Cablegate: Information Regarding Cultural License Requirements And

VZCZCXRO5566
RR RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #2431 2640859
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210859Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3481
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 1857
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1122
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS HANOI 002431

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND EB/TPP/BTA/ANA
STATE PASS USTR DAVID BISBEE
USDOC FOR 4431/MAC/AP/OPB/VLC/HPPHO
TREASURY FOR OASIA

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ETRD WTRO VM
SUBJECT: INFORMATION REGARDING CULTURAL LICENSE REQUIREMENTS AND
FEES

SENSITIVE - DO NOT POST ON INTERNET

1. (SBU) U.S. industry is concerned about the license and fee
requirement that the Ministry of Culture and Information (MOCI) is
imposing on each shipment of "cultural" goods, including software,
and has asked USTR to intervene. After receiving information from
USTR about these problems, Econoff met on August 23 with Mr. Nguyen
Van Nhan, Deputy Director, International Cooperation Department, Mr.
Le Ngoc Dinh, Officer, International Cooperation Department and Mr.
Nguyen, Officer, Cultural Product Export Import Management
Department. The MOCI officials promised to give us a copy of a
circular, issued under the Prime Minister's decree 12, which
implements the license requirement.

2. (SBU) The MOCI officials confirmed that the license and fee (0.2
percent of the price of commercial products) apply only to imports,
not to domestic products. They argued that the license and fee
requirement was justified because, even if products are already
approved by the censors, MOCI needs to inspect each shipment in case
some other products are slipped into the shipment. However, they
admitted that they do not, in fact, examine each shipment although
they do charge the fee. In general, these officials seemed ill
informed about the WTO or Vietnam's commitments.

3. (SBU) Although MOCI never provided Post with the promised copies
of the relevant circular, Post obtained copies from the Official
Gazette and forwarded them to USTR and the desk on September 12.
Post understands that USTR raised this issue directly with the
Vietnamese trade officials during the September 12-13 meetings in
Washington.

ALOISI

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