US embassy cable - 02HOCHIMINHCITY471

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000471 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, VM, BTA, DPOL 
SUBJECT: VIETNAMESE GRASSROOTS COMMUNISM - AMBASSADOR 
MEETS HCMC PARTY SECRETARY 
 
 
1. SUMMARY: IN A CORDIAL FIRST MEETING, AMBASSADOR 
BURGHARDT AND HCMC COMMUNIST PARTY SECRETARY NGUYEN 
MINH TRIET DISCUSSED THE ROLE OF THE VIETNAMESE 
COMMUNIST PARTY, CORRUPTION, INVESTMENT AND THE BTA, 
AND THE DIRECTION OF THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP. TRIET 
STRESSED THE GRASSROOTS NATURE OF VIETNAMESE COMMUNISM. 
BESIDES SERVING AS THE HCMC PARTY CHIEF, TRIET IS THE 
FOURTH-RANKING MEMBER OF VIETNAM'S CENTRAL COMMUNIST 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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PARTY POLITBURO. END SUMMARY. 
 
GRASSROOTS DECISION MAKING 
-------------------------- 
 
2. HCMC COMMUNIST PARTY SECRETARY NGUYEN MINH TRIET 
WELCOMED AMBASSADOR BURGHARDT (ACCOMPANIED BY CG, DPO, 
AND CONOFFS/NOTETAKERS) TO HCMC PARTY HEADQUARTERS, 
LOCATED IN THE FORMER U.S. DCM'S RESIDENCE. OPENING THE 
DISCUSSION, THE AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT HE KNOWS TRIET 
LIKES TO SPEAK FRANKLY ON BIG ISSUES, AND ASKED TRIET 
TO DISCUSS THE ROLE OF THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST PARTY 
(CPV) VIS-A-VIS THAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. TRIET STATED 
THREE IMPORTANT ROLES FOR THE CENTRAL PARTY COMMITTEE: 
TO PLAN PROVINCIAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MONITOR THE 
VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY IMPLEMENTATION, AND 
ENSURE THE CPV FUNCTIONS ACCORDING TO ITS OWN RULES. HE 
NOTED SIMILARITIES WITH THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY 
STRUCTURE, BUT EMPHASIZED THE ROLE OF LOCAL LEADERSHIP 
AS A KEY PART OF CPV DECISION MAKING IN VIETNAM. THE 
PARTY COMMITTEE PLANS OVERALL POLICIES FOR THE 
PROVINCES AND LOCALITIES, BUT LOCAL DECISIONS ARE BASED 
ON GRASSROOTS OPINION. THE PARTY COMMITTEE RESPONDS TO 
LOCAL CONCERNS AND WILL INSPECT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT 
STRUCTURE IF PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH ITS DECISIONS. 
THE PARTY COMMITTEE MONITORS MEMBERS' ACTIVITIES TO 
ENSURE ADHERENCE TO CPV TENETS, AND THE CPV PUNISHES 
CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY IN THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT. 
 
3. THE AMBASSADOR ASKED TRIET ABOUT CORRUPTION IN 
VIETNAM.  HE SUGGESTED THAT ASIAN COUNTRIES HAVE FOUND 
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THAT THE WAY TO BEGIN TO COMBAT CORRUPTION IS BY PAYING 
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS DECENT SALARIES AND ENSURING CLEAR 
PUNISHMENT FOR VIOLATIONS.  THE HARD PART IS EXPOSING 
CORRUPTION.  IN THE U.S., A FREE PRESS AND INDEPENDENT 
ORGANIZATIONS ACT AS WATCHDOGS, BUT IN A HIGHLY 
REGULATED SOCIETY, THERE ARE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR 
CORRUPTION. 
 
