HCMC
- British diplomats have painted a bright future for trade and investment
between the United Kingdom and Vietnam as major investments and commercial
deals by companies from their country have started coming or are in the
pipeline.
The new achievements were highlighted by Kate
Harrisson, deputy head of Mission at the British embassy in Vietnam, and
British Consul General Tim Brownbill at their meeting with reporters in HCMC on
Tuesday, or more than a year after the two sides inked strategic partnership.
Brownbill, who is also director of the UK
Trade and Investment in Vietnam, put the UK investments in Vietnam at US$2
billion and expected the number to exceed US$3 billion by the end of next year.
Harrisson confirmed UK investors were very
keen to come to Vietnam and a number of British companies were very active in
this country. Brownbill named a list of areas in this country attractive to
British investors, from oil exploration and development, financial services,
and infrastructure to education, retail and other sectors that they have
strengths.
“We see a number of big investments start to
come online,” Brownbill said. He proved that Premier Oil was going to invest
over US$1 billion in Vietnam in an oil project which will be the biggest
British-led investment in this country.
Soco is another energy company that is also
planning major investment in Vietnam, according to Brownbill. But he said
British companies were also looking for projects in infrastructure development,
including the Long Thanh International Airport that they wanted to share
know-how and invest in as well.
The diplomat said British companies were
exploring the opportunity to get involved in the country’s upcoming biggest
international airport in Dong Nai Province, about 40km from central HCMC.
The first phase of Long Thanh Airport project
requires more than US$6.74 billion, including US$696.5 million for site
clearance and compensation. Work on this project is scheduled to begin by 2015
and this 5,000-hectare airport is planned to start servicing international
flights by 2020.
Vietnam’s determination to draw funding from
different sources and via forms of investment, including public-private
partnership (PPP), is opening opportunities for British companies, Brownbill
said.
Brownbill said transport, power, running water
supply and flood prevention were among the areas that British companies wanted
to support.
The British embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission
Harrisson said there would be a strategic dialogue in London next week on
enhancing relations between the two countries as well as regional and global
issues.
Mong Binh - The Saigon Times Daily
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