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Asia Commercial Bank, a financial institution based in Ho Chi Minh City, says it will add to its network some 4,000 merchants that accept cards from Japan-based JCB International Credit Card Co. Ltd. The bank already has a network of at least 5,000 merchants in Vietnam, a bank spokesperson tells CardLine Global. The bank has issued some 50,000 cards carrying either the MasterCard or Visa brand, the spokesperson says. Asia Commercial Bank plans to issue JCB credit cards, but the spokesperson declined to say when. "Vietnam is an important market for JCB in terms of card acceptance, because every year more and more JCB card members in Asia visit Vietnam," Kenji Seto, president and chief operating officer of JCB International, says in a statement. Some 410,000 Japanese citizens visited Vietnam in 2007, up 28% from 320,000 in 2005, according to the Japan Tourist Organization. Merchants in Vietnam began accepting JCB-branded cards in 1991. JCB International has more than 59 million card members in 19 countries.
