US embassy cable - 01HOCHIMINHCITY616

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000616 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD/JMARTIN 
STATE ALSO FOR INR/EAP/SEA, INR/IL/B AND ECA/PE/V 
CINCPAC FOR FPA 
NSC FOR GCHRISTY 
SECDEF FOR ISA/EA/LSTERN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HO CHI  00616  222120Z 
DEPTTREAS FOR AJEWELL 
USDOC FOR 4431/MAC/AP/OKSA/HPPHO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, VM, DPOL 
SUBJECT: NEW SLATE OF HCMC LEADERS WILL STAY THE COURSE 
 
REF: A. HCMC 0562  B. HCMC 0438 
 
1. REF A REPORTED THAT LE THANH HAI, FIRST VICE CHAIRMAN 
OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE, WAS ONE OF TWO FRONT 
RUNNERS TO REPLACE VO VIET THANH FOR THE JOB OF CHAIRMAN 
OF THE PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE.  ON MAY 18, IN AN IRREGULAR 
SESSION OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COUNCIL, HAI WAS SELECTED THE 
NEW CHAIRMAN.  THE MAY 19 EDITION OF THE DAILY "TUOI TRE" 
("YOUTH") REPORTED THAT HAI GAINED 91 PERCENT OF THE 
PEOPLE'S COUNCIL VOTES AND THAT NO OTHER CANDIDATE WAS 
NOMINATED.  HE WILL SERVE OUT THE REMAINING REGULAR TERM 
OF THE CHAIRMANSHIP, WHICH BEGAN IN 1999 AND WILL END IN 
2004. 
 
2. REF B REPORTED THAT LE THANH HAI WAS COMMUNIST PARTY 
SECRETARY FOR HCMC'S PROSPEROUS DISTRICT 5, MUCH OF WHICH 
 
SIPDIS 
FORMED PART OF OLD CHOLON (CHINATOWN), DURING THE 
IMPLEMENTATION OF "DOI MOI" FROM 1986 TO 1996.  HAI WAS 
BORN IN 1950 IN THE MEKONG DELTA.  HE HOLDS AN M.A. IN 
ECONOMICS AND A B.A. IN LITERATURE.  HE IS MARRIED AND HAS 
TWO CHILDREN.  HE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THE PROGRESSIVE 
POLICIES OF THANH, BUT MAY BE A BLANDER PROPONENT OF 
PROGRESSIVE POLICIES THAN WAS HIS PREDECESSOR THANH. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HO CHI  00616  222120Z 
3. THREE NEW PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRMEN WERE ALSO 
SELECTED AT THE SPECIAL SESSION. MS. HUYNH THI NHAN IS 49 
YEARS OLD, HOLDS B.A.S IN LAW, POLITICS AND ECONOMICS, AND 
IS CURRENTLY DIRECTOR OF HCMC DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND 
PRICING.  NGUYEN THANH TAI IS 49 YEARS OLD, HOLDS B.A.S IN 
ECONOMICS AND LITERATURE, AND IS CURRENTLY CHIEF OF STAFF 
AT THE OFFICE OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE.  MAI QUOC 
BINH IS 50 YEARS OLD, HOLDS A PH.D. IN BUSINESS 
ADMINISTRATION, AND IS A MEMBER OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S 
COMMITTEE.  HE PARTICIPATED IN AN INTERNATIONAL VISITORS 
PROGRAM ON ETHICS IN BUSINESS IN 1999.  HIS MAIN DUTY THE 
PAST TWO YEARS HAS BEEN TO HEAD HCMC'S EFFORTS AT 
ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM.  THE PORTFOLIOS OF THE NEW VICE- 
CHAIRMEN HAVE NOT YET BEEN ANNOUNCED. 
 
4. VO VIET THANH, WHO WAS FIRST SELECTED ACTING CHAIRMAN 
OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE IN 1996, HAD BEEN 
THREATENING TO RESIGN FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS, FRUSTRATED 
WITH HANOI'S SLOW MOVEMENT ON ECONOMIC REFORM.  AT THE AGE 
OF 58, IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THANH WILL SEEK ANOTHER 
GOVERNMENT POSITION.  THE DEPARTING PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE 
VICE-CHAIRMEN ARE 49-YEAR-OLD MS. PHAM PHUONG THAO, WHO 
WAS RECENTLY ASSIGNED TO HEAD THE HCMC COMMUNIST PARTY 
COMMISSION ON IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE (THAO CONTINUES TO HOLD 
HER SEAT ON THE 15-MEMBER STANDING BOARD OF THE HCMC 
COMMUNIST PARTY COMMITTEE), AND 60-YEAR-OLD TRAN NGOC CON, 
WHO WAS NOT ASSIGNED ANOTHER POSITION AND WILL PROBABLY 
RETIRE. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        HO CHI  00616  222120Z 
5. AS MENTIONED, THE SELECTION OF HAI AS HCMC PEOPLE'S 
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN CAME AS NO SURPRISE.  THE THREE NEW 
VICE-CHAIRMEN ARE NOT VERY WELL KNOWN TO POST, BUT DO NOT 
APPEAR TO PORTEND ANY GREAT CHANGE.  THERE WAS ONLY A 
BRIEF MENTION OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE CHANGES IN 
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS, AND "TUOI TRE" WAS THE ONLY 
VIETNAMESE VERNACULAR DAILY TO CARRY THE CHANGES AS ITS 
LEAD STORY.  POST EXPECTS NO REAL DEPARTURE FROM THE 
PREVIOUS CITY ADMINISTRATION'S COURSE; APPARENTLY, THE 
VIETNAMESE MEDIA THOUGHT THERE WAS LITTLE NEWS IN THE 
CHANGES EITHER. 
 
RAY 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED