Vietnam first joins World Free Zones Organization’s annual event Vietnam said at the event that the country welcomes foreign investors’ presence in its free economic zones   The Vietnamese contingent (black) poses for a photo on a boat to Palm Islands during the World Free Zones Organization’s fourth Annual International Conference and Exhibition 2018 in Dubai between April 30 and May 1, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre Vietnam attended for the first time the World Free Zones Organization’s yearly event held in Dubai between April 30 and May 1, in an effort to draw more international attention to the Southeast Asian country’s future free zones. Nguyen Chi Dung, Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment, and other fellow delegates received a warm welcome from the fourth Annual International Conference and Exhibition 2018, organized by the World Free Zones Organization (WFZO) – the only international multi-lateral organization for free economic zones around the globe. “As we’re gearing ourselves up to step onto a new playground, we need to know how the world has played. Our participation into WFZO is to gain lessons of the players’ successes and failures,” Dung said. By ‘new playground,’ he was referring to Vietnam’s three free zones to be established soon in the country’s northern, central and southern areas of Van Don, Van Phong, and Phu Quoc.   Nguyen Chi Dung (first row, second left) sits at the World Free Zones Organization’s fourth Annual International Conference and Exhibition 2018 in Dubai between April 30 and May 1, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre   Nguyen Chi Dung (first row, right) converses with another member at the World Free Zones Organization’s fourth Annual International Conference and Exhibition 2018 in Dubai between April 30 and May 1, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre Dung presented Vietnam’s free zone model to large corporations with a view to attracting more investors to the three designated areas. Vietnam has gained enthusiastic support in developing free zones and ideas in its would-be free zone legislation from WFZO, which has 160 members and covers more than 2,200 free zones –usually conceived as areas with favorable laws in a country.   A leader from Nakheel introduces Palm Islands – the artificial islands on the coast of Dubai – to the Vietnamese contingent at the World Free Zones Organization’s fourth Annual International Conference and Exhibition 2018 in Dubai between April 30 and May 1, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre Tuoi Tre News