US embassy cable - 05HANOI1822

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001822 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, VM, PHUM, PREL, KIRF, HUMANR, CVR, WTO 
SUBJECT: Ambassador's Web Chat on VietnamNet Provides 
Uncensored Forum on Bilateral Issues 
 
1.   (SBU) Summary:  The Ambassador participated for the 
first time in a web chat with VietnamNet online, reaching 
over 100,000 readers with over 300,000 hits the first day. 
The one-hour, no holds barred chat covered a wide range of 
topics including human rights, religious freedom, 
democratic systems, Agent Orange and trade issues. One 
highlight was a human rights question posed by a Vietnamese- 
American in San Diego who accused GVN leaders of seriously 
violating their citizens' basic human rights. The 
transcript of the chat was posted in Vietnamese the same 
day with virtually no censorship, allowing for unusual 
access to the general public through the Communist Party- 
controlled media.  We suspect VietnamNet officials used the 
celebration of the tenth anniversary of normalization of 
bilateral relations as the lever to line up Party approval 
for the online chat.  Time will tell whether we will be 
able to parlay this success into more web chats.  End 
Summary. 
 
2.   (U) On July 13, a day after marking the tenth 
anniversary of normalization of diplomatic relations 
between the United States and Vietnam, the Public Affairs 
Section (PAS) arranged for the Ambassador to hold an 
unprecedented, live web chat program with VietnamNet, one 
of the most popular online newspapers in Vietnam. Due to 
the large volume (over 100) and repetition of questions 
received via internet, VietnamNet's Editor in Chief, Nguyen 
Anh Tuan, and APAO chose a number of questions covering a 
broad range of topics during the one-hour session. 
 
3.   (U) The Vietnamese transcript of the web chat was 
uploaded overnight with virtually no censorship of either 
question or answer on the following site: 
 
http://vietnamnet.vn/10namvietmy/2005/07/4679 47/ 
 
Highlights from the exchange (not a transcript) in English 
were uploaded the following day under VietnamNet's special 
section on the tenth anniversary of normalization with the 
headline "Communication Important for Better Understanding: 
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam" and subheading "Michael Marine, 
the United States Ambassador in Vietnam, had an open and 
candid talk with VietnamNet readers yesterday afternoon" on 
the following site: 
 
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/features/2005/07 /468606/ 
 
4.   (U) The Ambassador noted the positive development of 
bilateral relations during this year when we celebrate ten 
years of normalization and emphasized that the recent visit 
of Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to the United States has 
created a momentum for continued expansion and improvement 
in the bilateral relationship. Stressing the importance of 
mutual understanding through increased interaction, the 
Ambassador called for more visits by Vietnamese citizens 
and officials to the United States (and vice versa), 
including an expanded dialogue with Members of Congress. 
 
5.   (U) Many readers asked questions related to China, 
with the Editor noting that the Ambassador had served there 
prior to coming to Vietnam. Readers probed China's growing 
role in the region and the question of the United States as 
a "counterweight" to that presence. The Ambassador 
responded that there are similarities between Vietnam's 
economic reform path and China's, but differences as well. 
He stated firmly that the United States wants to have 
relations with Vietnam because of the importance of 
Vietnam, not because of China. 
 
6.   (U) The Ambassador reiterated the USG's strong support 
of Vietnam's early accession to the World Trade 
Organization (WTO), saying that entry into WTO would set 
the stage for more investment from the United States and 
other countries to Vietnam, allowing the two countries to 
become "constructive trading partners." He advised that 
since Vietnam is competing with other countries to attract 
investors, it must create a rule of law, ensure 
transparency in its regulations and take effective steps 
against corruption. 
 
7.   (U) Several readers questioned the relevance of human 
rights as an issue between the two countries when there are 
other "more important issues" to consider.  In response, 
the Ambassador said that the United States wants to develop 
its relationship with Vietnam in many areas, not just in 
trade and commerce.  He continued that President Bush has 
made clear that the way the issue of human rights is 
handled between the two countries ultimately has an impact 
on the overall relationship and its growth. 
8. (U) Another question on human rights came from a 
Vietnamese-American in San Diego who inquired as to what 
the Ambassador would do to make Vietnamese leaders know 
they are "seriously violating" their citizens' basic human 
rights.  The Ambassador responded that the United States 
will continue to engage the Vietnamese Government, 
explaining the importance of human rights and the benefits 
of respecting people's rights to religious freedom.  He 
noted that a number of individuals have been released in 
the past year through amnesties granted by the Vietnamese 
Government and added that we hope to see more released in 
the future.  He praised steps that the Vietnamese 
authorities have taken to create a new policy framework on 
religious freedom, which lays a foundation for providing 
Vietnamese citizens more opportunities to practice their 
beliefs.  He stressed that the United States will continue 
to work with the GVN on this issue in the hope that Vietnam 
eventually will be removed from the list of Countries of 
Particular Concern. 
 
9.   (U) In response to a question about the USG's views on 
"rivaling forces" in and out of Vietnam that interfere with 
Vietnam's internal affairs, the Ambassador responded that 
the United States fully supports the territorial integrity 
of Vietnam and any effort to change this will not receive 
U.S. support. However, Americans are free to say what they 
think, including expressing objections to the government 
policies and even the political system of Vietnam, which 
may sometimes be difficult for Vietnamese officials to 
understand. 
 
10.  (U) Regarding the Agent Orange lawsuit, the Ambassador 
said he could not comment on a case still pending in 
courts, but noted that the American people and government 
would continue efforts for humanitarian support to 
Vietnamese with all types of disabilities, and that the 
United States has already provided 35 million dollars for 
programs related to disabilities in Vietnam. He explained 
that the issue of Agent Orange should be solved through 
constructive efforts on both sides in scientific areas to 
better understand the effects of dioxin.  He also noted 
that use of the issue for propaganda purposes is harmful to 
the bilateral relationship.  The Editor in Chief closed the 
web chat with a message he noted President Bush often uses, 
"God Bless America." 
 
11.  (SBU) Comment: Established in 2000 and reportedly 
receiving over two million hits per month, VietnamNet is 
one of the first e-newspapers created in Vietnam and has a 
solid reputation of providing timely and broad information, 
particularly among young readers and Vietnamese Americans 
living abroad.  Its main competitor is VN Express, with a 
handful of smaller online sites trailing behind because 
they lack the ability to post news items immediately. 
VietnamNet's Editor-in-Chief, Nguyen Anh Tuan, who 
conducted the web chat, is a good PAS contact and the 
brother-in-law of the President of the Vietnam Education 
Foundation, Kien Pham. We have been told that the Culture 
and Ideology Commission paid a visit to Tuan the day after 
the webchat. No changes have been made to the website 
except for a disclaimer to the question from the San Diego 
reader that his views do not reflect those of VietnamNet. 
 
12.  (SBU) This is the first time any Mission officer has 
held a live web chat with an online newspaper in Vietnam. 
The range of topics discussed and questions taken, even 
from readers outside Vietnam, was unprecedented and 
reflected what was on the minds of VietnamNet's readers. 
That sensitive topics such as democracy, corruption, human 
rights and religious freedom were all reported with 
virtually no censorship is an unusual occurrence.  Perhaps 
this degree of openness was buoyed by the successful visit 
of the Prime Minister to the United States and the ten year 
anniversary of normalization.  Post will continue to 
advocate United States policy and concerns to the general 
public, but only time will tell if we will be able to 
parlay this success into more web chats. End comment. 
 
MARINE