March 5-7, 2003  |   The Melia Hanoi Hotel  |  Hanoi, Vietnam

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Wednesday, March 5  |   Thursday, March 6  |   Friday, March 7

Wednesday, March 5

Gala Opening Dinner
Hosted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam

Opening Keynote Address: Phan Van Khai, Prime Minister, Vietnam

6:00 pm Reception
7:00 pm Opening Keynote Address and Dinner
9:00 pm Dinner ends



Thursday, March 6

8:00 am Welcome Remarks
Phan Van Khai, Prime Minister, Vietnam
Nicholas Platt, President, Asia Society

8:15 am Session I
Vietnam’s Continuing Reform: An Effective Long-Term Solution?
  • How is Vietnam’s approach to reform unique among emerging economies? How should it impact the investment strategy of multinationals?
  • What lessons can developing economies such as Vietnam can learn from Asian economic reform efforts of recent years? How does Vietnam’s pattern of reform compare with other countries that have worked similarly transform themselves into market economies?
  • How does the policymaking process work? How can investors be sure that there is a firm consensus favoring reform?
Expected Keynote addresses:
Vu Khoan, Deputy Prime Minister, Vietnam
Lee Hong-koo, Former Prime Minister, Republic of Korea

Expected Roundtable:
Hilton Root, Senior Fellow, Milken Institute; Former Executive Director, Asian Development Bank
Tony Foster, Representative, Vietnam Business Forum; Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Klaus Rohland, Country Director, Vietnam, World Bank

Moderator: Reginald Chua, Editor, Asian Wall Street Journal


10:00 am Coffee Break

10:15 am Session II
Attracting Foreign Investment for the Long Term
  • How can Vietnam ensure that foreign investors become committed to Vietnam over a long-term period?
  • Will Vietnam participate in international capital markets? What are the pros and cons of tapping international funds through bond offerings?
  • Will Vietnam participate in international capital markets? What are the pros and cons of tapping international funds through bond offerings?
  • What steps will the government take to reduce the costs of doing business in Vietnam?
  • How can Vietnam compete for export opportunities with China, which already excels in many of the light manufacturing industries which seem to be Vietnam's strength right now?
  • To what extent will other ASEAN countries drive foreign investment growth in the near- and medium-term? What will motivate Vietnam's neighbors to increase investment in Vietnam?
Expected Keynote addresses:
Vo Hong Phuc, Minister of Planning and Investment, Vietnam

Expected Roundtable:
Marc Faber, Editor and Publisher "The Gloom, Boom & Doom Report"
Dae Ki Cho, General Director, LG Electronics Vietnam
Lawrence S. Ting, Chairman, Central Trading & Development Group
Chun Young-hoon, President, Samsung Vina Electronics

Moderator: Myron Brilliant, Vice President, Asia, US Chamber of Commerce


12:15 pm Luncheon

1:15 pm Special Luncheon Session
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City: Strategies for Creating Regional Investment Hubs
  • How are Vietnam's two urban centers going to become major regional business hubs with distinct identities in the coming years? What will be their respective comparative advantages?
  • What are the immediate priorities for change?
A Discussion With:
Hoang Van Nghien, Chairman, Hanoi People’s Committee
Nguyen Thien Nhan, Vice Chairman, Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee

Moderator: James B. Hunt, Former Governor, North Carolina; Partner, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC


2:15 pm Session III
The Development of the Private Sector
  • When will the government move to equitize key state-owned enterprises? Are there potential opportunities for foreign investors in these state firms?
  • What role will small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play in Vietnam's economic development over the next decade?
  • Will private firms have access to capital? To what extent will they rely on foreign firms for capital?
  • Can the domestic stock market become a viable venue for the private sector to raise capital?
  • What role would the development of intellectual property rights play in attracting foreign investment and spurring economic growth?
Expected Keynote addresses:
Nguyen Sinh Hung, Minister of Finance, Vietnam

Expected Roundtable:
Phung Khac Ke, Deputy Governor, State Bank of Vietnam
Vu Bang, Vice Chairman, State Securities Commission, Vietnam
Dominic Scriven, Managing Director, Dragon Capital
Javed Hamid, Regional Director, Asia-Pacific, International Finance Corporation

Moderator: Tarun Das, President, Confederation of Indian Industry


4:00 pm Session IV
The Regional Energy Picture: Vietnam in Context
  • What does Vietnam see as its real growth in energy consumption in the next 10-15 years? What do energy industry insiders see as achievable consumption growth figures without creating a bubble?
  • What steps can the Vietnamese government take to facilitate the coordination of supply and demand within the Vietnamese energy market? What policies enacted elsewhere in the region have enabled other countries to solve this issue?
  • What potential does Vietnam hold as an energy supplier for the region? Does the region need any more oil?
Expected Keynote addresses:
Phongthep Thepkanjana, Minister of Energy, Thailand

Expected Roundtable:

Bui Xuan Khu, Vice Minister of Industry, Vietnam
Nguyen Xuan Nham, President and CEO, PetroVietnam
Guillermo R. Balce, Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Energy
Choo Chiau Beng, Executive Director, Keppel Corporation Ltd; Chairman & CEO, Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd.
Masaharu Fujitomi, President, Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre

