Wednesday, October 24, 2007, 5:30 -7:30 pm

Dinner Program at the Islander Restaurant

On October 24, we invite you to come learn more about Vietnam's cultural, economic, and business environment and how your company can maximize its opportunities in Vietnam while enjoying a four-course Vietnamese meal.  We will also provide information on the growing Vietnamese-American business community here in Seattle and how it affects the growing trade between Vietnam and Washington State.

Panel Speakers and Presentations:

Mr. Liem Bui - Counselor for Economic Affairs,  Embassy of Vietnam, Washington, D.C.  

Mr. Liem Bui is currently the Counselor for Economic Affairs for the Vietnam Embassy in the United States.   From 1993 to 2002, he served as the Senior Officer for Foreign Economic Relations of Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment.  From 2002 to 2006, he was Deputy Director General for the Department of Foreign Economic Relations in the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Agency for Small and Medium Enterprise Development.  He is a graduate of Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary and attended graduate school at the Institute for International Studies and Training of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in Japan.

Click here to download Mr. Bui's presentation

Mr. Thoan Van Ngo- Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of Vietnam

Mr. Thoan is currently the Commercial Counselor for the Vietnam Embassy in the United States.  For 10 years he served as the Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of Vietnam in Japan until 1998, when he became Counselor in the United States.  Mr. Thoan served as the Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), as well as the Vice Secretary General of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  He graduated in Hanoi at the Foreign Trade University in 1973. 

Click here to download Mr. Ngo's presentation

Mr. Quang H. Nguyen- Executive Director of the Vietnamese American Economic Development Association

Mr. Nguyen joined VAEDA in 2002 and became its Executive Director in 2004. Currently, Mr. Nguyen is leading the effort to establish a Vietnamese-American Chamber of Commerce of Washington. Working with key business leaders in the community, he aims to create an organization that serves to strengthen the entrepreneurial culture of the Vietnamese-American community in the state of Washington. Mr. Nguyen spent part of his childhood in France and Canada before his family settled in Seattle. He graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in Philosophy and Linguistics.

Christopher W. Runckel- Principal and founder of Runckel & Associates

A former senior US diplomat who served in many countries in Asia, Mr. Runckel is currently Principal and founder of Runckel & Associates, a Portland, Oregon based consulting company that assists businesses expand business opportunities in Asia.  He is also the Chairman of the US Vietnam Chamber of Commerce.  He served as Deputy General Counsel of President Gerald Ford's Presidential Clemency Board.  Until April of 1999, Mr. Runckel was Minister-Counselor of the US Embassy in Beijing, China.  He was the first permanently assigned U.S. diplomat to return to Vietnam after the Vietnam War.  In 1997, he was awarded the U.S. Department of States highest award for service, the Distinguished Honor Award, for his contribution to improving U.S.-Vietnam relations.

Click here to download Mr. Runckel's presentation

Where:        The Islander Restaurant 

                     96 Union Street, Seattle, Washington 98101
                     Tel: 206-344-8088

Date/Time:     Wednesday, October 24, 5:30- 8:00 pm

Cost:                $45 for World Trade Club members and sponsoring organizations

                         $55 for non-members

                         $40 for Students

Registration:    Click here to register, email info@worldtradeclub.net,

                         or call (206) 686-3736.

Deadline to Register is Thursday, October 18, 2007

Event Sponsors:

       Event Co-Sponsors: