CONOFF VISITS MEKONG DELTA IN SUPPORT OF U.S. BUSINESS AND UNIQUE JULY 4 CELEBRATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000755 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD PGOV VM SUBJECT: CONOFF VISITS MEKONG DELTA IN SUPPORT OF U.S. BUSINESS AND UNIQUE JULY 4 CELEBRATION -------------- SUMMARY -------------- UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HO CHI 00755 01 OF 02 210331Z ¶1. A CONSULAR OFFICER VISITED CAN THO JUNE 8-9 AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL AT THE OPENING OF THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL ASSURANCE OFFICE. CONOFF ALSO RECEIVED A FORMAL PROPOSAL BY THE UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS TO HOST THE FIRST JULY 4TH CELEBRATION SINCE 1975 IN THE PROVINCE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE PARTICIPATION BY THE CONSUL GENERAL. IN ADDITION, CONOFF FOLLOWED UP ON A SUCCESSFUL EFFORT BY THE CONGEN TO HELP SHUT DOWN A LOCAL RESTAURANT ILLEGALLY USING THE MCDONALD'S FRANCHISE LOGO. -------------- LIFE INSURANCE FOR THE MASSES -------------- ¶2. FESTIVITIES IN CAN THO ON FRIDAY MARKED THE OPENING OF AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL ASSURANCE (AIA) VIETNAM'S FOURTH OFFICE, FOLLOWING ON THE HEELS OF SUCCESSFUL VENTURES IN HO CHI MINH CITY, HA NOI AND MOST RECENTLY, DA NANG. AIA, A SUBSIDIARY OF AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP (AIG) INSURANCE, HAS A LICENSE TO SELL LIFE INSURANCE IN VIETNAM AND IS ATTEMPTING TO GET A LARGER SHARE OF A RAPIDLY GROWING MARKET. AIA IS COMPETING WITH OTHER INDUSTRY GIANTS SUCH AS PRUDENTIAL AND CHINFON MANULIFE, AS WELL AS A FEW LOCAL OPERATORS. THE NEW OFFICE IN CAN THO IS COMPRISED OF APPROXIMATELY 250 SALES AGENTS, A NUMBER EXPECTED TO REACH 900 WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR. ¶3. IN ADDITION TO LIFE INSURANCE, AIA HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN VIETNAM'S RECENT MOTORBIKE SAFETY MOVEMENTS. IT WAS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HO CHI 00755 01 OF 02 210331Z ONE OF THE PRIMARY ORGANIZERS OF THE HELMETS FOR KIDS CAMPAIGN FOR MOTORBIKE SAFETY LAST YEAR, PROVIDING OVER 100,000 HELMETS TO CHILDREN IN SELECTED VIETNAMESE SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AIA, THROUGH CHARITABLE FUNDS OF ITS PARENT COMPANY, AIG, IS PLANNING TO OPEN THE COUNTRY'S FIRST VIETNAMESE-OWNED AND OPERATED HELMET FACTORY. AIA IS ONLY THE SECOND US-OWNED COMPANY IN CAN THO, ACCORDING TO THE CAN THO OFFICE OF PLANNING AND INVESTMENT; THE FIRST WAS A WASTE TREATMENT COMPANY. -------------- -------------- THE UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS, CAN THO PROVINCE -------------- -------------- ¶4. CONOFF MET JUNE 9 WITH NGUYEN THI CAM HONG, PRESIDENT OF THE CAN THO UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS. THE UNION, A REGIONAL SUBSET OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS, WAS FOUNDED IN THE EARLY 1990'S WITH A TWOFOLD PURPOSE: TO EXPOSE THE PEOPLE OF CAN THO TO FOREIGN CULTURES IN ORDER TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING, AND TO ATTRACT FOREIGN NGOS TO THE PROVINCE TO DO WORK IN THE AREAS OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. THERE ARE CURRENTLY SCORES OF SUCH NGOS WORKING IN CAN THO PROVINCE. THEY WORK WITH AND THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT AND, INTERESTINGLY, RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. ¶5. THE US-VIETNAM FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATION OF CAN THO (US-VNFO),ONE OF FIFTEEN COUNTRY-SPECIFIC GROUPS UNDER UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HO CHI 00755 01 OF 02 210331Z THE UMBRELLA OF THE CAN THO UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS, WILL HOST A FOURTH OF JULY PARTY TO COMMEMORATE AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY. PARTICIPATING IN THE CELEBRATION WILL BE THE CONSUL GENERAL AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE US-VNFO. -------------- CONGEN PROTECTS THE GOLDEN ARCHES -------------- ¶6. AN ARTICLE IN THE MAY 12, 2001 SAIGON TIMES WEEKLY WHICH TOLD OF A NEW KOREAN FAST FOOD RESTAURANT IN CAN THO PROVINCE, RAN A PHOTO OF THE ESTABLISHMENT, COMPLETE WITH A "MCDONALD'S" SIGN AND THE FAMOUS GOLDEN ARCHES. CONSUL GENERAL PASSED THE ARTICLE TO THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN HO CHI MINH CITY, TO BE PASSED TO THE LAW FIRM THAT ACTS AS LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE MCDONALD'S CORPORATION. AMCHAM WAS UNAWARE OF THIS TRADEMARK VIOLATION. ¶7. CONOFF VISITED THE RESTAURANT FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADVERTISED AS MCDONALD'S IN THE HEART OF CAN THO. THE SIGNS NO LONGER READ MCDONALD'S, THOUGH A LARGE PICTURE OF A BURGER AND FRIES IS STILL OUTSIDE WITH THE GOLD "M" EMBLEMS ERASED OFF THE PACKAGING. AMERICAN TALK RADIO WAS BLASTING IN THE ENTRY, AND INSIDE A LARGE GROUP OF CUSTOMERS WERE WATCHING AN AMERICAN WESTERN DUBBED INTO VIETNAMESE AND SUBTITLED IN CHINESE. UPON ENTERING THE RESTAURANT, A VIETNAMESE MAN SPEAKING PERFECT - THOUGH HEAVILY ACCENTED - ENGLISH CAME FLYING UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HO CHI 00755 02 OF 02 210331Z OUT OF HIS CHAIR TO SEE WHAT CONOFF WANTED. HE QUICKLY INFORMED US THAT THE RESTAURANT WAS UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP AS OF 9 DAYS PRIOR, THE FORMER KOREAN OWNERS HAD LEFT, AND THE NAME HAD CHANGED. IT SEEMS THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD SOME FEARS OF LITIGATION FROM THE MCDONALD'S CORPORATION, AS THEY HAD NEVER GOTTEN PERMISSION TO USE THE TRADEMARK NAME. RAY UNCLASSIFIED