Asia-Pacific leaders, ministers and company executives are taking part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum in Hanoi November 12-19, the first big international event that Viet Nam has hosted. Below are some facts about APEC and the Hanoi meeting:

MEMBERS AND MISSION: APEC's 21 member economies account for more than a third of the world's population and about 60 per cent of the world's GDP.

APEC was founded with 12 members in 1989 as a meeting of ministers in Australia. The APEC forum was first held in 1993 in the United States.

The member economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China's Taiwan Province, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United States and Viet Nam.

ISSUES: APEC'S key policies are to promote trade liberalization and economic growth in the region, although it has begun to tackle security-related issues, including counter-terrorism initiatives.

The main item on the agenda this year is to agree a "Hanoi Declaration" that would further delineate a vast Asia-Pacific free trade area among the 21 members.

Other issues include counter-terrorism initiatives to protect trade, dealing with bird flu and other pandemic disasters, and finding ways to reduce business transaction costs.

PARTICIPANTS: Hanoi is adorned with bright flags and colourful billboards highlighting the meeting, greeting some 10,000 guests including most leaders of the 21 APEC member economies, and more than 2,000 foreign and local media.

Roughly 800 local volunteers, mostly students from Hanoi universities, have been mobilized for the event.

Venue and security: To host the meetings, Viet Nam has built a national convention centre at a cost of US$300 million on 64 hectares of land with man-made lakes and hills. The new centre, which is one of the biggest in Southeast Asia, includes a 4,000 square-metre media centre and a 3,800 seat-meeting room.

About 15,000 policemen in Hanoi are on duty to ensure security and order during the meetings. The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security has also mobilized 800 officers and staff of mobile police teams, as well as 220 others from special units, to serve the event.

TRANSPORTATION AND ACCOMMODATION: Viet Nam has set aside 115 Mercedes E-Class cars assembled in the country to serve leaders and ministers.

Eight five-star hotels in Hanoi have upgraded facilities and redecorated to receive leaders.

COSTUMES:

In Hanoi the leaders will wear the ao dai, a silk tunic, possibly with a turban, as this year's APEC outfit. The special costumes feature the lotus, a Vietnamese symbol. A tradition of the meeting is for all participants to don local costume on the final day.