International Business Forum Shares Highlights with Armchair Travelers

Eager to learn about global business opportunities, NVAR members filled the Great Falls room in Fairfax on August 2 to hear from those who traveled to Cuba, Vietnam and Guatemala on fact-finding missions.

This past May, under the leadership of 2014 NVAR Chairman Mario Rubio of Rubio Real Estate, a 16-person delegation entered Cuba to experience the country’s culture. Rubio, the NAR Regional Coordinator for South America, worked with Mayra Pineda, the NAR President’s Liaison to Guatemala, to guide the exploratory mission.

Pineda, a Realtor® with Samson Properties, also visited Guatemala in April, where she learned about local real estate practices, met with the vice minister of economics, and toured properties. Upon her return, a bilateral agreement between NAR Global and Guatemala was signed during the NAR May Legislative Meetings.

In June, Lieu Nguyen of Westgate Realty Group, led a delegation of __ on a 10-day trip to Vietnam. Nguyen, the NAR President’s Liaison to Vietnam, organized an itinerary allowing participants to explore and promote opportunities for economic development between the U.S. and Vietnam through real estate. Nguyen also conducted the first Code of Ethics training session ever held in Vietnam. Upon their return, a delegation from Vietnam met with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, the first between that country and an individual state.

A-B: In a land of stark contrasts, the charming balcony view from a private B&B, Hostal Vitrales, gives the illusion of prosperity, as compared to the country’s typical crumbling infrastructure.

Upon returning from an April trip to Guatemala, NAR President’s Liaison Mayra Pineda (second from right) joined (left-right): NAR Treasurer Thomas Riley, Chamber of Realtors® of Guatemala (CCBRG) President Diego Flores, and NAR Director of Global Alliances Joe Schneider, to witness the signing of a new bilateral agreement between NAR Global and Guatemala.
 
L: In June, members of the Vietnam trade mission team visited the Department of Foreign Investment Ministry of Construction, located in Hanoi.
R: Vietnam trade mission organizer Lieu Nguyen of Westgate Realty taught Vietnam’s first Realtor® Code of Ethics training course in Ho Chi Minh City. More than 1,200 trainees attended the session.

A festive ribbon-cutting ceremony opened the Vietnam Real Estate Convention & Trade Expo 2017.