In the special edition for the 2010 Lunar New Year, Thanh Nien The Thao & Giai Tri newspaper interviewed Madam Do Thi Kim Lien, Honorary Consul of the Republic of South Africa in Ho Chi Minh City, who will have the honor of welcoming the reputable FIFA World Cup when it arrives in Vietnam.

On January 18, you are expected to receive a very special task - welcome the FIFA World Cup to Vietnam. How do you feel about this?  
Madam Do Thi Kim Lien: Vietnamese people have a strong passion for football and I feel this passion has absorbed into the flesh and blood of everybody. I am not an exception. Like millions of Vietnamese fans, I am very eager to wait for the day to see the famous football cup right in our country. With the role of the South African Honorary Consul in HCMC, I will try my utmost to make this event more meaningful to the people of HCMC in particular and Vietnam in general.  

Could you talk about activities to welcome the FIFA World Cup?
- On January 18, I and the South African Ambassador to Vietnam will go to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport to receive the cup. Then we will bring the cup for display at the Military Zone 7 Stadium so that people can view and take photographs with it. On this occasion, there will be many activities to promote the images of FIFA and South Africa.   

It is not long from now to the opening of the World Cup. As Honorary Consul of South Africa in HCMC and a Vietnamese citizen, do you have programs to introduce the images of Vietnam?
- The FIFA World Cup is organized every four years and attracts the attention of most people in the world. So, I will take advantage of this special event to promote the images of Vietnam and South Africa to international friends. We have enough information to assist Vietnamese people approach to the host country of the Football World Cup. As a businessperson, I will make the most of this event to help Vietnamese and South African businesses approach each other and strengthen economic cooperation.

South Africa is a beautiful country, especially in summer when the World Cup is organized, and there will be many Vietnamese people wanting to travel the African country on this occasion. As the South African Honorary Consul in HCMC, what will you do to assist Vietnamese tourist?
- We have plans for this. Citizens and entrepreneurs in HCMC needn’t to fly to Hanoi to apply for visas to South Africa as previously. Instead, they can do this at the South African Honorary Consul Office, 25 Phung Khac Khoan Street, District 1, HCMC. During the organizing time of World Cup, we will launch a special visa type for groups of tourists and entrepreneurs to watch World Cup’s football matches and explore South Africa.

Besides the role of South African Honorary Consul in HCMC, you are general director of AAA Assurance Corporation. The company has many insurance products, including Global Travel Insurance. Is it better for people going to South Africa if they buy this product?
- That is right. With the Global Travel Insurance product, you can go on business or travel with peace of mind and enjoy the whole trip not only in South Africa but also all over the world. Encountering problems abroad, even when it is a simple problem like getting lost, can easily make you get on nerves and not know how to solve them due to language and cultural barriers. Other problems such as loss of luggage, flight delay or loss of travel documents and property might also turn your trip into a nightmare. Together with our partner - Assist Card International, AAA Assurance assures to provide customers with 24/24 Emergency Assistance Service through the network of 49 multi-language Global Emergency Assistance Centers. AAA Assurance is willing to assist you every time and every where by using the Direct Payment Method. With Global Travel Insurance, you can feel secure and enjoy the whole trip.

AAA Assurance is now one of the leading insurers in Vietnam, but the domestic insurance market is seeing a harsh competition. What is the company’s strategy for 2010 to maintain sustainable development and speed up growth?
- In this period, we will review and evaluate the company’s strengths and shortcomings in business operations so that we have measures to improve the quality of services to meet international standards and the efficiency of trading activities. In the past four years, AAA Assurance has tried its efforts to show the role of an insurer and join hands with foreign partners to introduce practical insurance products to customers and improve the quality of services. In 2010, we will continue cooperation with foreign partners to launch better insurance products and services for clients. We will base on the customer-classifying software to design insurance products at the request of customers and better our services. The company will also diversify its insurance products to meet the demand of various classes of people such as medical insurance for poor people and low- and medium-income earners, family electronics insurance, and insurance for professional Vietnamese footballers and athletes. I hoped the Vietnamese Government will have supportive policies for insurers to join new types of insurance products, together with the Government boosts the development of the social welfare sector to a new height.

One of the problems concerned by Vietnamese businesses is exchange opportunities between Vietnam and South Africa. With the role of South African Honorary Consul in HCMC, what can you do to help them?
- I will act as bridge to narrow geographical and cultural gaps and promote investment and cooperation opportunities between the two countries. I will take the advantages of the two countries’ strengths to promote investment and cooperation opportunities among businesses and closely cooperate with the South African Embassy in Vietnam to hold seminars and cultural exchanges for Vietnamese and South African businesses and people better understand each other and seek cooperative chances. Businesses of both countries have many investment and cooperation opportunities in the areas of banking, finance, insurance, real estate, farm produce processing, automobiles, chemical and related industries, tourism, textile and garment, footwear, minerals and metallurgy, aviation, etc.
Song Hao
Sports and Entertainment of Thanh nien newspaper