Arkansas, Vietnamese province ink partnership deal

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and chairman Dinh Quoc Thai from Vietnam’s Dong Nai Province sign a memorandum of understanding during a singing ceremony at the state Capitol on Monday, June 29, 2015.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson and chairman Dinh Quoc Thai from Vietnam’s Dong Nai Province sign a memorandum of understanding during a singing ceremony at the state Capitol on Monday, June 29, 2015.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and officials from Vietnam’s Dong Nai province signed a memorandum of understanding Monday on developing economic, trade and education opportunities between the regions.

“The significance of this memorandum for Arkansas is that there is business opportunity for our state through this relationship with Dong Nai Province,” Hutchinson said.

The agreement, signed by Hutchinson and Dong Nai Chairman Dinh Quoc Thai, is about “manufacturing, it’s about investment, it’s about people and cultural relationships,” Hutchinson said. “As you see increased manufacturing and international trade in Vietnam, you will see over time the United States benefiting from that and increased investment in the state of Arkansas.”

The partnership is an “increased opportunity to sell soybeans, rice and other agricultural products,” Hutchinson said. “We’ve already had some discussions, and I love the interest they’ve expressed in terms of commodity purchasing, but we will also look for continued points of commerce between us.”

Hutchinson said the agreement had been negotiated over a three-month period.

The Arkansas Department of Economic Development will lead exchanges with Dong Nai’s economic development agency, Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson also said he also expects to visit Dong Nai province, a region of southeast Vietnam east and northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, sometime during his term a governor, which is “an important part of this exchange as well.”

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