Three years ago, she came to work in a Nike factory, where she glues together the rubber soles of running shoes. The work is grueling and the Korean bosses are strict. But life is better than in Quang Binh, where Ms. Nga said her village was ruined by recent floods. Executives at Nike said the Vietnamese government regularly encourages the company to shift manufacturing to the north. Among other things, such a move would stem the tide of migration to Ho Chi Minh City, which has become dangerously overcrowded in recent years.
Vietnamese officials are well aware of the north's poor reputation among foreign investors.
They explain it as a vestige of Vietnam's history, in which the south was exposed to the capitalism of the United States while the north languished in the orbit of the Soviet Union. Over time, they insist, northern officials will shed old habits. The government will develop policies to strike a better balance between north and south. Mr. Tien of Nomura said some of the strongest resistance to change comes not from central but from local authorities. He said Vietnam's prime minister and Communist Party chief had traveled to Haiphong to urge the city to be more helpful to foreigners.