(source: EU Trade Commission – click for large size)

Also, GDP per capita has been growing and is currently at its highest level of $1051 (as of 2008). Note that the spike around 1987 is due to a major economic policy renovation “Doi Moi”  and the major jump started in 1992 is due the US lifting the trade embargo with Vietnam.

Vietnamese people are producing more ever year. They are also getting richer and have been consuming much more than ever. But have you ever wonder what is Vietnam selling and buying in the international market?

According to the EU Trade Commission, Vietnam’s exports to the EU comprises of 7.77 billion euros worth of goods. Among those, 24% are primary goods such as agricultural, fuels, & mining products. Of the others, 74% are manufactured goods including clothing (15.4%) and personal & household goods (34.5%).

Let’s take a look at Vietnam’s major trading partners:

(source: EU Trade Commission)

and also Vietnam’s account balance:

(source: EU Trade Commission)

As observed from the account balance graph, Vietnam’s is currently running a trade deficit (-7.8% of GDP in 2009). However, we can also see that Vietnam’s total volume of trade is growing consistently over the past 5 years, despite the major world wide recession in 2008. There is a minor drop in exports of 2009, however, due to the drop in the global demand for goods and services.

The future is hopeful for Vietnam and it is still among the fastest growing economies with projected GDP growth of 6% in 2010.

National Highway 1A was initially known as Duong Thien Ly (or ‘The Thousand-Mile Road’) and was built in disjointed segments over time. While the connecting of disjointed segments was not necessarily contemplated previously, it was a natural progression and the roads were ultimately connected when the country was united under the Nguyen Dynasty. The highway was further improved and expanded upon by French colonists in the early 20^th Century.

Since the French colonialists’ work on the highway, it has been upgraded by the Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) as approved in March 2010 and the World Bank since 1993 following the lifting of the foreign aid embargo on Vietnam. The Japanese ODA Loan will be used to repair and replace nine bridges on NH1A in the southern Mekong delta region (from Can Tho to Ca Mau). The World Bank’s assistance in 1993, the first transport sector project in Vietnam that was funded under a program sponsored by the United Nation Development Program, involved rehabilitating two sections of NH1A from Hanoi south to Vinh and from Saigon south to Can Tho. The 1993 World Bank project also supplied new ferries and rehabilitated existing ones, as well as improved ferry operations at the two river-crossings of My Thuan and Can Tho in the Mekong Delta. The World Bank has since repaired 1,000 kilometers of the NH1A and an additional 600 kilometers of improvements are currently underway. More recently, the French company VINCI Construction Grands Projects has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnamese company Deo Ca Investment JSC to work on the construction of the Ca Pass tunnel and road project in Vietnam. The project is estimated at US$600 million and calls for widening 9 kilometer of road and building a new 11 kilometer section that includes two tunnels, three bridges and approach roads, which will eliminate the final dangerous mountain pass crossing on the highway.

The improvements that have thus far been completed on National Highway 1A have benefited the country and its people tremendously. However, NH1A and Vietnamese roads in general continue to need improvements to ensure more efficient transport and safety of everyone on the road. As previously presented in a OneVietnam article, there are all types of vehicles on local roads and highways, from pedestrians to bicycles and cow carts to heavy duty commercial trucks. Particularly in Vietnam, where there is little to no distinction on which vehicles are permitted on which type of road, narrow and low quality roads make smaller vehicles such as bicycles and motorbikes especially vulnerable to accidents.  More specifically for NH1A, the National Assembly’s recent rejection of the proposal to build a bullet train from Hanoi to Saigon means that the highway will continue to be one of the main mediums of transport connecting the different regions of Vietnam. Though safety and efficiency are also functions of regulations and behaviors of those on the roads, having better transport infrastructure would assist in reducing tragedies resulting from roads in poor form.

Photo by Yutaka Tsutano

Technology is one of my guilty pleasures.  When the iPad 3G came out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.  There’s a lot of debate about how useful the iPad really is (just a giant iPod ,right?), but I’ve found that it’s a perfect travel companion.  Light to carry, battery that lasts an entire day, and with 3G, you’re always connected.

A while ago, I asked “Will my smartphone stay smart in Vietnam?“  Naturally, this time around I asked myself, “can I use my iPad in Vietnam?”  The answer, in short, is yes, with a little bit of work.

