WebProNews

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai visited Microsoft Corp.'s Redmond, Washington campus on Monday for a private meeting with Bill Gates regarding Microsoft's role in developing Vietnam's information technology.

Arriving in a police-escorted motorcade that stalled traffic, Khai made a stop at Microsoft his second during a weeklong visit to the United States-the first such visit by a Vietnamese leader since the end of the Vietnam War.

After touring Microsoft's "home of the future," Bill Gates led the prime minister to his office where the two met privately to discuss the communist country's relationship with the software giant.

Gates and Khai announced that the Vietnamese government and Microsoft inked two memoranda of understanding-one to train and develop more Vietnamese information and technology companies, the other to offer computer and software training to Vietnamese teachers.

Khai was happy with the arrangements.

"We'll be able to reach new highs in information technology and software development," Khai said. "Our success in the future will be a tribute to you, Mr. Bill Gates."

Gates and Khai have had an earlier agreement working together to produce a Vietnamese language version of Windows and Office.

Anti-Vietnamese government demonstrations were noticeably lacking, compared to the number of demonstrators who picketed Khai's arrival yesterday.

Protesters marched downtown on Sunday shouting, "Down with communists," demanding an end to political and religious persecution in Vietnam, according to the Associated Press. Some held a sign reading "Khai is another Saddam Hussein."

Khai visited Boeing on Sunday to "oversee" Vietnam Airlines' purchase of four 787 jets. The prime minister is scheduled to meet with President Bush, various US executives, and the presidents of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The visit is part of a campaign to increase investment in Vietnamese business to "improve people's lives and bring stability to Southeast Asia," said Khai.

Jason L. Miller is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.