The ongoing APEC meetings drawing attendance of leaders and senior officials from the group's members and an army of reporters to Vietnam is a golden chance for the country not only to promote its image to the world, but also to thrive businesses.

On Sunday, the first day of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) week, shops in the old quarters of capital Hanoi were loaded with traditional handicrafts and souvenirs, ready to serve international visitors who want to get to know Vietnam through its sophisticated products.

Nguyen Thu Huyen, while rearranging trendy silk gowns, dresses, scarves, ties and bags -- all in gay colors: blue, red, pink, yellow and purple, said business is expected to be better in the approaching days. At her air-conditioned silk shop in Hang Gai street, a white dress with embroidered pattern of daisies, was going for 400,000 Vietnamese dong (VND) (over US$25).

"On the APEC occasion, a large number of foreigners are visiting Hanoi. The amount of goods for the occasion we have prepared triples the ordinary days. They are mainly products with Vietnamese unique cultural features," she said, boasting that her shop has welcomed many foreign customers, especially when Vietnam hosts important international events.

Down the busy street decked with red banners with yellow lettering carrying messages welcoming APEC meetings, and small APEC billboards sponsored by Canon and Huyndai, souvenir shops have been seething for the biggest international event ever held in the country.

In addition to traditional souvenirs, including embroidery pictures, wood puppets, lacquer paintings, and pearl laces, such special items as APEC logos, and flags of APEC member economies have made a splash in Hanoi.

"Now, there is a trend of wearing APEC logos among students in Hanoi, partly because information about the event is widely disseminated in local media and Internet," 15-year-old Nguyen Hai Nam from the Thang Long High School said, paying 50,000 VND (3.1 U. S. dollars) for a logo.

"Through radio and TV, I know that presidents of China, the United States and Russia, and many officials will visit Vietnam on the occasion. We should do something to welcome the meetings," he said with a smile.

Businesses operating in the fields of hotel, transport and tourism are thought to enjoy most benefits from the APEC meetings, which include the 14th APEC Leaders' Meeting, and some other important events such as the Joint Ministerial Meeting and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Summit, from Nov. 12-19.

The five-star hotel Sheraton Hanoi, where US President George W Bush and a huge number of his escorts will stay, is believed to earn some US$2 million on the occasion. Other hotels in the city are also expected to reap remarkable earnings from more than 12,000 international guests.

According to the Hanoi Tourism Department, over 10,000 hotel rooms, including more than 2,000 five-star ones, have been fully booked.

Like hotels, local transport firms and tourism agencies have enjoyed the precious business opportunities created by the great international event as APEC organizers have mobilized about 1,300 automobiles with 4-40 seats to serve the meetings.

The country's tourism industry does not miss the chance by offering more tours and establishing travel registration counters at some big hotels. The number of foreigners, including many APEC officials, registering tours in Vietnam is increasing every day, general director of local tourist company Vietravel named Nguyen Quoc Ky said.
Besides, APEC meetings are "a great opportunity for domestic enterprises to access economic groups in the world, because this is also the time they want to seek business partners in Vietnam, especially when Vietnam was admitted to the World Trade Organization," said Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Thai Tuan Textile Company will offer delegates to the meetings 650 traditional ao dai (traditional long dresses) and 100 women jackets which feature bronze drums, lotuses and conical hats, Vietnam's symbols, and APEC's logo.

The Trung Nguyen Coffee Company has provided 10 tons of coffee, and the Vietnam Mit Company 500 kilograms of dried fruits, sweet potatoes and taros to the meetings.
Notably, skillful Vietnamese artisans have made some souvenirs bearing the Vietnamese cultural identity to present the meetings' delegates, including dragon-shaped boats made from precious wood and silver, portraits of 19 leaders of APEC economies from gemstones and colored sand, and Vietnamese-English photo albums entitled "Vietnam, my love."

In buzzing Hanoi, all is very keen on the meetings, which are expected to give a new boost to economic cooperation among the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for more than one-third of the world's population, nearly 60 percent of the world's gross domestic products and about 47 percent of the world trade.