Our Staff Writer Chaby Barasa who covered Mr Kikwete's two-day tour in Hanoi, reports... When Mr Truong meets his Tanzanian counterpart Dr John Magufuli (Mr Kikwete's successor) and the local business community in Dar es Salaam this week, it would be yet another opportunity for the east African nation to woo more investors from Hanoi and for the countries to further enhance their bilateral relations.

 

Indeed, Vietnamese presence as investors in the country is already being felt, compliments to Viettel Group, trading as Halotel, which is the newest entrant in the country's mobile phone communication industry. The firm has pledged to invest one million US dollars to undertake an ambitious mobile broadband and smartphone project in the country.

 

It goes without saying that with Mr Truong's visit, more Vietnamese firms should be following suit, thanks to Tanzania's conducive business environment. Mr Kikwete had aptly stated during his tour of the Southeast Asian nation of the favourable business legislations, peace and stability as well as a sizeable population and fast growing middle class as some of the key attributes that make Tanzania a premier investment destination.

 

Addressing the Vietnamese business community in Hanoi two years ago, the former president also mentioned the country's geographical position, which sees it sharing borders with eight countries, as another plus that guarantees potential investors an expansive market.

 

"Tanzania is an ideal investment destination for everybody," said Mr Kikwete, noting that through Tanzania's arrangements under the Southern African Development Community and the East African Development Community memberships, Vietnamese investors would be able to reach more than 400 million people. "There are countless investment opportunities in Tanzania, which you can capitalise on," said the former President.

 

He mentioned the sectors as including agriculture, mining, tourism, health, information and communication technology and real estate. Mr Truong on the other hand had assured the former Tanzanian President that Viet Nam has always treasured its broad co-operative relations with Tanzania, noting that the latter's visit was a significant landmark that would further elevate the traditional friendly relations and co-operation between the two countries.

 

"Viet Nam always attaches importance to expanding mutually beneficial co-operation with African countries, including Tanzania, which has always sided with Viet Nam in its past struggles for national independence and unification as well as the current national construction and development process," Mr Truong said.

 

He lauded the impressive achievements recorded by the Tanzanian people in carrying out economic reforms as well as the positive contributions they have made to peace, stability, co-operation and unity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC). Mr Kikwete had expressed his admiration for Viet Nam's past struggles for independence and unification and its current renewal and development achievements.

 

He said this was a great inspiration for the people of Tanzania in their own struggle for national liberation and national development. During their talks, the presidents informed each other about contemporary developments in their countries, assessed the results of co-operation in the recent past and agreed upon measures to further strengthen all-round co-operation.

 

They expressed satisfaction over positive developments in recent times and agreed to forge closer political ties by promoting exchange visits at all levels, people-to-people diplomacy and setting up twin relationships between major cities to deepen mutual understanding.

 

The two leaders also agreed to facilitate effective implementation of agricultural and telecommunications co-operation projects and to direct ministries and sectors to promote co-operation in the areas of investment, trade, agriculture, fishery, education, healthcare, telecommunications and maritime transport services within the South-South co-operation framework.

 

The former Tanzanian President expressed his nation's willingness to act as a bridge for Viet Nam to enter the African and East African markets. He hoped that Viet Nam could return the favour by facilitating Tanzania's entry into the ASEAN market.

 

Exchanging views on regional and international issues the leaders underlined the need for both countries to co-operate closely at regional and international forums towards building a more equal and democratic world for the sake of peace, stability, co-operation and development.

 

President Truong thanked Tanzania for supporting Viet Nam's election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2014-2016 term and asked for continued support for its candidacy in other international organisations in the future.

 

He stressed that Viet Nam always stands ready to respond positively to proposals from Tanzania. The two leaders also stressed the importance of ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation in the East Sea, resolving disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and finalising negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

 

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a maritime transport co-operation agreement. Mr Kikwete had also used the occasion to invite President Truong to visit Tanzania, and the latter expressed pleasure in accepting the invitation, a promise which he has indeed kept.

 

While Truong and his delegation are visiting the country, local analysts are of the view that Tanzania would do well to follow Vietnam's development path, whose political and economic reforms launched in 1986 have transformed the country from one of the poorest in the world, with per capita income below 100 US dollars, to a lower middle income country within a quarter of a century with per capita income of 1,960 US dollars by the end of 2013.

 

The analysts' observation is in line with the Vice-Executive President of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Mr Hoang Dung, who noted during the Vietnam and Tanzania Business Forum in Hanoi two years ago that the two countries are in favourable conditions to strengthen bilateral trade relations because of their similarities and friendly traditional relationships.

 

"In 2013, trade turnover between the two countries reached 105 million US dollars, of which Vietnam exported to Tanzania up to 25 million US dollars including rice and clinker," he noted.

 

He added that Vietnam imported from Tanzania up to 80 million US dollars of cotton, cashew nuts and cattle feed during that period. "I hope that through this meeting in Hanoi our businesses will have a better understanding about the country and the people of Tanzania as well as policies that inform investments in your country," he had observed.

Source : allafrica.com