Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photos: Israeil

Friday, November 25, 2011

Parliamentary co-operation with Israel to be enhanced | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

LookAtVietnam - Viet Nam and Israel once again reaffirmed their determination to develop a strong relationship as National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung met with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Ha Noi yesterday, Nov 24.

NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh
Hung receives Israeli President Shimon Peres. (Source: VNA)

Apart from co-operating in fields agreed to on Wednesday, the two sides vowed to enhance ties between their national assemblies.

Hung called for more high-ranking assembly exchanges and for both sides to further support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums.

Earlier yesterday, the Viet Nam-Israel Business Forum took place in the presence of the Israeli President and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.

In his speech, Hai affirmed that the Vietnamese Government would always encourage and create conditions for Israeli businesses to operate in Viet Nam.

The country was impressed by Israel’s business administration capacity and technology, the deputy PM said, adding that Viet Nam and Israel could further co-operate in these fields.

President Peres said that Viet Nam and Israel could co-operate in many sectors, including agriculture and technology.

The President shared Israel’s experiences in agriculture and high technology, calling for co-operation to create mutually beneficial developmental opportunities.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Federation of Israeli Economic Organisations, and a co-operative agreement between the VCCI and the Federation of Israel Chamber of Commerce.

Two-way trade between Viet Nam and Israel exceeded US$220 million in 2010, representing a 34 per cent increase over 2008.

Viet Nam exports footwear, clothes and agricultural products to Israel and imports hi-tech equipment, chemicals and fertiliser.

Israel has provided additional credit worth $100 million to Viet Nam this year and is ranked 54th out of 93 countries and territories investing in the country, with nine projects totalling nearly $33.8 million.

Israeli companies are investing in projects in Ha Noi, Khanh Hoa Province and HCM City, with joint agricultural projects using Israeli technology in Ha Noi, Hai Phong City, Nghe An Province, Da Lat and HCM City showing good results.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

Parliamentary co-operation with Israel to be enhanced | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Israeli cos eye slice of India’s e-gov pie

BANGALORE: Israeli technology firms are joining the race for India’s e-governance projects, seeking to offer solutions for the unique identification
card programme. “Israeli companies may bid along with Indian ones as we always need local partners for e-governance projects”, Consul General of Israel Orna Sagiv said . Sagiv was heading a delegation of 14 Israeli software companies to Bangalore to explore the opportunities in the Indian market and find local partners. Trade between the two countries is at $4 billion in 2008, up from $3.3 billion in 2007. Israel will be looking to partner the Indian technology giants especially because the country has e-governance solutions like e-payment, e-documentation, registration of population and citizen smart cards already running. “Many governments around the world came to Israel to see how we did it,” said Katrin Melamed, business development manager at the Israel Export and International Co operation Institute (IEICI). India is among top three trade partner for Israel in Asia and one of the top 10 trade partners globally. “This year our government decided to put special effort and give incentives to Israeli businessman who want to explore the Indian market,” said Ms Sagiv. Ms Sagiv said that the global crisis just showed Israel that the future is not only in the US and Europe, which are its traditional market. “ India and China are our markets now which are growing”, she said. With about 3,000 indigenous IT firms, spanning hardware and software, the Israeli hitech industry has grown exponentially as the export of software from Israel has reached to $5.8 billion against $90 million in 1990. Some 40% of the revenue comes from the US, 20% from Europe and rest from other nations.” I am expecting Asia will account for more than 30% this year and India will play a significant role,” said Ms Melamed of IEICI.

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.