US embassy cable - 04HANOI2809

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HANOI 002809 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
PACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, CH, VM, CVR, HUMANR, ASEAN, WTO 
SUBJECT:  Ambassador's October 13 Dinner with Vice Foreign 
Minister Nguyen Phu Binh 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  The Ambassador hosted a dinner October 13 
for Vice Foreign Minister Nguyen Phu Binh, who, in his 
capacity as head of the MFA's Committee on Overseas 
Vietnamese, will soon travel to the United States to discuss 
Viet Kieu issues.  Binh said Vietnam desired improved 
relations with Vietnamese-Americans and sought to welcome 
ethnic Vietnamese back to the "homeland."  He stressed that 
he is willing meet with any person or group who had a 
"different viewpoint," but their attitude had to be 
"constructive;" he would not engage with "extremists."  On 
China, Binh said that Beijing needed to discuss territorial 
issues (the Spratlys) with all interested parties and not 
try to deal with invidual claimants; the same applied to the 
Paracels.  Vietnam looked to other countries in the region 
for good development examples, but the most obvious model 
was China.  Vietnam also wanted to play a more prominent 
role in the region, and WTO accession would help to speed 
this along; however, the support and "sympathy" of the 
United States are key.  The USG sent the wrong message to 
Vietnam by failing to deal with "negative anti-Vietnam 
elements" in the United States, and attempting to pressure 
Vietnam through the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) 
designation, for example, would be counter-productive. 
Although Vietnam sees human rights as a collective issue, it 
is ready to deal with "individual cases" raised by the 
United States.  End Summary. 
 
OVERSEAS VIETNAMESE 
------------------- 
 
2. (U) The Ambassador, accompanied by PAO and Pol/C, hosted 
a dinner October 13 for Vice Foreign Minister Nguyen Phu 
Binh.  Binh, who is also head of the MFA's Committee for 
Overseas Vietnamese, will depart October 15 for a six-day 
visit to Canada and a ten-day visit to the United States, 
including stops in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and 
Northern California.  VFM Binh's purpose is to discuss Viet 
Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) issues with central and local 
government authorities, community groups and individuals of 
Vietnamese descent.  Binh's delegation will include Tran Van 
Thinh, Director of the Committee's Department for General 
Community Research, and Dang Tran Phong, Editor-in-chief of 
the Committee's Que Huong (Homeland) Journal.  Both Thinh 
and Phong joined VFM Binh and the Ambassador for dinner. 
 
3. (U) Binh opened by explaining that the Committee on 
Overseas Vietnamese, which became part of the MFA in 1996 
and has a permanent staff of 70, was primarily responsible 
for outreach to communities of ethnic Vietnamese living 
overseas through the MFA's missions and official media, 
including the Committee's "Homeland" journal and website. 
Binh agreed with the Ambassador that the 1.4 million 
Vietnamese-Americans represented a potential bridge between 
the United States and Vietnam.  Although dealing with the 
thorny issue of Vietnam's relations with Vietnamese- 
Americans was sometimes "difficult," after many years, 
"things are getting better."  For its part, Vietnam 
considered all overseas Vietnamese to be "Vietnamese," 
regardless of their current citizenship.  "Although the war 
divided us, after 30 years, there is no reason to remain 
divided," the Vice Foreign Minister said.  "Asians attach 
great importance to their homeland and where their 
ancestors' graves are located, and Vietnam's primary 
objective is to have overseas Vietnamese return home and 
visit these graves and see for themselves the changes in 
Vietnam," he continued.  Returning to Vietnam to "make 
economic or other contributions" was of secondary 
importance, Binh asserted. 
 
4. (U) The Ambassador noted that improved relations between 
Viet Kieu and Vietnam would have a positive impact on the 
overall bilateral relationship.  Conversely, voices in the 
Vietnamese-American community speaking out against building 
up the bilateral relationship could be harmful.  We needed 
to have positive voices to counterbalance the harmful ones 
and to help the leaders in both countries to move the 
bilateral relationship in a positive direction.  Outreach, 
both by the Committee and by Vietnam's Ambassador and other 
diplomats in the United States, was important to bridge the 
information gap, the Ambassador said. 
 
5. (U) VFM Binh explained that, while in the United States, 
he would meet with anyone who is willing to discuss issues 
in a constructive manner.  He would not meet with 
"extremists," however, or anyone else who does not wish to 
have a "constructive dialogue."  Binh noted that he had met 
twice with former Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) Vice 
President Nguyen Cao Ky and agreed that, while the latter's 
high profile visit was positive, what was more important was 
to develop a "fundamental, broad-based way" to improve 
Vietnam's relationship with Vietnamese-Americans. 
 
