VOICES

President Clinton’s decision to lift the trade embargo against Vietnam hit home with Vietnam war veterans, business leaders and members of Orange County’s Vietnamese community. The news brought anger, jubilation and hopeful talk of future cooperation. On Thursday, several people offered their thoughts on the decision.

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George H. Dang, 39, is president of ALCA International Co., an Irvine consulting firm. He has traveled to Vietnam many times to do market research for prospective clients who want to extend their operations to Vietnam.

“It is time that America conducts business with Vietnam again. The time is right because Vietnam needs the U.S. to better its economy and U.S. companies can conduct full-fledged business in what is virtually an uncharted business territory. For Vietnam, there will be jobs and contracts. For the U.S. manufacturers, there will be a new market.

“The lifting of the embargo is going to be beneficial for both the U.S. and Vietnam. I can’t honestly say which country I think will gain more from this. But I am sure both will gain a lot and lose nothing.

“For the American business people, they will catch up with their European and Asian counterparts who have already been trading regularly with Vietnam.

“Ending the embargo will also be greatly beneficial for Vietnamese Americans who want to do business in Vietnam. We know the language, we know the culture, we have friends and relatives in Vietnam; all this will be advantageous and will allow us to conduct business smoothly from Vietnam and to Vietnam.

“Trade will open all sorts of doors to all sorts of businesses. Businesses such as import/export, service management, infrastructure, building and construction. . . . There’s no end to the opportunities that we have here.

“Trade will bring to the people in Vietnam better roads, better bridges, better housing, a better way of life. The economy, now poor, will improve and the standard of living of our people will improve with it.

“From a manufacturing standpoint, Vietnam is the last frontier in Southeast Asia and Vietnam, geographically, is strategically located. The neighboring countries have a much higher labor cost. Vietnam’s low labor costs will be inviting to manufacturing companies. All this equals more jobs.

“From this point today, the sky is the limit when we’re talking about business in Vietnam. This is just the first step; it’s not going to change everything overnight. But ending the embargo allows businesses to prepare and concentrate on moving into a new market.”