Vietnam is seeking investment from Denmark to build seaports, Thai News Service reported.
Vietnam's request for Danish money came out of the meeting between Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Copenhagen last week.
Rasmussen and Dung pledged to boost trade to US$1 billion, said the report, with Danish investment in Vietnam to be raised by another $1 billion over the next five years.
Dung wants long-term Danish investment to build seaports and develop environmentally friendly technologies. The deal cements the nations' business ties – Denmark recently handed over $40 million to boost Vietnam's development.
Alongside the government, Danish shipping businesses are looking to profit from Vietnam's growing business muscle. Maersk Line said this month it is starting a service from Vietnam to the US West Coast to exploit the Southeast Asian country's fast-developing export market.
Before the economic crisis, Vietnam's economic growth surpassed seven percent annually, placing it among the fastest-growing countries in the world.
Growth fell to a decade low of 3.1 percent in first quarter, but the medium-term outlook looks much brighter, with the expansion of Saigon Port significantly contributing to increasing trade with the US.
Cargonews Asia
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