PS. I don’t own an iPhone, but for those of you that do, this guide will work just as well!

Step 1: Unlock your iPad or iPhone

Every iPad or iPhone is paired with AT&T (in the US).  If you want to use any other carrier, you will have to unlock your iPad.  The term for that in the tech world is “jailbreaking” your phone.  If you have an iPad or an iPhone that runs OS 3.2 and below, the easiest thing to do is use a free software called Spirit.  It’s really as simple as a few clicks.

If you using an iPhone 4, you have to do a little bit of computer work using a software called “redsn0w beta.”  There are a few more steps, but it’s not hard.  Jump over to the Lifehacker article for instructions.

Step 2: Get a SIM card in Vietnam and make it “micro”

Getting a SIM card in Vietnam is a little more cumbersome now, since individuals are  required to register their card in Vietnam.  However, it’s done all the time and shouldn’t be much trouble aside from some extra paperwork.

Now, the tricky part is marking your SIM card fit into your iPad or iPhone.  Apple devices use a small SIM slot, called micro-sim.  However, the folks over at Engadget figured out a way to make your regular card work with just a knife and scissor.

If you made it after your SIM card surgery, all the hard parts are over!

Step 3: Internet on your iPad and iPhone!

As our previous article discussed, Vietnam is rolling out 3G.  I asked one of our writers who spent 2 years in Vietnam, Phong Quan, about home much data on my mobile device would cost.  According to Phong, most people use prepaid cards in value from 10K VND to 500K VND.  Rates are usually about 1-2K per minute and data usage rounds in about that price, too.

Just like that, you can enjoy the iPad’s goodness when you travel to Vietnam.  I do have to make a disclaimer that you should be careful when trying any of the techniques mentioned above and check with your product warranties.

Until next time, techies!

Update: One of our readers pointed out that the jailbreak for iOS4 is only for 3GS phones and below.  To jailbreak your iPhone 4, follow these guys: the infamous Dev-Team.

Ramen at McDonalds? Photo by Flickr User: Brandon Shigeta

A friend of mine from Bain and Co. sent over an article titled “Winning in Emerging Markets.” The article, written by Satish Shankar, provides 6 strategies on how to compete in emerging markets like Vietnam, India, and China.  The strategy that caught my eyes was “localize at every level.”  Adjusting your company to fit the local environment is key to having a successful operation overseas.  This is a lesson that many overseas Vietnamese still need to embrace.

First of all, what is localization? The idea is simple: adjust to fit the local environment.  This might include changing your product, price, place (distribution), or promotion strategies.  Take for example, McDonalds.  In the United States, McDonalds is a fast food, low price restaurant which serves up quick burgers and fries.  However, fly over to France, and McDonalds feels much more like a high-end, cafe-like environment.  Fly over to Hawaii and you’ll see new menu items like ramen, Portuguese Sausage / Eggs / Rice Plates, and taro pies.  McDonalds adjusts to the taste and preferences of the market it is trying to serve.  This understanding of the local environments has made McDonalds of the most internationally recognized brands in the world.

The biggest complaint about Viet Kieus: wanting to do everything their way.  More frankly, wanting to do everything the “American way.”  I had a chance to speak to a manager at a large manufacturing firm in Vietnam.  He tells me every year, ambitious businessmen from overseas arrive in Viet Nam wielding frameworks, models, best practices, et cetera from successful businesses in the States.  While trying to fit their Vietnam business in the predefined molds, these individuals completely ignore the local environment, preferences, and business practices.  For these businesses, things usually do not turn out well.

Mr. Shankar writes:

Homegrown competitors have several incumbent advantages, including consumer loyalty, lower costs, and sympathetic regulators. By taking the time to master local complexities, multinationals can gain a competitive edge. That often requires fundamental changes to the product offering.

It cannot be a one way exchange. In order to succeed, overseas Vietnamese businessmen must understand and adjust to their local environment.  Distinguish the different preferences.  Learn the local business practices. But most importantly, listen to their local counterparts.  The biggest mistake one can make is to disregard the locals and assume your methods are inherently superior.  As many failed businesses in Vietnam have learned, it’s often not about the “best” but rather the “best fit.”

—-

Note: I believe economic progress is one of the best ways to raise living standards in Vietnam.  As foreign companies invest in Vietnam, they bring jobs and advance training.  For this to happen, it is crucial to have mutual respect and understanding between overseas Vietnamese and the people living there.  I think in the 21st century, the best way to facilitate this dialog is through the internet and social media.  Through OneVietnam Network, we hope to facilitate this conversation in the future.

