Nguyen Thu Ha, Deputy General Director of the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank):

The conclusion of negotiations with the US will open various great opportunities for Vietnam to join the WTO. This means it will also offer us many opportunities in every areas, including the banking industry. Vietcombank considers the US its most promising market in terms of finance and banking. The new negotiation result will further facilitate the bank's efforts to enter the US market.

However, besides opportunities, various challenges and difficulties are needed to be overcome. WTO entry will open a big playing-field for Vietnam while the country will have to open its home playing-field to welcome foreign guests. This is also a big challenge that the finance-banking service sector will have to face. However, I still believe in Vietnamese businesses' capacity for adjustment and adapting itself to the new situation. When Vietnamese businesses face stronger pressure, they will adjust themselves to be more dynamic and flexible for existence and development.

Truong Gia Binh, General Director of the Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT):

This is quite good news. For me, the news brings two joys and one worry. The first joy is that competition will help reduce consumer goods' prices and bring more job opportunities for many people. The second joy is that WTO entry will widen market doors for Vietnamese businesses to the world under a common law with no barriers and disadvantages. Meanwhile, I am worried about competition challenges when global groups as well as foreign firms enter Vietnam and Vietnamese businesses will have to compete with foreign firms in their home playing-field.

Nguyen Tran Bat, Chairman and General Director of the InvestConsult Group:

As I have actively participated in building Vietnam-US relations and closely kept track of the previous process of Bilateral Trade Agreement negotiations, the news does not surprise me. This is an inevitable result because of both sides' goodwill.

The US currently is and in many coming years will remain the world's largest and most fastidious economy. Therefore, the result of negotiations with the US is a success of great significance. The business circle thanked the Government and negotiators for this success.

However, two issues remain after negotiations with the US, namely the US Congress' approval of the permanent normal trade relations or PNTR status for Vietnam and its consideration if the Vietnamese economy is a market economy. Therefore, in my opinion, we must quickly implement the remaining procedures to join the WTO. If this process is conducted slowly, we will lose big chances.

There has been concern about Vietnamese businesses' competitiveness when Vietnam enters the WTO. I think that businesses will grow up by themselves and gain full experiences. Increasing pressure for integration and competition will wake up businesses' capacities.