6. (U) Binh explained that ethnic Vietnamese who had assumed 
different nationalities, although treated as foreigners in 
Vietnam, nonetheless had "special privileges," such as being 
able to purchase land and other real estate.  He agreed that 
it is important to ensure that, as the number of Vietnamese- 
Americans returning to Vietnam to visit or live continued to 
rise, they are aware of the sometimes special rules that 
govern their activities here.  The Ambassador stressed that 
one of the U.S. Mission's primary responsibilities is to 
provide assistance to Americans in trouble.  If a Vietnamese- 
American ran afoul of the law -- particularly outside of 
urban areas -- local police and other officials often are 
not aware of the need for notification, for example, and 
this sometimes gives the GVN a black eye.  Good coordination 
between the Mission and the GVN is the way to avoid this, 
the Ambassador said. 
 
7. (U) Binh listened with interest to the Ambassador's 
listing of a number of prominent Vietnamese-Americans -- 
including a professional football player -- and agreed that 
they could play a useful role in advancing Vietnam's 
relations with the Viet Kieu community in the United States. 
That said, Vietnam is always ready to welcome any ethnic 
Vietnamese back to the "homeland;" even if they could not 
make a "direct contribution," they could still help to build 
a bridge.  Binh reiterated that Vietnam would not hesitate 
to talk with people of different viewpoints, particularly if 
these viewpoints aare different because of a lack of 
understanding about the "real situation" in Vietnam. 
However, there would be no discussions with extremists, Binh 
repeated.  Vietnam needs to be persistent, and it might take 
a long time to win over some members of the Vietnamese- 
American community.  But Vietnam has time.  Some 20 years 
ago, only 8,000 Vietnamese-Americans returned to Vietnam in 
one year.  Now the number was 360,000 per year and rising. 
All of these individuals might not agree with what they see 
and hear in Vietnam, but they are welcome nonetheless, Binh 
said. 
 
CHINA 
----- 
 
8. (SBU) VFM Binh's brief also includes Asia and Africa 
issues and, changing gears, Binh discussed briefly PRC Prime 
Minister Wen Jiabao's recent visit to Hanoi and his 
bilateral discussions with Vietnam's leaders (septel).  On 
the subject of the Spratlys, Binh opined that China's aim 
was to "put aside" the current territorial disputes and 
focus on oil and natural gas exploration, but, because this 
is a sensitive maritime area, all the parties involved 
should discuss the issue only within the context of the 
Declaration of Conduct, he stressed.  Separate discussions 
or deals only added to mutual suspicion and mistrust.  For 
that reason, Vietnam would not join China and others in a 
deal to explore jointly the disputed area because this would 
send a signal that Vietnam sought only to take care of 
itself.  The key to resolve this is a discussion among all 
the parties, Binh emphasized. 
 
9. (SBU) Turning to tourism in the Spratlys, Binh said that, 
although several Vietnamese tourism companies had "noisily" 
advertised trips to the islands, in reality this is possible 
only during April and May and there just are not the 
facilities to handle tourists.  The GVN does not want to 
increase tension with China over this issue and, although it 
did not actively discourage the companies from advertising 
travel to the Spratlys, it did not encourage them, either. 
For now, the issue appeared to have faded away, Binh said. 
China had itself indicated its desire to develop tourism in 
the Paracels, he added.  For historic reasons, Vietnam had a 
claim to two of the islands and had told the Chinese that, 
for the same reason that China opposes Vietnam's development 
of tourism in the Spratlys, Vietnam opposes Paracels 
tourism.  If China wants to move forward with this tourism 
plan, it has to discuss it with the other concerned parties, 
Binh said. 
 
VIETNAM IN ASIA AND THE WORLD 
----------------------------- 
 
10. (SBU) Fundamentally, Vietnam shares with every other 
country in Asia the desire for peace and stability, Binh 
noted.  In this sense, Vietnam is no different from China. 
As for an economic role model, Vietnam has endeavored to 
select the "good experiences" of its neighbors, such as 
China, Thailand and Malaysia.  Of course, China's 
experiences are a good fit for Vietnam because of the 
similarities of both countries' political and economic 
systems.  In terms of the development of Vietnam's trade 
relations, the United States is its number one market, but 
Vietnam should not rely solely on this market.  Because of 
trade disputes -- such as those involving shrimp and catfish 
-- it is wise for Vietnam to diversify its trading partners 
to lower the risks to itself.  The EU, Japan and China -- 
the latter in particular because of its proximity to Vietnam 
-- are among Vietnam's more attractive trading partners. 
Politically, Vietnam hopes that ASEAN could be a solid 
political bloc, but some members -- such as Indonesia -- are 
focusing on internal political matters; "the sooner 
stabilized, the better," Binh continued.  Vietnam is 
concerned about ASEAN stability, particularly as some 
members sometimes seem to be more concerned about their own 
national interests rather than those of the group as a 
whole. 
 
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AND TRADE 
-------------------------------- 
 
11. (SBU) Vietnam's relationship with Japan is positive, 
thanks in large measure to Japan's status as Vietnam's 
largest ODA provider.  Binh agreed that U.S. assistance -- 
particularly in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention -- is 
significant, and Vietnam hopes for continued U.S. economic 
and other support, such as in bilateral WTO negotiations. 
The EU had recently concluded its WTO talks with Vietnam, 
and Japan had "promised" to conclude its bilateral 
negotiations soon.  The United States and China were the 
only two question marks, and Vietnam hopes to persuade China 
not to have "greater requirements" than the United States 
and the EU.  WTO accession could help Vietnam to play an 
even more prominent role in preserving peace and stability 
in the region, Binh said. 
 