In the process of aspiring to improve people’s lives, we naturally focus on increasing productivity and wealth, and bringing education and jobs, especially to those who are under-served. Those who see the immense potential in Vietnam want changes to occur more rapidly, but rapid changes do not occur without a higher rate of consumption. With increasing consumption comes an increasing amount of by-products (including solid wastes), and we sometimes forget to consider how much waste we produce when making consumption decisions.

State of Solid Waste Management in Vietnam

As of 1996, Vietnam produced an estimated 5.9 million tons of solid waste per year. The figure more than doubled to 12.8 million tons of solid waste per year by 2006 and a Columbia University study has projected that solid waste production will be over 20 million tons per year before 2010. Urban areas contribute a disproportional amount of waste; they make up only one quarter of the country’s population, but contribute to half of the solid waste. Furthermore, while wastes from rural areas have a higher concentration (60-75%) of organic substances which are more easily degradable, wastes from urban areas have a lower concentration (50%) of organic substances and higher concentration of non-degradable substances such as plastic, metals and glass.

Current waste collection is concentrated in urban areas, where collection ranges from 70-76%, depending on the city’s size. Only 20% of wastes get collected in affluent rural areas, and collection in poorer rural areas are near to non-existent. Without waste collection, people resort to disposing of wastes by throwing them into nearby rivers, lakes or land sites, burning or burying; this may be dangerous as they can lead to uncontrolled fires or release dioxins into land sites, water streams and atmosphere.

The waste management system in Vietnam appears to receive nominal attention even though municipals identify waste management as a top environmental priority. As the above study stated, waste management is poorly managed, lacks the technology and human resources, and is insufficiently funded. According to a recent article from EcoSeed, Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction announced the building of solid waste treatment plants to support urban wastes, but allocates only US$2.3 million of funding to the project over a 10-year period.

A Micro View at the Habit of Dumping Household Wastes (Littering)

During a visit to Vietnam, a friend and I were driving around the city when he told me of a foreigner’s opinion about Vietnamese people. The foreigner concluded that Vietnamese people probably did not love their country very much, for if they did, they would not litter their country so. At the time, I thought it was shallow to make such a drastic conclusion based on one general observation. The basic infrastructure to collect trash was poorly operated, resulting in overflowing trash bins, so people had little choice on how or where to discard their trash.

As I think back to the opinion that the friend passed on to me, I think it struck my friend just as it still strikes me because there is a grain of truth to it. Littering is undoubtedly ubiquitous on city streets, in the countryside, and in river streams and lakes. Any reasons used in an attempt to justify for littering, including the inadequacy of local municipalities to fulfill their responsibilities, is inexcusable.

Vietnamese people do love their country very much. However, the system of individually collecting refuse for periodic collective disposal is a rather recent application–one which needs to be addressed more urgently as urbanization continues to spread. At the level of the individual, Vietnamese people need to internalize the habit of properly disposing refuse. Perhaps the habit may be formed in a way similar to the acceptance of smoking bans for enclosed public places in some US states or municipals. Smoking bans began as a public regulation, but people eventually grew accustomed to discarding cigarettes when in enclosed public places in order to show consideration of others that share the space. Vietnamese municipals need to promote the idea and practice of proper refuse disposal in order to show consideration for the land that they and their descendants will continue to call home.

Movie store in Vietnam, credit: geordieb1 on Flickr

It’s hard to tell sometimes, but Vietnam has come a long way in protecting intellectual property. To join the World Trade Organization, Vietnam was required to meet international standards of IP protection. It passed the new IP Law in 2006 and adopted the Berne Convention on copyrights, for example. The result is that today Vietnam has relatively comprehensive set of laws covering most aspects of IP rights.

Briefly, it’s useful to distinguish the different types of rights that fall under the IP umbrella: copyrights include the rights of authors over their creative works, trademarks are unique representative symbols and images, and patents are rights to an invention. Vietnam’s IP laws cover all of these areas extensively and are comparable to many industrialized nations in their sophistication. So you should feel safe bringing your IP into Vietnam now, right?

