When the last United States forces left South Vietnam on March 29, 1973 in over-stuffed helicopters and crowded aircraft carriers, it was to be the closing of book whose chapters lasted through four presidencies. When North Vietnam successfully invaded South Vietnam and captured Saigon on April 30, 1975, an embargo originally placed on the north by the United States was extended onto the entire, newly-named Republic of Vietnam. That embargo, ordered by President Richard M. Nixon, stayed in place until President Bill Clinton dropped it on February 3, 1994. President Clinton has asserted on numerous occasions that the only reason he improved any relations America had with Vietnam was solely in the context of achieving the fullest possible account for Americans held as prisoners of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA) from the Vietnam War. Besides many things may shows that President Clinton's explanation involved a lot more than MIAs and POWs, but was resultant of power center influences on policy-making. History between the United States and Vietnam as well as Vietnam's relationships with the Soviet Union, China and Japan are aspect that can proves the truth of this thesis.
The ending of the economic embargo of Vietnam in 1994 opened a new panorama over international marketing. A new high potential market, with more than 70 millions of people was avaiable for the companies: the next great frontier.
As soon as the embargo was removed a lot of companies from all over the globe started their trading in Vietnam. But for now, the Vietam market have difficulties to take off. Why? Why a so "high potential market" after more than ten years from the removal of the embargo in not able to grow up in the world wide marketing?
Many economist and analysts are trying to give an answer to this question.
Here there are some excerpts from a New York Times article that talk about the question.
"IT'S Coke vs. Pepsi and United Airlines