Prince Andrew in Vietnam to promote British business
HANOI - Prince Andrew started a three-day Vietnam visit to promote the nation as a trade and investment partner for the communist country in meetings with state and business leaders.
The prince, travelling as a special representative for international trade and investment, met Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien in the morning and was due to visit President Tran Duc Luong later in the day.
The official visit "aims to raise the UK's profile as a major trade and investment partner for Vietnam ... and encourage Vietnam to regard the UK as a natural business gateway to Europe," the British embassy said in a statement.
Prince Andrew, who has the title Duke of York, also met with British and Vietnamese business leaders, and was due to attend the British embassy's Queens Birthday reception.
On Tuesday he will fly on to Vietnam's southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City.
Bilateral trade amounts to over 1.8 billion dollars a year, and British companies have total investments worth 2.2 billion dollars in Vietnam, which booked 8.4 percent economic growth last year, Asia's fastest rate after China.
Agence France Presse - June 5, 2006.
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