The debate continues in Vietnam over the merits of economic liberalization, and CIPE and its partner organizations there are involved in several initiatives intended to encourage reform and development of the private sector.
CIPE, in partnership with the National University of Ho Chi Minh City and Georgetown University Center for Intercultural Education and Development, has provided intensive training sessions for Vietnamese journalists in recent years to enhance their knowledge of business and economic issues. The goal of these seminars is to increase public access to economic information and analysis in Vietnam and to promote public participation in economic policymaking.
Well-trained economic journalists play a key role in disseminating information and analysis needed by the business community to promote economic growth and create jobs. They also serve as a source of accurate and objective information on economic policies, which is key if the business community intends to play a more active role in policymaking efforts. In Vietnam, as in many emerging markets, a well-informed private sector has the potential to become an influential advocate in support of economic reform.
With CIPE's support, its partners in Ho Chi Minh City are broadcasting business talk shows on a major radio station there. During these programs, private business people and others have the opportunity to call in and ask questions or make comments, pro or con, about policies that affect them. Each show features a policy theme- such as the new value-added tax- and is moderated not by government officials but by experts from the University of Ho Chi Minh City. The programs have been extremely well received, and they are giving a voice to private entrepreneurs on radio, which remains a very powerful medium in Vietnam.
In another initiative designed to encourage further reform, CIPE hosted a delegation in April of senior managers from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry for seven days in Washington, DC. Delegation members met with representatives of such private sector organizations as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Council of Better Business Bureaus, The Heritage Foundation, and Transparency International. The visit provided the group with a first-hand look at business associations in the United States and the key role played by the private sector in promoting more enlightened policymaking, as well as community and economic development. The delegation also visited private business organizations in Shreveport, Louisiana, Austin, Texas, and Seattle, Washington.