VietNamNet Bridge – German Ambassador to Viet Nam Rolf Schulze spoke with Viet Nam News on the occasion of his country’s National Day tomorrow.

The German Ambassador to Viet Nam, Rolf Schulze.

We are talking in terms of high-level political meetings, economic conferences, scientific exchanges, cultural extravaganzas, as well as bringing German music, literature and paintings to Viet Nam.

Viet Nam has set infrastructure extension as a priority in its development strategy. How will Germany support Viet Nam in this field?

My government is convinced that Viet Nam has a very remarkable and very successful track record over the last one or two decades in terms of economic transformation. The Vietnamese Government and the Vietnamese people can be very proud of their achievements. Germany is by far the biggest trading partner of Viet Nam in the European Union (EU). Germany is a major investor in Viet Nam. We supported from the very outset World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership for Viet Nam. We are now in favour of granting market-economy status to Viet Nam.

When it comes more precisely to infrastructure, it’s a major field of co-operation. When the Vietnamese Prime Minister visited Germany in March, the two governments signed a treaty on the participation of German companies in the construction of the HCM City subway system.

During the forthcoming official visit of the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Technology, Michael Glos, infrastructure co-operation will also be discussed. This visit will give our economic co-operation new and important momentum.

How would such a subway contribute to the development of the city?

HCM City is the main economic hub in Viet Nam. It’s developing into an Asian hub, far beyond the Vietnamese borders. We are convinced that it is in the mutual benefit of both countries to join hands and co-operate here. Visiting HCM City, we immediately realised that infrastructure and transportation are the major challenges. The German government, German bank and German companies have experience in infrastructure projects in Asia. I think this will be very helpful when implementing projects in Viet Nam.

Viet Nam now ranks second among exporting countries to Germany in terms of coffee and leather shoes. Is that right?

Viet Nam is an important exporter of pepper, coffee and fishery products. The whole field of traditional Vietnamese export goods has a very interesting market in Germany. In 2007, bilateral trade was US$4 billion and I am very confident that in 2008 we will make one further step to more than $4 billion.

How would you evaluate the competitiveness of the Vietnamese market?

From my daily contacts with German companies, I know that Viet Nam offers an extremely competitive economic environment. First of all, with over 80 million consumers, Viet Nam by itself is a big market. You have a population which is eager to develop, eager to make their contribution. And there is a specific link between our two countries. There are about 100,000 Vietnamese in Viet Nam who speak German. That’s a big comparative advantage. There are also about 100,000 Vietnamese who live in Germany. They are well-integrated and well-respected. You have a salary structure in Viet Nam that is very competitive in comparison with other Asian neighbours. So regularly, I hear from German companies who are now in other Asian countries that they would like to diversify into Viet Nam to take advantage of all these comparative advantages which I have just mentioned.

Recently the Vietnamese-German University has enrolled students for its first school year. Do you want to comment on this project?

I am glad we can talk about this specific project. We are very proud of the opening of the university and I am convinced as an ambassador that this project is of great importance for the overall set-up of our co-operation. We would like to interest the younger generation in co-operation between Germany and Viet Nam. Both governments have agreed that this university should achieve the highest academic standards. There is a big demand in engineering and other related subjects in Viet Nam so I think it’s the right project at the right moment and with the right people.

What other plans do you have to realise your ambition to make German a popular second language in Viet Nam?

We have a very good start as about 100,000 Vietnamese speak German. If you walk around this embassy compound, all my Vietnamese employees speak German fluently. If you go into the streets of Ha Noi, you will always meet somebody who speaks German, or who has a connection with Germany, or who has been there. Now we are introducing a new programme of German as a second foreign language in a number of secondary schools in Viet Nam. We have reached an agreement in principle with the Vietnamese Government to introduce German as a second foreign language in a couple of secondary schools.

But there is one more thing – Next year we are going to open a German International School to answer the growing demands of German speaking people for a good education here.

I think that the university in 2008 and the German International School in 2009 together with German as a second foreign language at secondary schools, the Goethe Institutes in Ha Noi and HCM City, and the German Academic Exchange Service are a really good package to further develop knowledge about Germany and co-operation between our countries.

(Source: Viet Nam News)