12. (SBU) The year 2005 would be significant because of the 
removal of textile quotas for WTO members China and India, 
who stood to benefit greatly, Binh noted.  As a result, 
Vietnam's textile industry could "collapse."  This would put 
great pressure on Vietnam and would lead to increased 
unemployment.  WTO accession, while generally positive, 
would also have negative aspects, and Vietnam hopes that the 
United States will help to mitigate these downsides. 
Vietnam's economy could not become strong overnight, and 
Vietnam thus needed the "sympathy" of big countries like the 
United States, Binh argued. 
 
USG SHOULD PROMOTE POSITIVE ELEMENTS 
------------------------------------ 
 
13. (SBU) Returning to the subject of Vietnamese-Americans, 
Binh expressed his hope that the USG would play a role in 
improving the "atmosphere" and promoting "positive and 
favorable elements" while reducing "negative elements."  For 
example, the Vietnam Caucus on the Hill is a positive 
element and is playing a constructive role in building the 
bilateral relationship.  However, the USG, by failing to 
take action against individuals and groups that sought to 
harm Vietnam, only created an unfavorable image of the 
United States in the eyes of many Vietnamese.  Binh said 
that the GVN hoped that the USG would not hesitate in 
dealing with individuals such as Nguyen Huu Chanh and Vo Van 
Duc, whom many Vietnamese believe the United States supports 
by not bringing them to justice.  (Note:  Nguyen Huu Chanh 
is the president of the Government of Free Vietnam (GFVN), 
an exile group which calls for the overthrow of the GVN. 
The GFVN has previously operated camps of "freedom fighters" 
along the Thai border, and is accused by the GVN of 
involvement in attacks on GVN facilities in Vietnam and 
abroad.  GFVN supporter Vo Van Duc was convicted in absentia 
by a Thai court of attempting to place a bomb in front of 
the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok.  He is currently 
imprisoned in California while his extradition hearings 
continue.  End Note.)  The Ambassador stressed that the USG 
would take action if we had evidence of wrongdoing and urged 
the GVN to provide us with whatever information is available 
on the individuals and groups of concern. 
 
HUMAN RIGHTS 
------------ 
 
14. (SBU) Binh agreed with the Ambassador that, in areas 
such as law enforcement cooperation and intelligence 
sharing, improving cooperation and diminishing the mistrust 
held by some can only come through a step-by-step process. 
Vietnam's leadership holds many different opinions, and some 
believe that the risks of closer relations with the United 
States outweigh the benefits.  Country of Particular Concern 
(CPC) designation did not help, Binh continued, and only 
served to convince some in Vietnam that the bilateral 
relationship has more negative than positive aspects.  In 
the area of human rights, Vietnam, like other Asian 
countries, believes that the group is more important than 
the individual, and that efforts to improve the lot of the 
greatest number of people outweigh those to help individuals 
or small groups.  That said, Binh continued, Vietnam would 
pay attention to the individual cases the United States 
raised.  While true that the United States and Vietnam have 
different systems, the Ambassador responded, human rights 
and religious freedom are issues of serious concern to the 
American people, and our two countries must work together to 
resolve our differences in these areas. 
 
DIALOGUE WORKS BETTER THAN PRESSURE 
----------------------------------- 
 
15. (SBU) Over time, increased contacts between Vietnam and 
the United States will gradually decrease differences, but 
both sides need to make efforts, Binh continued.  Vietnam is 
small, and pressure from a large country like the United 
States would be "counterproductive."  However, if the United 
States sets out to resolve bilateral differences through 
dialogue, then Vietnam would be ready to work with the 
United States.  Unfortunately, resolutions by certain 
American localities to "prevent" the visits of GVN officials 
have led some Vietnamese provincial officials to consider 
blocking the visits of USG officials.  The Ambassador 
explained that these resolutions were a statement of local 
sentiment and had no force in law.  Hopefully, the MFA would 
understand this and work with the Mission and Vietnamese 
local governments to ensure that USG travelers had safe and 
productive trips, the Ambassador urged.  Binh concluded by 
underlining the importance of dealing with Vietnam with 
"peace and friendship."  If the United States is able to do 
this, then there will be no "difficulties." 
 
16. (SBU) Comment:  Vice Foreign Minister Binh was an easy 
and knowledgeable interlocutor whose Asia experience -- he 
was Vietnam's first ambassador to South Korea in 1992 -- was 
reflected in his thoughtful discussion of regional issues. 
While he might be the first to admit that his brief -- 
promoting reconciliation between Vietnam and Vietnamese- 
Americans -- is not an easy one, his apparent open- 
mindedness in dealing with this issue will likely serve him 
well in the task ahead.  End Comment. 
MARINE