4. TRIET ACKNOWLEDGED CORRUPTION IN VIETNAM AND CITED 
LOW SALARIES AS ONE REASON. STILL THERE WAS A LIMIT AS 
TO HOW FAR THE GOVERNMENT COULD GO IN RAISING 
GOVERNMENT SALARIES, AS THERE WOULD BE NOTHING LEFT FOR 
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND STIMULATING THE ECONOMY. 
HE DESCRIBED THE GRASSROOTS ROLE OF THE CPV, AS WELL AS 
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE FATHERLAND FRONT, IN PROTECTING 
CITIZENS' RIGHTS AND FIGHTING CORRUPTION. THE CPV SENDS 
OUT "EVALUATION FORMS" FOR NEIGHBORHOODS TO COMMENT ON 
THEIR LOCAL PARTY LEADERS - EVEN A PARTY LEADER'S 
SPOUSE AND CHILDREN ARE FAIR GAME.  ORGANIZATIONS LIKE 
THE FATHERLAND FRONT MEET WITH NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS 
ON THE UPCOMING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS TO LISTEN 
TO THEIR CRITICISMS AND CONCERNS.  IN HIS ONLY 
HISTORICAL ASIDE, TRIET NOTED THAT VIETNAM LACKS 
EXPERIENCE IN GOOD GOVERNANCE "DUE TO THE LONG WAR," 
BUT ADDED THE COUNTRY WANTS TO LEARN GOOD GOVERNANCE 
TACTICS FROM THE WEST. 
 
BTA - A STRONG ECONOMIC CONNECTION WILL HELP THE 
BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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5. TURNING TO THE BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT (BTA), THE 
AMBASSADOR EMPHASIZED BTA IMPLEMENTATION AS ONE OF HIS 
PRIORITIES.  HE NOTED THAT AMERICAN COMPANIES IN CHINA 
PLAYED AN ADVOCACY ROLE FOR CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION 
TO BENEFIT THEIR BUSINESSES. BY COMPARISON, THERE ARE 
FEW U.S. COMPANIES IN VIETNAM WHO WOULD TRY TO 
INFLUENCE CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION REGARDING VIETNAM. 
 
6.  TRIET NOTED THAT CHINA HAD BEEN INDEPENDENT LONGER, 
SO ITS ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S. WAS 
NATURALLY MORE MATURE.  HE SAID A STRONG ECONOMIC 
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S., LED BY THE BTA, WILL PAVE 
THE WAY FOR VIETNAM'S ENTRY INTO THE WORLD TRADE 
ORGANIZATION.  HOWEVER, WITH THE "NEGATIVE REACTION" OF 
SOME OVERSEAS VIETNAMESE TO THE BTA, THE U.S. HAS A 
"RESPONSIBILITY AND DUTY" TO EXPLAIN THE NEW BILATERAL 
RELATIONSHIP TO THEM, AND TO CURB THEIR "COUNTER- 
REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVITIES".  THE AMBASSADOR EMPHASIZED 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE DOMESTIC PRIVATE SECTOR AS THE BEST 
WAY TO ATTRACT FDI.  TRIET ADDED THAT THE PARTY CENTRAL 
COMMITTEE HAD PLANNED FOR YEARS TO DEVELOP THE PRIVATE 
SECTOR AND HAD CONFIRMED THE POLITICAL CORRECTNESS OF 
HCMC'S RAPID PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT. 
 
ROOM FOR GROWTH IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
7. THE AMBASSADOR MENTIONED THAT MUCH WORK REMAINED TO 
BE DONE IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP, WHICH WAS STILL 
NOT TOTALLY NORMALIZED IN MANY RESPECTS.  DISTRUST 
STILL EXISTS ON BOTH SIDES, HAMPERING COORDINATION 
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BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND IMPROVEMENT IN THE 
MILITARY-TO-MILITARY RELATIONSHIP. TRIET AGREED THAT 
THERE WERE MANY POSITIVE ASPECTS TO THE RELATIONSHIP, 
BUT THE HISTORICAL LEGACY REMAINED AN OBSTACLE. 
 
8. THE AMBASSADOR AND TRIET AGREED TO MEET AGAIN FOR A 
FRANK AND CANDID DISCUSSION, WITH TRIET CALLING THE 
AMBASSADOR A "BRIDGE BETWEEN THE U.S. AND VIETNAM." 
 
9. COMMENT:  TRIET IS A MODERN POLITBURO MEMBER WHO 
BELIEVES IN TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE 
IMPORTANCE OF VIETNAM'S ECONOMIC INTEGRATION INTO THE 
WORLD MARKET.  WIDELY BELIEVED TO BE A FRONTRUNNER FOR 
VIETNAM'S NEXT PRIME MINISTER, HIS EMPHASIS ON THE 
GRASSROOTS NATURE OF THE CPV'S DECISION-MAKING PROCESS 
APPEARED TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO CAST THE CPV AS A 
DEMOCRATIC BODY RATHER THAN AS THE UNYIELDING, OPAQUE 
STRUCTURE THAT IT IS.  END COMMENT.  YAMAUCHI 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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