(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam has changed miraculously, said Mark Gillin, former Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, in a recent interview with VOV.
 Mark Gillin, AIM Director and former Chairman of AmCham Vietnam. (Photo: VOV) |
Gillin, who is now Director of American Indochina Management, said he came to Vietnam in 1993 when the US and Vietnam hadn’t yet set up commercial relations.
After 25 years of normalizing diplomatic ties, Vietnam has become one of the 16 biggest exporters to the US, said Gillin, adding: “It's really fantastic when you consider where we started and where we were. It's the most internationally engaged country in the world, and let me get you some example of why.
“First of all, consider trade as a percentage of GDP, Vietnam is, I believe, in the top 8 in the world. Consider FDI, again Vietnam is among the top in the world. Since I've been here in 1993, no country has transformed economically and socially as much as Vietnam,” he said.
“I'll tell you a story. When I first came to Vietnam, it was really difficult. Just to get a licence could take 6 months or a year and I used to complain to my staff. Now the difference from where we were to where we are in term of the ease of doing business is extraordinary.”
This year Vietnam and the US will celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations, said Gillin, adding that there is still a lot of potential for future cooperation.