US embassy cable - 05HANOI1035

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001035 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; EAP/PD ASESHADRI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ELAB, KPAO, KIRC, VM, ETMIN, HIV/AIDS 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON THE MINISTER OF 
EDUCATION AND TRAINING 
 
1. SUMMARY:  The Ambassador paid an introductory call April 
26 on Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Minh Hien. 
After expressing confidence that Vietnam would fully develop 
its national educational system, Hien acknowledged that 
Vietnam requires additional resources to raise its teaching 
standards and to send more Vietnamese students overseas. 
The Minister concurred that English is "imperative" for 
integration into the world economy, and noted that Vietnam 
needs materials and assistance to improve its teaching 
methods.  The Ambassador stressed heightened bilateral 
cooperation in multiple fields and highlighted the successes 
of the Fulbright Program, English Language Fellows, Mobile 
Libraries and American Studies Collection.  The Ambassador 
also raised the issue of raising education levels for ethnic 
minorities and asked that the Government of Vietnam consider 
allowing religious institutions to operate in areas where 
schools are lacking.  END SUMMARY. 
 
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND DIPLOMATIC VOCABULARY 
------------------------------------------ 
 
2. On April 26, the Ambassador, accompanied by CPAO and an 
ECON officer (notetaker) made a courtesy call on Minister of 
Education and Training (MOET) Nguyen Minh Hien.  The 
Ambassador highlighted the successes of the Fulbright 
Program, English Language Fellows, Mobile Libraries and 
American Studies Collection (Note: Vietnam does not approve 
of the word "corner" as in "American Corners."  Therefore, 
we call them ASCs.)  Noting that the Fulbright Program is 
the highlight of the U.S.-Vietnamese education relationship, 
he asked MOET to encourage applicants from second tier 
universities rather than strictly limiting access to the 
program to those from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.  The 
Ambassador also stressed the growing importance of English 
as the world's second language and the need to develop 
further the English curriculum and to expose educators to 
new teaching techniques.  The Minister concurred that 
English is "imperative" for integration into the world 
economy, and emphasized that Vietnam needs materials and 
assistance to improve its teaching methods.  Many U.S. 
educators and programs are willing to provide such 
resources, including establishing American Studies 
Collections around the country, but there is some local 
resistance to the idea, the Ambassador commented.  He 
requested the Minister's help placing an American Studies 
Collection in a university in northern Vietnam to provide 
English materials and internet connectivity for students 
seeking to study American culture. 
 
PLACEMENT OF STUDENTS 
--------------------- 
 
3. Expressing confidence that Vietnam would fully develop 
its national educational system, Minister Hien acknowledged 
that Vietnam would require additional resources to raise its 
teaching standards and to send more Vietnamese students 
overseas.  The Ambassador noted that the U.S. Fulbright 
Program in Vietnam is the largest in the world and that the 
Vietnam Educational Foundation was also a great source for 
scholarships for Vietnamese post-graduate students in the 
sciences and engineering.  Noting that most scholarships in 
the United States come from private sources, he assured the 
Minister that his Vietnam Mission Staff would help the 
Ministry give guidance to students interested in pursuing 
private scholarships.  The Ambassador added that the U.S. 
Government is working with the Ministry of Science and 
Technology on how to establish Centers for Excellence that 
would provide Vietnamese scholars with the tools and 
resources to continue their technical education and research 
in Vietnam. 
 
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE 
------------------------- 
 
4. One way to improve Vietnam's educational system would be 
to allow private education in schools and universities, the 
Ambassador noted.  While capable U.S. firms are willing to 
teach English or computer science to Vietnamese students, 
these firms cannot act until the Government has set clear 
guidelines on how such enterprises should operate.  The 
Minister welcomed the Ambassador's suggestions and said that 
"in coming years", education would be opened to private 
competition.  The Ambassador encouraged the MOET to take an 
active role in educating Vietnamese young people about 
HIV/AIDs and to continue collaborating with UNICEF and the 
Ministry of Health on including a clear message about 
HIV/AIDS in school curriculum.  The Minister stated that 
MOET takes HIV/AIDs education seriously and noted that MOET 
has produced HIV/AIDs awareness pamphlets and other 
literature for distribution in schools. 
 
5. Commending Vietnam for its efforts at poverty 
alleviation, the Ambassador called for greater educational 
resources for Vietnam's minorities in the Central Highlands. 
He suggested that the Ministry consider allowing religious 
institutions to operate in these areas.  The Minister 
explained that the Government allows students to attend 
classes in churches and pagodas as long as these 
institutions follow the Vietnamese educational curriculum. 
Hien added that the development of education in remote areas 
was a "big policy initiative" for Vietnam and that the 
Government was currently focused on both the quality of 
education and quantity of educational institutions.  Hien 
said that the Government, with the National Assembly's 
approval, was also focused on developing the country's basic 
education system. 
 
6. Commenting on the Ambassador's statement that the current 
practice of having Vietnamese students only attend primary 
school for half a day would have a long-term negative impact 
on Vietnam, Hien agreed and claimed that Vietnam would 
change to a full day's teaching in the future.  The 
Ambassador stressed the importance of further education for 
all Vietnamese students and said that human resources 
training would be the "decisive factor in predicting 
Vietnam's future success".  The Minister ended the meeting 
by agreeing that it would be a "good idea" to celebrate the 
10 year normalization between the two countries by hosting 
an essay contest for Vietnamese students to further U.S.- 
Vietnamese relations.  Hien also said that he hopes that 
education will be an issue that the Prime Minister would 
discuss with U.S. government officials during his upcoming 
trip to the United States. 
 
MARINE