US embassy cable - 04HANOI2169

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002169 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/PD AND EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, VM 
SUBJECT: VOICE OF AMERICA RECEIVES POSITIVE SIGNAL FROM 
VIETNAMESE TELEVISION 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY: VOICE OF AMERICA'S (VOA) ASIA DIRECTOR FOR 
MARKETING AND PROGRAM PLACEMENT, DR. JOYCE NGOH, GARNERED A 
POSITIVE REACTION FROM VIETNAM TELEVISION ON HER FOURTH 
ANNUAL VISIT TO HANOI. FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE VOA BEGAN 
ITS MARKETING EFFORTS IN VIETNAM, VTV OFFICIALS WELCOMED 
VOA'S ENGLISH TEACHING PROGRAMS AND AGREED TO WORK TOWARDS 
A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING. DR. NGOH'S FIRST VISIT TO 
HANOI RADIO AND TELEVISION ALSO ESTABLISHED THE GROUNDWORK 
FOR FURTHER DISCUSSIONS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U) ON AUGUST 3, DR. JOYCE NGOH, ASIA DIRECTOR FOR 
MARKETING AND PROGRAM PLACEMENT OF VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA) 
IN BANGKOK, MET WITH MR. PHAM VIET TIEN, GENERAL DIRECTOR 
OF THE EDUCATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM DEPARTMENT, AND 
MR. NGUYEN VAN PHUONG, GENERAL DIRECTOR OF THE 
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION DEPARTMENT AT VIETNAM TELEVISION 
(VTV). (COMMENT: STATE-OWNED VTV IS THE LARGEST TELEVISION 
STATION IN VIETNAM AND BROADCASTS NATIONWIDE. IT RECENTLY 
BECAME THE FIRST STATION IN VIETNAM TO SIGN A COPYRIGHT 
AGREEMENT WITH THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TO PAY FEES FOR SONGS 
USED IN ITS BROADCAST PROGRAMS. END COMMENT). THIS IS DR. 
NGOH'S FOURTH VISIT TO VTV TO EXPLAIN THE VARIOUS TYPES OF 
ENGLISH TEACHING PROGRAMMING VOA MAKES AVAILABLE FREE OF 
CHARGE. IN THE PAST, VTV OFFICIALS EXPRESSED LITTLE 
INTEREST AND SEEMED TO REGARD DR. NGOH'S VISITS AS NO MORE 
THAN A COURTESY CALL. CITING BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS, MR. 
PHAM SAID THEY ARE NOW VERY INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH VOA. 
 
3.  (U) DR. NGOH DESCRIBED TWO POSSIBLE PROGRAMS FOR VTV 
USE AND PROVIDED VHS TAPE SAMPLES OF BOTH. "SPECIAL 
ENGLISH" IS A PROGRAM OF FIVE-MINUTE REPORTS ON 
AGRICULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND HEALTH 
ISSUES.  IT IS AN ORIGINAL VOA PROGRAMMING AND TAILORED FOR 
THE VIETNAMESE MARKET. THE SECOND PROGRAM, "CONNECT WITH 
ENGLISH," CONTAINS FIFTEEN-MINUTE SHOWS OF A TEACHER AND 
STUDENT INTERACTING THROUGH REPETITION OF WORDS.  VOA HAS 
PURCHASED THIS PROGRAM FROM A PRIVATE COMPANY.  MR. PHAM 
EXPRESSED VTV INTEREST IN BOTH PROGRAMS, BUT SAID HE 
PREFERRED THE LATTER, ESPECIALLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH VTV'S 
EXISTING ENGLISH PROGRAMS. 
 
