partner in Vietnam will speed approvals and be a source of investment capital.
Vietnam intends to honor its WTO treaty commitments. An investor is well advised to know the provisions of the WTO treaties for legal leverage with the Vietnam government agencies.
Officer Tran was very cordial, answered all my questions, and gave me information that I provided to a business in the US.
To the left of this posting a link to the US Commercial Service in HCMC if you have questions for Officer My Tran or the other commercial specialists in his office. You can find a Trade Specialist near you in the US by following this link: http://www.buyusa.gov/home/export.html. All specialists in the US have direct connection with My Tran and his team in HCMC. The US Commercial Service has another office in Hanoi.
I wish you good luck with your business in Viet Nam!
Viet Nam Opportunities Review 