Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Danh Vinh talks to Tuoi Tre (Young People) about legal action by the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers against the US.

Could you share with our readers your views on VASEP's stance?

It is quite normal for a nation to raise trade disputes with other countries under World Trade Organisation rules. Viet Nam, which is now a member of the WTO, is perfectly entitled to protect its interests.

Viet Nam officially sent a statement to the US trade representative at the WTO on February 2.

VASEP proposed that the Government sue the US a long time ago. Why was action only taken on February 2 this year?

VASEP sent its proposals to the ministries of Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development and the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry early last year.

This is the first time Viet Nam has launched a trade dispute at the global trade organisation, which it joined in January 2007. Ministries of Finance, Industry and Trade, Justice, Foreign Affairs and Agriculture and Rural Development all looked into the situation before submitting their proposals to the Government.

By mid-last year, the Government officially accepted VASEP's proposal to sue the US at the WTO for its anti-dumping measures on Vietnamese shrimp. However, a lot of technical work must be done before filing the lawsuit. Documents need to be prepared and it takes time.

How long will this action take?

Under WTO rules, all sides must correspond with each other to try and resolve trade disputes. The US has acknowledged Viet Nam's complaint. If the matter cannot be resolved in this way, then Viet Nam will take the matter further. It will take more than one or two months to resolve this matter.

Will Viet Nam hire domestic lawyers or foreign ones to handle the lawsuit?

Lawyers will be carefully selected. They must be proficient in foreign languages and experts in international law. In all probability, Viet Nam will hire foreign lawyers to resolve this matter.

If the lawsuit goes ahead, do you think it will be successful?

Legal experts have said that they believe Viet Nam has a 60 per cent to 90 per cent chance of winning. However, I believe that prediction is premature and subjective. The lawsuit itself is very complicated and it is difficult to be sure of anything. — VNS