Well, let’s consider that somewhere around 90% of all software is still pirated according to the Business Software Alliance (compared to an average of 55% in the Asia Pacific region). It’s also still easier to buy pirated DVDs for 10,000 VND at the dozens of movie stores down the street than to find a legitimate DVD anywhere. In fact, the only place I could find a “real” DVD for sale in Saigon was directly from the local cinemas.

What about books? Take a walk down Bui Vien and you can pick up hundreds of badly-photocopied classics for about 50,000 VND. Despite the Berne convention granting authors automatic copyrights in Vietnam (as in you don’t have to register them as these authors undoubtedly did not).

And what’s a person to do when faced with IP infringement? Well, that’s the real problem: enforcement. Basically the only way to get your IP rights enforced in Vietnam is to go to the local authorities in charge of your type of IP (Ministry of Science for patents, Ministry of Culture and Information for copyrights, Market Management Bureau for the fake bag shop down the street) and try to convince them to do something (usually they like raiding the store–it’s cooler). Either that or try to sue them in a Vietnamese court…

Yeah, it’s going to take awhile.

So while Vietnam’s IP laws are strong on paper, which is a very important step, there’s still a long way to go in implementing it. It has only been a few years though, and things have been improving recently so maybe soon we can all feel safe about writing that book or inventing that cool contraption in Vietnam without fear of our intellectual property being violated.

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Some people might say that if 2007 and 2008 are the years of Facebook clones, 2009 is the year of Twitter clones and 2010 is going to be the fail of both in Vietnam. However, the doom of Facebook and Twitter clones does not neccessarily mean something bad. In fact, it has helped our Internet startups get real and forced them to work on practical ideas instead of chasing after some Facebook or Google miracles that happen on the other side of the planet. Let’s check out some of the most exciting ideas that tackle real problems in our country. If you know any that is not on the list, please do not hesitate to comment below!

Catch a bus online – http://www.donxebuyt.com/

As you might already know or might not want to accept it (in case you are the one who is responsible for it), the bus system in Vietnam is a mystery with random schedules and routes. There are often cases when commuters just hop on whatever bus passing by to ask if this bus goes to a location and then hop off if it doesn’t. Realizing this problem, Nguyen Van Thanh – a 29-year-old programmer – has built a website where users can look up for bus direction from a place to another. Users can also look up for direction for cars, motorbikes and walking. When asked about revenue model, Thanh honestly answered: “This service targets mostly students and workers with low income, I haven’t thought of any way to make money yet. However, a young businessman who wants to contribute to community has invested in the project without asking for profit.” Thanh hopes that when the website is more popular, it can save time of hundreds of thousands of daily bus commuters in Ho Chi Minh City. However, how to promote this website to the worker class who is assumed to be not very geeky is a challenge.

*My 2 cents: Somehow the wesbite reminds me of Singapore’s www.gothere.sg – my life saver service when I was in Singapore. I wonder if Thanh has ever thought of bringing this service to mobile phone, either as an application or an SMS-based service.

Catch your bus!

Delta Viet – Make your Make dreams come true http://deltaviet.com

A project by students and for students, DeltaViet was created by 2 university students named Le Viet Hong and Nguyen Thanh Minh. It might sound ironic that I categorize the project as practical while it taps into the most unrealistic thing ever: Dreams. The main philosophy behind DeltaViet is: “Life is nothing if you don’t have a dream” and “Dream is only dream until you work on it”. DeltaViet provides a platform where users can write down and manage their life goals and creates a community where people can support each other’s dream as well as find those with the same dreams. The wesbite also publishes touching and motivative true stories written by its users. The system works! Born exactly one year ago, the website has already got some recognization like the first prize at “Starting a technology business with 300,000,000VND” (Kh?i s? doanh nghi?p công ngh? v?i 300 tri?u) competition.

Comments from a founder of DeltaViet Le Viet Hong:

“The idea behind DeltaViet is similar to that of www.43things.com, however, DeltaViet is focusing more on social activities because writing goal down is not a common thing in Vietnam. The revenue will come from advertising, training and premium memberships. Generally, there is no competition because student segment is not that potential.”

