After the Ministry of Trade (now the Ministry of Industry and Trade) promulgated Circular No. 09/2007/TT-BTM on July 17, 2007, guiding trading rights (defined in the Circular as import and export rights) of foreign organizations and individuals with a commercial presence in Vietnam, some foreign investors as well as domestic experts expressed the opinion that some provisions of the Circular were inconsistent with the country’s commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO).