Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photos: Southeast Asia news and business from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Southeast Asia news and business from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is bringing his controversial brand of petroleum diplomacy to Vietnam, a geopolitical move in line with South American fuel exporter's bid to ship less oil to the US and more to Asia. Vietnam's state-owned oil company, PetroVietnam, and its Venezuelan counterpart, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), announced big new plans in August for joint upstream and downstream oil projects. In one multi-million dollar deal, PDVSA plans to export crude oil and invest in the establishment of a Vietnam-based refinery to take and process the fuel. Venezuelan energy and oil minister Rafael Ramirez said the deal would entail the creation of two joint companies, one to transpor
Venezuelan crude oil to Vietnam and the other to jointly refine the fuel. Reciprocally, PetroVietnam said it aims to expand its existing upstream exploration activities, now in the development phase, in Venezuela's Orinoco basin in partnership with PDVSA. The upstream contracts are expected to be formally signed later this month when Chavez makes his second official visit to Vietnam. The negotiations were hammered out in Caracas in August when a delegation of Vietnamese officials led by Industry and Commerce Minister Vuy Huy Hoang met with Chavez and his Venezuelan government counterparts. The deals are expected to help shore up Vietnam's shaky energy security while diversifying a bigger share of Venezuela's oil exports away from the West and towards Asia. Chavez, who has cut a strong profile in Latin America with his left-leaning economic nationalism and diplomatic antagonism towards the US, has stated his ambition to build strong, trade-linked ties with Vietnam's communist regime. His visit later this month will follow up an initial energy cooperation agreement he signed in July 2006 in Hanoi. At that time, Chavez was reported saying that he hoped to draw Vietnam into his alliance against "US imperialism". This came just a few weeks before Chavez's eyebrow-raising remark at the United Nations when he said he could still smell sulfur on the podium after an earlier presentation made by US President George W Bush. Chavez has used generous oil deals and revenues earned through PDVSA to forward his anti-US political agenda in Latin America. His overtures towards Vietnam represent Chavez's first big foray into Asia. His campaign has aimed at building closer ties with similarly left-leaning governments, such as Cuba and Bolivia, and other countries that are not closely allied with the US or Western Europe.

more info-->>Asia Times Online :: Southeast Asia news and business from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam

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They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.