Delta Viet

Digital “So lien lac” - www.liva.com.vn

In Vietnam, there is something called “So liên lac” – the little book invented to facilitate communication between teachers and parents and to betray all mischievous activities created by students. It was no doubt my enemy during secondary school; and it’s such a relief to know that its digital version wasn’t thought of until 2006 [when I already finished secondary school] by Viettel – a giant telco in Vietnam. The idea was soon copied by few other mobile value added service providers. Parents can send an SMS and receive their kids’ school results by SMS everyday. To make it worse, in 2009, Liva introduced Internet-based “so liên lac” where parents can log in and see their kids’ results, class’ schedule & extra curriculars, teachers’ comments, etc. and contact school immediately. This service is still under testing beta.

“Xe om” Online – http://xeom.com.vn

This is the concept that made me laugh so hard that I almost fell of the chair. Xeom, litterally translated as “Hugging motorbike” and academically translated as “Taxi motorbike”, is the most popular means of travel for those who don’t own a transportation in Vietnam because it’s much more convenient than bus and much cheaper than “Taxi car”. Xeom business is very random: normally you just need a motorbike and 2 helmets to become a Xeom driver. However, a group of foreigners and locals has decided to systemize it. They created a website at http://xeom.com.vn. The project aims at building the largest network of professional Xeom in Vietnam. Clients can choose their Xeom based on age, profile, language skills, city knowledge, etc. According to the website, the project has a lot of meaningful social goals like: “Elevating the pride of Xeom’s”, “Reducing pollution – Xeom’s consume lesser fuels than taxis”, “Reducing traffic congestions”, etc. I have no idea if it should be called a web service or how the execution of the project is going on, but A+ for the idea.

Catching a Xe Om made easier.

Ten years ago, the term BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) was used to refer to emerging markets with high growth potential. Recently, seven more countries, Vietnam among them, have been included in the rank of these emerging markets, and the group has been designated as CIVETS (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa). According to HSBC, several main factors have contributed to these countries’ inclusion: a large, young, growing population, a diverse and dynamic economy, and relative political stability.

How has BRIC been performing?

Inclusion of CIVETS in the group of emerging markets is not a testament to eventual strong economic growth, as seen by the varying GDP growth rates in BRIC countries. According to the World Bank, BRIC countries had GDP growth of 3.7%, 6.9%, 7.1% and 10.1%, respectively, on an average annualized basis from 2000 to 2008. The general characteristics of CIVETS countries mentioned above are indications that strong economic growth may be achievable, but growth remains dependent on how policies are structured, such that policies that produce incentives for investors  to make investments in these countries instead of investing in more stabilized economies.

What is the expectation for Vietnam?

Vietnam has set a target GDP growth of 6.5% for 2010.  The Asian Development Bank and International Monetary Fund have generally affirmed Vietnam’s target through their estimates of 6.5% and 6.0% (though 6.5% is possible), respectively, while the World Bank forecasts that high income countries will grow by 1.8%. As the table below shows, Vietnam grew at a slower pace in 2009 compared to 2008, but the fall in growth from 2008 to 2009 is less drastic than from 2007 to 2008, which can imply a recovery in process. Furthermore, Vietnam’s growth rate is the highest among CIVETS countries and behind only to China among BRIC countries.

In the context of CIVETS and BRIC countries, Vietnam has been doing very well. However, as Vietnam strives for economic growth, it should be prudent in its policies so as to avoid the volatility exhibited by Russia’s performance in the last ten years. As we continue to monitor Vietnam’s progress, there will be a strong interest in how public policies shape growth for Vietnam as well as other CIVETS and BRIC countries over the next ten years.

The report, Winds of Change – East Asia’s Sustainable Energy Future, examines energy challenges of six East Asian and the Pacific (EAP) countries: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. These countries are experiencing high economic growth and rapid urbanization, and hence are more likely to face the challenges of environmental sustainability and energy security as their energy needs continue to grow. If governments continue to apply their current economic policies, most EAP countries will become net importers of energy in the next 20 years, leaving them susceptible to energy price fluctuations. Alternatively, the high upfront capital required to invest in renewable energy technologies is a major hurdle for developing countries. Without major financial and technical assistance from developed nations, developing countries would likely settle for less capital intensive investments, even if those investments release significantly more pollutants.

The World Bank report believes that it is possible to achieve huge energy efficiency and reduce reliance on high-carbon energy. The ambitious plan would require a combination of political will, institutional capacity, and transfer of financing and low-carbon technologies from developed countries. Under such a scenario, the total cost to bring sustainable energy to EAP countries is $3.6 trillion over a 20-year period, or $180 billion per year, which is an additional $80 billion per year in investment compared to costs under current economic policies. China alone would account for 85% of the investment. Assuming that Vietnam needs a proportionate share of the remaining 15% of the investment, Vietnam would need approximately $5.5 billion in investments per year.

