US embassy cable - 03HOCHIMINHCITY759

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000759 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SECDEF for USDP/ISA/AP 
JCS for J15 
 
E. O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PINS, PREL, ECON, VM 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM:  US MILITARY DONATION WELCOMED IN MEKONG DELTA 
 
1.  Summary.  In a goodwill event that generated enthusiastic 
local and national press coverage, Acting Consul General, Defense 
Attache Col. Stephen Ball, U.S. Army Pacific John Almarez, and 
Congen Econoff, participated in a handover ceremony at Can Tho 
General Hospital to commemorate the donation of surplus US Army 
medical equipment valued at over USD300,000.  The hospital 
director noted in his remarks that the heart defibrillator donated 
had already saved 15 lives.  Dramatic interest in Col. Ball's 
presence as well as the willingness to work closely with and 
recognize the role of the U.S. military are positive signs that 
the US - Vietnam defense relationship is moving forward.  After 
Department of Health officials expressed a further need for help 
for the not yet opened Can Tho Delta Regional Hospital, DOD is now 
in the process of identifying hospital beds from surplus stock 
that it may be able to donate. End summary 
 
Ceremony Generates Significant Press 
------------------------------------- 
2.  The handover ceremony was held at the Can Tho General 
Hospital, a six hundred bed public hospital that serves Can Tho 
and surrounding provinces.  About 100 people - doctors, nurses, 
provincial officials, and a large number of reporters - crowded 
into the meeting room which, in addition to a large bust of Ho Chi 
Minh, had on display some of the items that had been donated in 
the shipment.  The event generated significant press interest, 
airing on local and national TV newscasts and instigating several 
print articles. 
 
3.  Taking pride of place at the front of the room was a 
centrifuge along with other electronic equipment.  During the 
ceremony, local officials, including Can Tho Hospital Director Dr. 
Tran Sophia, thanked the U.S. Consulate General and the U.S. Army 
for the gift and noted that much of the equipment was already in 
"efficient use."  Most dramatically, Dr. Sophia noted that the 
defibrillator included in the donation had already "saved the 
lives of 15 patients."  This comment was welcomed with thunderous 
applause. 
 
4.  The donation, which included everything from bandages and 
surgical tables to high tech electronic equipment, is valued at 
well over three hundred thousand US dollars.  It came from the 
Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance Program - Excess 
Property from two sites in Japan.  The donated surplus medical 
supplies arrived in Vietnam in two shipments - one in October last 
year and another this January.  John Almarez, International 
Logistics Plans Officer with U.S. Army Pacific, who handled much 
of the logistical issues for the U.S. military, traveled from 
Hawaii to attend the ceremony. 
 
5.  In her remarks the acting CG noted that this gift was part of 
an overall assistance effort undertaken by the USG in Vietnam, and 
that a number of projects have had a direct impact on Can Tho and 
the rest of the Mekong Delta.  As Vietnam's largest bilateral 
donor in the area of HIV/AIDS programs, for example, the USG funds 
a program in Can Tho run by Family Health International.  The U.S. 
also funds cultural and university programs at Can Tho University 
and provides disaster assistance to families hit by flooding in 
the Delta.  The Mekong Delta also benefits from programs at the 
national level focused on BTA implementation, such as the STAR 
project. 
 
Eyes and Cameras Turn to the Man in Uniform 
------------------------------------------- 
6.  In his remarks, Col. Ball noted that while economic activities 
attracted the most attention in the growing and deepening U.S. - 
Vietnam relationship, our defense relationship was also growing. 
He stated that the officer exchanges, conferences, and regional 
meetings in which both the U.S. and Vietnamese militaries 
participated were important.  He called this gift to the Can Tho 
General Hospital a small display of the U.S. commitment to 
building a positive relationship with Vietnam. 
 
7.  The presence of Col. Ball generated a great deal of interest. 
He is probably the first US military officer in uniform that many 
of these people had seen in some time.  When he rose to speak he 
was literally showered with flashbulbs as photographers rushed to 
capture the moment.  At the conclusion of the ceremony reporters 
and others eager to meet him and express their thanks again 
surrounded Col. Ball. 
 
Additional Donations Possible 
----------------------------- 
8.  The Health Department of Can Tho is currently constructing a 
new hospital that should open sometime at the beginning of next 
year.  The current facility is a group of buildings, some clearly 
dating from the French Colonial period, which are showing their 
age.  Hospital officials made a point to show that much of the 
equipment was already being used, and after the ceremony the 
delegation was given a quick tour where they could see some of the 
equipment in use.  The hospital director also pointed out some of 
the larger pieces of equipment such as a couple of dental chairs 
and related equipment that were still in crates and would be used 
in the new hospital facility.  Col. Ball and Mr. Almarez were 
impressed with the efforts of the hospital staff to make good use 
of the equipment.  Mr. Almarez is already in the process of trying 
to locate surplus hospital beds that could perhaps be donated 
under the humanitarian assistance program to the new facility. 
 
Comment - A Reason to Feel Good 
------------------------------- 
9.  Comment:  This handover ceremony was truly a "feel good" 
event.  Department of Health authorities, which had peppered 
Congen with phone calls in the days leading up to the event to get 
it "just right," were clearly interested in expressing their 
appreciation and demonstrating that the equipment was being put to 
good use.  At a time when irritants in our trading relationship - 
such as the catfish anti-dumping case which will have a direct 
impact on Can Tho's seafood processing industry - often take 
center stage, this event suggests that a reserve of goodwill 
exists in the Mekong Delta.  In particular, the interest and press 
coverage of the military aspect of this event is another positive 
sign for the continuing development of the defense relationship. 
 
WHITE