Washington, D.C. Visit Opens Possibilities for Increased Trade for Arkansas

Recently, the World Trade Center Arkansas was invited to attend a reception in honor of the 20th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Viet Nam. The reception was hosted by His Excellency Pham Quang Vinh on July 30 at the US Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. Boon Tan, Senior Director of Global Trade Strategy, attended the event on behalf of the Center. This visit was in light of the blossoming relationship between Arkansas and Viet Nam, in particular Dong Nai Province.

At a courtesy call at the Viet Nam Embassy, the Ambassador accepted an invitation to visit Arkansas. A few possible activities were discussed for his visit including presentations that advocate the trade opportunities between Arkansas and Viet Nam, as well as the progress of Trans Pacific Partnership. The Ambassador expressed interest to visit the newly established Vietnamese trade office in Bentonville. No specific dates have been determined yet.

While in Washington D.C., Tan also met with Minister Prayoth of the Office of Commerical Affairs of the Royal Thai Embassy to discuss trade opportunities between Arkansas and Thailand. In addition, he met with Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri from Singapore and Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. from the Philippines.