4.  (U) DR. NGOH EMPHASIZED THAT VOA WOULD PROVIDE THE 
PROGRAMMING FREE OF CHARGE BUT, IN RETURN, VTV SHOULD 
APPROPRIATELY BROADCAST CREDIT TO VOA. MR. PHAM PROPOSED 
HAVING AN ANNOUNCER THANK VOA AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH 
PROGRAM AND INCLUDE WRITTEN CREDITS AT THE END. WHEN 
PRESSED ABOUT HAVING A VOA LOGO APPEAR ON THE SCREEN 
THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM, MR. PHAM SAID THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE 
BECAUSE VIEWERS WOULD THINK VTV HAD "STOLEN" THE PROGRAM 
FROM A FOREIGN CHANNEL.  HE FURTHER COMMENTED THAT, IN THE 
PAST, VTV HAD REJECTED PROGRAMMING FROM CNN FOR THIS 
REASON.  DR. NGOH ALSO DISCUSSED PROVIDING THE PROGRAMMING 
VIA SATELLITE TRANSMISSION INSTEAD OF VHS TAPES, AS VTV 
PREFERRED.  FOR THE FIRST TIME, VTV OFFICIALS EXPRESSED 
INTEREST IN WORKING TOWARDS A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING 
WITH VOA IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.  THEY ALSO DISCUSSED THE 
POSSIBILITY OF VOA PURCHASING THE BROADCASTING RIGHTS FROM 
A PRIVATE COMPANY AND PROVIDING THE PROGRAMS TO VTV FREE OF 
CHARGE UNDER VOA SPONSORSHIP. 
 
5.  (U) ASIDE FROM VTV, DR. NGOH MET FOR THE FIRST TIME 
WITH VU NGOC MINH, VICE DIRECTOR OF HANOI RADIO AND 
TELEVISION (HRT), A LOCAL TV AND RADIO STATION BROADCASTING 
TO TEN CITIES AND PROVINCES IN THE RED RIVER DELTA AREA. 
MR. VU NOTED HRT'S INTEREST IN LONG FEATURES OF AMERICAN 
TOURISM, CULTURAL, MUSIC, AND HEALTH PROGRAMS.  MR. VU 
INSISTED THAT ANY FEATURES PROGRAMMING WOULD HAVE TO BE 
SUBMITTED IN ENGLISH, THEN PROPERLY EDITED AND DUBBED BY 
THE STATION.  HE REJECTED DR. NGOH'S SUGGESTION OF POSSIBLY 
PROVIDING A VIETNAMESE-LANGUAGE PROGRAM BECAUSE IT WOULD 
NOT PROPERLY REFLECT THE "NORTHERN VIETNAMESE STYLE AND 
DIALECT."  MR. VU AGREED TO MEET WITH DR. NGOH IN THE 
FUTURE TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS OF POSSIBLE PROJECTS. 
 
6.  (U) DR. NGOH ALSO MET WITH VOICE OF VIETNAM (VOV) RADIO 
STATION'S VICE DIRECTOR FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND 
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING PROGRAMS, NGUYEN VAN KHIEM. VOV 
HAS BEEN BROADCASTING VOA'S "NEW DYNAMIC ENGLISH" PROGRAM 
SINCE FEBRUARY, BUT HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY OFF-AIR DURING THE 
COLLEGE EXAMINATION PERIOD.  WHEN ASKED WHY VOV WAS NOT 
MENTIONING VOA SPONSORSHIP EACH TIME DURING ITS FIFTY- 
EPISODE PROGRAM, AS ORIGINALLY AGREED TO, MR. NGUYEN 
REPLIED THAT VOV'S STANDARD POLICY WAS TO CREDIT ITS 
SPONSORS IN THE FIRST AND LAST EPISODES ONLY.  DR. NGOH 
RESPONDED THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE THEY SHOULD CONTINUE TO 
DISCUSS BEFORE VOA ALLOCATED FURTHER PROGRAMMING. DR. NGOH 
ALSO PLANS TO TRAVEL TO HO CHI MINH CITY THIS WEEK FOR 
SIMILAR MEETINGS. 
 
7.  (SBU) COMMENT: AFTER FOUR YEARS OF PRESENTING AND RE- 
PRESENTING VOA'S PROGRAMS, THIS IS THE FIRST SIGN OF A 
POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM VTV. ALTHOUGH WE ARE UNCERTAIN ABOUT 
THE REASONS FOR THE SUDDEN CHANGE OF HEART AND WARY OF THE 
CONCRETE STEPS VTV MUST STILL TAKE TO ATTAIN AN OFFICIAL 
MOU, THE UNEXPECTEDLY ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE FROM VTV IS A 
NOTED DEPARTURE FROM THE PAST.  VOA EFFORTS IN EXPOSING ITS 
PROGRAMMING AND INCREASING ITS APPEAL TO THE VIETNAMESE 
AUDIENCE THROUGH ENGLISH TEACHING IS A WORK IN PROGRESS 
THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR CLOSELY. 
 
BURGHARDT