Mr Tran Si Chuong has an interview with a reporter.

The economic expert Tran Si Chuong was one of distinguished guests attending the investment promotion conference held in Quy Nhon city on January 20. On the sideline of the conference, Binh Dinh Newspaper had an interview with him. Ngoc Dien reports.

Could you brief us on your origins?

My paternal grandparents come from Binh Dinh, my maternal grandparents are from Quang Ngai, and I was born in Hue, but I mainly grew up in Khanh Hoa province’s Nha Trang city. I’ve visited Binh Dinh many times over the past ten years.

You’ve reaped many success in life and business abroad. Do you think that the success depends on your effort?

The success itself is a relative concept. I only try to get what I want and anything useful for me and the society. I do believe a person’s success is up to good fortune and opportunities which are brought to us.

Thanks to the society and my parents, I was more successful than some people. I sometimes wondered why our country hasn’t become a rich one while the Vietnamese are not inferior among the others abroad.

My friends also faced many difficulties in the old days, but they were successful to some extent when studying abroad. I think that Vietnamese people don’t lack qualities deciding great success. It is the wartime that affected the country’s development.

We must create a comprehensive environment for further development. We must give foreign partners a strong belief when they invest in Vietnam. It’s profitable for us to follow the “rule of the game” which only penalizes violators.

You’ve returned to Vietnam many times in the past 15 years. What do you do in Vietnam?

I initially worked as an economic and investment consultant when returning to Vietnam. At present, I’m investing in some companies and my business is running smoothly. I decided to invest in Vietnam because my business is useful.

In October, 1992, I came back to Vietnam for the first time at the invitation of my friend, Tran Van Ca, who is now Chairman of Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped (VNAH). He launched a charitable program for the handicapped and war victims and invited me to join the program.

I agreed to join the program for I saw it’s useful for unfortunate people and I’m now working as Vice Chairman of VNAH. The program has raised over US$20 million for the handicapped and war victims after operating for 18 years.

What do you think about the province’s investment promotion when attending the conference?

One of my friends has invested in Vinh Hoi-based resort for three years. When visiting Vinh Hoi for the first time, the investors didn’t know how to begin their investment but they were really interested in its picturesque scenery. There is a big gap between their liking and decision on investment.

I think the province should also focus on calling for the contribution from Binh Dinh people nationwide. Many of them living in Saigon or abroad are now successful in business. They are always ready to do something to boost the province’s development.

Don’t forget Binh Dinh people who are living everywhere. The province should organize similar conferences dedicated to investors who were born in Binh Dinh only, aiming to help them seek investment opportunities in the province.

There are now some projects calling on investment, such as deep-water port and oil refinery, in the central province of Binh Dinh. Which scale is suitable to develop the human resources meeting the demand for economic development?

Big projects sound attractive, but it’s difficult to implement them for they require long-term strategies; whilst, Binh Dinh could immediately carry out small-scaled ones. Binh Dinh, for instance, has potential for tourism development. Because the tourism culture is the “story-telling” culture, the province is able to use its history and culture - related stories to attract tourists.

One of conditions supporting the tourism development is the environmental sanitation. Only when a province shows signs of cleanness, could it attract tourists.

Big projects require many things. The province may pay dearly for big-scaled ones. The environmental pollution is an example. Also, some big projects are unlikely to bring long-term benefits to the localities.

How should we start when investing in tourism in Binh Dinh?

I think the tourism culture is the “story-telling culture”. There should be stories attract more and more tourists. In China, for example, tourists are advised to travel for one hour just to visit a rock on which a famous writer composed his work and their stories about the rock attract scores of people every year.

Binh Dinh has many stories relating to historical events and Emperor Quang Trung’s life and career. Those who visit the province want to listen to these stories, not to stay in five-star hotels.

Binh Dinh is in 7th in the 2009’s PCI rankings. Do you think the province’s ranking exactly reflects its competitiveness capacity?

The evaluation is accurate to some extent. I’m really impressed with the province’s achievements. I’m also curious about Binh Dinh and I came here to satisfy my curiosity. I realized the provincial leaders’ dogged determination, but the province still has to do more to boost investment attraction.

Tran Si Chuong worked for 20 years as an international management and investment consultant in the US and Asia - advising multilateral donor agencies, multinational commercial corporations and financial institutions of business interests in Vietnam. He was Managing Director of James Riedel Associates, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based international economic and management consulting firm. Before that, he served as a senior professional staff member of the U.S. Congress House of Representatives on macro economic and banking policies, and concurrently as a Legislative Assistant for foreign affairs and international trade. Mr. Chuong is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley School of Engineering, The London School of Economics, and The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he received the William Foster award for "academic excellence and leadership."

• Ngoc Dien