L.A., Saigon Will Become Sister Ports
Officials from the Port of Saigon in Vietnam are expected to arrive in Los Angeles today to formalize creation of a sister-port relationship between their facility and the Port of Los Angeles.
The signing of a memorandum of understanding codifying the arrangement will mark the first government-to-government relationship between U.S. and Vietnamese ports, said Barbara Yamamoto, spokeswoman for the Port of Los Angeles.
Trade with Vietnam through the Port of Los Angeles has risen substantially since the United States lifted its trade embargo with the communist state in 1994. In 1996, total trade between the port and Vietnam was $70 million; by 1998 it had jumped to $132 million, mostly in imports.
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