Chuan, Khai agree to spur Thai-Vietnam trade Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai arrived here yesterday for a four-day visit that will include a short stop-over at a remote village where revolutionary hero Ho Chi Minh took refuge from the colonial French. Khai is scheduled to visit Ban Najok in Nakhon Phanom where Ho took refuge during his fight for independence against the French. Khai witnessed the signing of an agreement to waive entry visa requirements for Thai and Vietnamese citizens visiting each others' countries. This is expected to promote tourism and encourage business activities between the two countries, government spokesman Akapol Sorasuchart quoted Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai as telling his Vietnamese counterpart. The two premiers agreed that bilateral trade this year should reach at least US$1 billion. Khai agreed with Chuan that there should be closer cooperation on rice trade as Thailand and Vietnam accounted for nearly 50 per cent of world exports, Akapol said. Chuan suggested that the cooperation over rice exports should be carried out at ministerial, senior official, and private sector levels. Akapol said Chuan also echoed a number of complaints from Thai investors in Vietnam over the rigid "red tape", while Khai said he would see if certain restrictions could be eased. Thailand's investment in Vietnam has slowed down since the 1997 economic downturn and Khai said he would like to see Thai businessmen return to Vietnam, the spokesman said. During their meeting, Khai thanked Chuan for granting residency and nationality to former Vietnamese refugees who fled their homes in the late 1940s amid heavy fighting between the French and the nationalists. Chuan said the so-called Dien Bien Phu refugees have integrated into Thai society. The total number of ethnic Vietnamese and their offspring is 31,625, according to Akapol. Out of this figure, 6,399 are from the first group to arrive in the country. Khai is the third Vietnamese premier to make an official visit to Thailand since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1976, after the end of the Vietnam War. The two countries, both members of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), are set to sign agreements on sports cooperation as well as a memorandum of understanding on expanding trade and investment cooperation, a Thai government statement said. Khai is scheduled to have an audience with HM the King in Hua Hin today. Khai's Thai trip is coinciding with a working visit by Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid. Thailand is the 11th biggest investor in Vietnam with 116 projects and a total investment capital of $1.06 billion. Khai will leave Thailand for Rangoon on Friday for the second leg of his tour. He is also visiting Laos next Monday. By Sa-Nguan Khumrungroj - The Nation - May 19, 2000.