Moderator: Marcus Wright, Senior Editor, Dow Jones Newswires, Asia

Gala Second Night Dinner
Hosted by Hanoi People’s Committee

Location: Hanoi Daewoo Hotel

6:30 pm Buses Leave Melia Hotel
7:00 pm Reception
8:00 pm Dinner begins
9:00 pm Buses Leave Daewoo Hotel




Friday, March 7

7:00 am Breakfast
Special Breakfast Session: Vietnam’s Emerging Entrepreneurs

8:15 am Session V
The Implementation of the US-Vietnam BTA and Implications for US Business in Asia
  • To what extent are both countries following through on their respective commitments? What areas need faster implementation?
  • Will the agreement be a model for other US agreements in the region? Will Vietnam try to emulate the BTA with other countries? To what extent is the BTA helping ease Vietnam’s entry into the WTO?
  • To what extent will the US participate in broader agreements in the region in addition to their bilateral commitments? Will there be potential conflicts between the bilateral and multilateral frameworks?
  • How has the BTA changed American companies’ interest in Vietnam, and more broadly, the Mekong Region?
  • How will Vietnamese companies look to capitalize on the US-Vietnam BTA to access US markets and in the process become more competitive as international companies?
Expected Keynote addresses:
Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Deputy US Trade Representative
Truong Dinh Tuyen, Minister of Trade, Vietna

Expected Roundtable:
Raymond Burghardt, United States Ambassador to Vietnam
Pham Chi Lan, Executive Vice President, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Maria Cino, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director-General, US & Foreign Commercial Service
Stanley Roth, Vice President, Asia International Relations, The Boeing Company

Moderator: John Bussey, Deputy Managing Editor, The Wall Street Journal


10:00 am Coffee Break

10:15 am Session VI
Prospects for Multilateral Trade Regimes in ASEAN and the Potential Impact on the Mekong Region
  • Will bilateral trade agreements affect the feasibility of broader multilateral trade regimes in the region?
  • How will the expected entry of Vietnam and Cambodia into WTO affect the overall development of the Mekong?
  • To what extent will the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement contribute to greater economic integration? Will barriers really come down across the entire region?
  • What role will China play in the development of the Mekong region? Will the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement provide an extra boost to ASEAN's newest members?
  • What will be the impact of the BTA on Euro-Vietnam trade relations? To what extent will Europe participate in regional multilateral trade agreements?
Expected Keynote Addresses - Perspectives on the Mekong Region:
Thongloun Sisoulith, Deputy Prime Minister, Lao PDR
Kantathi Suphamongkhon, Thai Trade Representative
Sok Siphana, Secretary of State for Commerce, Cambodia
Li Xinhua, Deputy Governor, Yunnan Provincial Government

Expected Keynote Addresses - Perspectives on ASEAN:
Rafidah Aziz, Minister of International Trade & Industry, Malaysia
Mark Vaile, Minister for Trade, Australia
Tadakatsu Sano, Vice-Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan
Robert Madelin, Director, Directorate General of Trade, European Commission

Moderator: Tommy Koh, Director, Institute of Policy Studies


12:45 pm Luncheon

2:00 pm Session VII
How Should Southeast Asia and Vietnam Fit into a Company's International Strategy?
  • How will the implementation of an ASEAN FTA and ASEAN+1, ASEAN+2 or ASEAN+3 affect the way companies do business in Asia?
  • What policy changes would cause companies to allocate more resources to Southeast Asia? What policy changes would cause companies to allocate more resources to Vietnam?
  • What role can the Mekong Region play for multinationals in the long term?
Expected Keynote Addresses:
Nguyen Dy Nien, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam

Expected Roundtable:
Andrew V. White, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Philip Morris Asia Ltd.
William Botwick, Executive Director, ASEAN Operations GM Asia Pacific; President and Managing Director, GM Thailand
Les Mouat, American International Group

Moderator: Walter Blocker, Managing Director, Gannon Vietnam; Chairman, American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam


3:30 pm Session VIII
Southeast Asia's Future Growth: Who Will Lead the Way?
  • What will the region's competitive edge be in the future? What will Vietnam's edge be?
  • How will Vietnam's developing political relations with the US and the rest of Asia impact the investment climate?
  • How will threats of terrorism in Southeast Asia impact the regional economy? What can ASEAN countries do to minimize this impact?
  • How will the balance of economic power in Southeast Asia shift over the next decade?
Expected Keynote Addresses:
Ong Keng Yong, Secretary-General, ASEAN
Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Indonesia

Expected Roundtable:
Richard C. Holbrooke, Chairman, Asia Society
Ryuichiro Yamazaki, Ambassador for International Trade and Economic Affairs, Japan
Linda Yuen-Ching Lim, Professor of Corporate Strategy and International Business, Michigan Business School

Moderator: Michael Vatkiliotis, Editor, Far Eastern Economic Review


5:00 pm Conference Ends


Wednesday, March 5  |   Thursday, March 6  |   Friday, March 7