Although current investments are quite distant from the World Bank’s targeted investment level for sustainable energy development, Vietnam has received significant financial and technical assistance. The Renewable Energy Development Project, which was approved in May 2009, is intended to invest in renewable energy projects, assist in developing the regulatory infrastructure, and develop a pipeline of projects. More recently, the First Power Sector Reform Development Policy Operation Program was created as part of a long term goal to reform the electric power sector and attract new investors. Finally, the Trung Son Hydropower Project, which would become the first hydropower project assisted by the World Bank in Vietnam, will be presented to its Board of Executive Directors in September 2010. The map below shows where projects have been implemented in Vietnam.

Source: World Bank.

As shown by projects above, Vietnam is receptive to adopting sustainable energy policies.  Nevertheless, much coordination and investments is still needed to guide Vietnam in the direction toward energy sustainability, and Vietnam should strive to reform its policies so it can reap the long-term benefits of these technologies.

roadlesstravelled.com

Will Vietnam have its first bullet train?

You may recall our very informative yet slightly comical article last week outlining the various modes of transportation in Vietnam.  Bikes, mopeds, cyclos, buses, and even cow carts may be effective locally; however, there must be more time-saving and cost-effective modes of transportation across the country.

Though it has been years since I have taken U.S. history, I do remember one of the greatest driving forces for industrialization and modernization of America was the implementation of the railroad system.  The railroad system laid the infrastructure for extremely effective trading between states.  It was the railroad system that may have possibly enabled America to realize its manifest destiny.

polestarttravel.com

What are the train systems in Vietnam like?

Vietnam has long realized the importance of such systems of transportation.

Over the last decade, Vietnam has expanded many routes between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with many stops along the way to places like Hue and Danang.  With a little more than 55 dollars, you can ride the 2-3 days, 1,726 km journey from Hanoi to HCMC in a soft sleeper air conditioned cabin.  More economical options are available.

But this is too slow, what can I do?

For those who cannot afford to wait 2-3 days, the only current alternative is by airplane.  This may have been true until very recently, it seems.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Vietnam’s cabinet has approved the 55.9 billion dollar plan to adopt Japan’s ‘bullet-train’ technology.  The rail would connect Northern and Southern parts of Vietnam and constructions will commence sometime in 2012 and complete sometime in 2020.

As an aside, Japan was the first to introduce the high volume high speed train traveling in excess of 135 mph from Tokyo to Osaka.  Because of the train’s design and speed, it became known around the world as the ‘bullet-train’. At this speed, the 2-3 day journey on traditional trains is a thing of the past.

For 55 billion dollars, is this really worth it?

There are many advantages to high speed train lines over other forms of public transportation.  Traditionally, many people travel across the country by cars or buses – both of which have limited capacity and speed.  And for those who have visited Vietnam, they understand how slow traffic can be on the highways.  Air travel is fast but can be pricey and have a smaller carrying capacity which limits the maximum number of travelers per day.   These constraints may perhaps support the argument for a high volume high speed mode of transportation.

With Vietnam’s ever expanding economy, the addition of the new high speed rail can have the potential of relieving congestion on the transit systems while enabling more communication between the northern and southern parts of Vietnam.

As the world attempts to reduce pollution and become more “green”, Vietnam has joined this movement by participating in Earth Hour 2010.  Vietnam’s investment in high speed trains means it is investing in more energy efficient mode of transportation.

A few more notable advantages of high speed trains include a higher passenger capacity, thereby reducing the amount of land used per passenger when compared to cars on highways.   Train stations are also much smaller and less costly than airports, therefore can be built in tighter spaces (like cities) and in more locations, thereby offering passengers more destinations.

Do we have the technology to implement this?

Businessweek reported on Friday that discussions have been ongoing between Vietnam and Japan to explore ways to provide financial assistance to Vietnam.  Nguyen Huu Bang, the chairman of Vietnam Railways Corp, has shown interest in recruiting the help of Sumitomo Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. or Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.
Though no finalized investment plan or construction plans have been released, I do believe this is the right direction for Vietnam.

Your opinion:  Would you use the high speed train to travel across Vietnam?