VietNamNet Bridge – Scholars have pointed out that Chinese businessmen have been scouring every corner in the rural areas of Vietnam to collect farm produce to serve their dark intentions.

A group of researchers, including Dr. Truong Duy Hoa, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Van and Dr. Nguyen Hong Quang from the South East Asia Institute of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, has noted that Chinese businessmen have been playing dirty tricks only in Vietnam.

“I have not heard of any cases occurring in Cambodia,” said Dr. Van, Head of the Division on Cambodian studies.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Quang, Head of the Division on Thailand & Myanmar Division, also said that he found no report about the presence of Chinese businessmen in Thailand to trick Thai farmers.

Dr. Hoa, Head of the Division on Laos studies, has affirmed that the scenes of Chinese businessmen collecting farm produce do not occur in Laos.

“I believe that Chinese businessmen flock to Vietnam with dark designs, and they have been targeting Vietnam only,” Hoa said.

He explained that Thailand has been following strict and transparent policies on agriculture development and farm produce trade. With the currently strict management mechanism, foreigners cannot go to Thailand to do business there spontaneously.

“I cannot understand why the government agencies let Chinese businessmen enter Vietnam to do such things? How can the businessmen go to every corner of the rural areas to collect farm produce without any contracts?” Quang questioned.

Vietnamese government agencies kept silent amid the comments by observers that Chinese businessmen tried to trick Vietnamese and sabotage the national economy.

However, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently raised its voice warning about the Chinese businessmen hunting for farm produce in many provinces of Vietnam with unclear purposes.

The ministry’s Domestic Market Department said it has contacted local trade departments and competent agencies in the provinces, where Chinese have come and collected produce in large quantities. Directors of the local trade departments have met farmers to discuss the matter.

Vo Van Quyen, Director of the Domestic Market Department, said that Vietnamese farmers have had changes in their awareness of doing business with foreign businessmen.

Farmers have been recommended to deal with the businessmen who can show their addresses and make transactions with commercial contracts. In many cases, Chinese had vanished after they were asked about the things.

Chinese have been flocking to Vietnam recently, seeking to purchase farm produce (dragon fruit, melon…) and odd things (buffalo’s toenails, bloodsuckers…) for unclear purposes.

In general, Chinese come to rural areas and place orders for some products with local merchants, promising sky high prices. The merchants would collect produce in the locality for reselling to them. However, the businessmen would not come back to get deliveries, leaving Vietnamese farmers suffer from the unsold useless products.

Chinese once collected dragon fruit at high prices but then suddenly stopped buying, resulting in hundreds of trucks of dragon fruit unsold. They also suddenly stopped buying water melon, which then led to the melon price in Mekong Delta tumble from VND8,000 to VND1,300 per kilo.

Dat Viet