Chapter 7

GENERAL ARTICLES

CHAPTER VII

GENERAL ARTICLES

Article 1

Cross-Border Transactions and Transfers

1. Unless otherwise agreed between the parties to such transactions, all cross-border commercial transactions, and all transfers of currencies relating to a covered investment, shall be made in United States dollars or any other currency that may be designated from time to time by the International Monetary Fund as being a freely usable currency.

2. In connection with trade in products and services, each Party shall grant to nationals and companies of the other Party the better of most-favored-nation or national treatment with respect to:

A. opening and maintaining accounts, in both local and foreign currency, and having access to funds deposited in financial institutions located in the territory of the Party;

B. payments, remittances and transfers of currencies convertible into freely usable currency at a market rate of exchange or financial instruments representative thereof, between the territories of the two Parties, as well as between the territory of that Party and that of any third country;

C. rates of exchange and related matters, including access to freely usable currencies.

3. Each Party shall grant to covered investments of the other Party the better of national or most favored nation treatment with respect to all transfers into and out of each Party's territory. Such transfers include:

* contributions to capital;

* profits, dividends, capital gains, and proceeds from the sale of all or any part of the investment or from the partial or complete liquidation of the investment;

* interest, royalty payments, management fees, and technical assistance and other fees;

D. payments made under contract, including a loan agreement;

E. compensation pursuant to Article 10 of Chapter IV and payments arising out of an investment dispute.

4. In all cases, treatment of cross-border transactions and transfers will be consistent with each Party's obligations to the International Monetary Fund.

5. Each Party shall permit returns in kind to be made as authorized or specified in an investment authorization, investment agreement, or other written agreement between the Party and a covered investment or a national or company of the other Party.

6. Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 through 5, a Party may prevent a transfer through the equitable, non-discriminatory and good faith applications (including the seeking of preliminary relief, such as judicial injunctions and temporary restraining orders) of its law relating to:

A. bankruptcy, insolvency or the protection of the rights of creditors;

B. issuing, trading or dealing in securities, futures, options, or derivatives;

C. reports or records of transfers;

D. criminal or penal offenses; or

E. ensuring compliance with orders or judgments in judicial or administrative proceedings.

* The provisions of this Article relating to financial transfers shall not preclude:

A a requirement that a national or company (or its covered investment) comply with customary banking procedures and regulations, provided that they do not impair the substance of the rights granted under this Article;

B. prudential measures in order to protect the interests of creditors and to ensure the stability and integrity of the national financial system.

Article 2

National Security

This Agreement shall not preclude a Party from applying measures that it considers to be necessary for the protection of its own essential security interests. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to require either Party to furnish any information, the disclosure of which it considers contrary to its essential security interests.

Article 3

General Exceptions

1. Subject to the requirement that such measures are not applied in a manner which would constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between countries where like conditions prevail, or a disguised restriction on international trade, nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prohibit the adoption or enforcement by either Party of measures:

A. with respect to Chapter I, Trade in Goods, necessary to secure compliance with laws or regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement, including measures related to the protection of intellectual property rights and the prevention of deceptive practices;

B. with respect to Chapter I, Trade in Goods, referred to in Article XX of the GATT 1994; or

* with respect to Chapter III, Trade in Services, referred to in Article XIV of the GATS.

2. Nothing in this Agreement shall preclude a Party from applying its laws in respect of foreign missions as set forth in applicable legislation.

3. Nothing in this Agreement limits the application of any existing or future agreements between the Parties on trade in textiles and textile products.

Article 4

Taxation

1. No provision of this Agreement shall impose obligations with respect to tax matters, except that:

A. Chapter I, other than Article 2.1 of such Chapter, shall apply only to taxes other than direct taxes as defined in paragraph 3 of this Article.

B. Within Chapter IV,

i) Articles 4 and 10.1 will apply with respect to expropriation; and

ii) Article 4 will apply with respect to an investment agreement or an investment authorization.

2. With respect to the application of Chapter IV, Article 10.1, an investor that asserts that a tax measure involves an expropriation may submit that dispute to arbitration pursuant to Chapter IV, Article 4.3, provided that the investor concerned has first referred to the competent tax authorities of both Parties the issue of whether that tax measure involves an expropriation. However, the investor cannot submit the dispute to arbitration if, within nine months after the date of referral, the competent tax authorities of both Parties determine that the tax measure does not involve an expropriation.

3. "Direct taxes" comprise all taxes on total income, on total capital or on elements of income or of capital, including taxes on gains from the alienation of property, taxes on estates, inheritances and gifts, and taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries paid by enterprises, as well as taxes on capital appreciation.

Article 5

Consultations

1. The Parties agree to consult periodically to review the operation of this Agreement.

2. The Parties agree to consult promptly as arranged through appropriate channels at the request of either Party to discuss any matter concerning the interpretation or implementation of this Agreement and other relevant aspects of the relations between the Parties.

3. The Parties agree to establish a Joint Committee ("Committee") on Development of Economic and Trade Relations between Vietnam and the United States of America. The Committee's responsibilities shall include the following:

A. monitoring and securing the implementation of this Agreement and making recommendations to achieve the objectives of this Agreement;

B. ensuring that a satisfactory balance of concessions is maintained during the life of this Agreement;

C. serving as the appropriate channel through which the Parties shall consult at the request of either Party to discuss and resolve matters arising from interpretation or implementation of this Agreement; and

D. seeking and making proposals on the enhancement and diversification of economic and trade relations between the two countries.

4. The Committee shall be co-chaired by representatives of the Parties at the ministerial level, and have members who are representatives from the relevant agencies concerned with the implementation of this Agreement. The Committee shall meet annually or at the request of either Party. The location of the meetings shall alternate between Hanoi and Washington D.C., unless the Parties agree otherwise. The organization and the terms of reference of the Committee shall be adopted by the Committee at its first session.

Article 6

Relationship between Chapter IV, Annex H, Exchanged Letters, and Annex G

As to any matter concerning investment in services not specified in Annex G, the provisions of Annex H shall apply. However, in the event of a conflict between a provision set forth in Chapter IV, Annex H, or exchanged letters on Investment Licensing Regime, and a provision set forth in Annex G, the provision set forth in Annex G shall prevail to the extent of the conflict. Annex H and exchanged letters on Investment Licensing Regime shall not be construed or applied in a manner that would deprive a Party of rights provided under Annex G.

Article 7

Annexes, Schedules and Exchanged Letters

The Annexes, Schedules, and the exchanged letters on Investment Licensing Regime to this Agreement constitute an integral part of this Agreement.

Article 8

Final Provisions, Entry into Force, Duration, Suspension and Termination

1. This Agreement shall enter into force on the day on which the Parties have exchanged notifications that each has completed the legal procedures necessary for this purpose, and shall remain in force for three years.

2. This Agreement shall be extended for successive terms of three years if neither Party notifies the other Party of its intent to terminate this Agreement at least 30 days before the end of a term.

3. If either Party does not have domestic legal authority to carry out its obligations under this Agreement, either Party may suspend application of this Agreement, or, with agreement of the other Party, any part of this Agreement, including MFN treatment. In that event, the Parties will seek, to the fullest extent practicable under domestic law, to minimize unfavorable effects on existing trade relations between the Parties.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.

DONE at Washington D.C., in duplicate, this thirteenth day of July 2000, in the English and Vietnamese languages, each text being equally authentic.

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM: