A new bilateral U.S.-Vietnamese agreement on maritime services could make the Vietnamese economy more competitive internationally and help Vietnam attract more foreign investment and know-how, U.S. maritime administration officials say. Signed March 15 in Washington, the Bilateral Maritime Agreement gives U.S. shipping service providers broader access to Vietnam’s growing transportation market, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation press release. “The agreement puts American ship operators on an equal footing in Vietnam, paves the way to forming U.S.-controlled joint ventures, and sets a course to achieve wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in Vietnam,†U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton said in the release. Under the agreement, U.S.
