VUFO Chairman Vu Xuan Hong expressed sincere thanks to the Indian businessman for all that he has done for the friendly and co-operative ties between the two countries over the past 30 years.
Shantanu Srivastava first came to Vietnam as a diplomat. After ending his term in office, he chose stay close to the Southeast Asian country, which he considers his second homeland, through his work in the private sector. Since becoming the Managing Director and CEO of Ishan International Pvt. Ltd, he has played an important role in the establishment of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (INCHAM) in Vietnam.
Mr Srivastava, who has lived in Vietnam for the past 30 years, is also involved in social activities. He has raised funds to build 20 houses for the poor in Ho Chi Minh City’s Can Gio district and presented scholarships to impoverished local students. In addition, he has assisted the development of Vietnam’s railway, textile and tea industries through the provision of machinery and the construction of a textile-dyeing laboratory.
At present, he sponsors the establishment of Vietnam Houses in the Indian capital of New Delhi and in Mumbai on the west coast.
Shantanu Srivastava, who received the Friendship Order of Vietnam in 2003 and the Insignia for Peace and Friendship among Nations in 2006, said he has some new ideas for co-operation between the two countries that he plans to discuss with the VUFO. The businessman suggested a programme to encourage Vietnamese companies to open representative offices in India. He has also proposed joint research on traditional Indian medicine, opening Hindi training courses in Vietnam and Vietnamese training courses in India and schemes to improve access to education and health care for children of poor workers in Vietnam.
