US embassy cable - 02HANOI2277

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 002277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
SECDEF FOR ISA/ACHAO 
 
CINCPAC ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/12 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINS, MARR, VM 
SUBJECT: FEAR AND LOATHING AT MINISTRY OF DEFENSE 
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REF:  A.  HANOI 2272    B.  HANOI 1189 
 
1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR RAYMOND BURGHARDT, 
REASON: 1.5 (D) 
 
2. (C) IN A DISCUSSION WITH AMBASSADOR AND POL/C ON 
SEPTEMBER 18, COLONEL TRAN NHUNG (PROTECT), DIRECTOR OF 
THE INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF QUAN DOI NHAN DAN (THE 
"PEOPLE'S ARMY" NEWSPAPER), CONFIRMED REF A SPECULATION 
THAT MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE GENERAL TRA WOULD NOT 
TRAVEL TO THE U.S. IN 2002.  HE CLAIMED THAT THE 
MILITARY LEADERSHIP HAD DECIDED THAT GENERAL TRA WAS 
"TOO BUSY" TO GO THIS YEAR, ESPECIALLY GIVEN ONGOING 
"PROBLEMS" IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS.  WHEN ASKED 
WHETHER THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY DID NOT PLAY 
THE PREDOMINANT SECURITY ROLE IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, 
COLONEL NHUNG INSISTED THAT MND RETAINED A "VERY 
IMPORTANT ROLE" IN THAT TROUBLED REGION.  COLONEL NHUNG 
ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT MINISTER TRA WOULD PROBABLY 
NONETHELESS VISIT THE U.S. SOMETIME IN 2003.  HE NOTED 
THAT MINISTER TRA WAS ONLY EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN HIS 
POSITION FOR TWO YEARS, DESPITE HIS RE-ELECTION AT THE 
RECENT 11TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY INAUGURAL MEETING.  TRA 
AND PRIME MINISTER PHAN VAN KHAI WOULD BOTH RETIRE IN 
2004, HE PREDICTED. (NOTE: MANY OTHER INFORMED 
OBSERVERS HAVE MADE THE SAME ASSESSMENT.  END NOTE) 
 
3.  (C)  COLONEL NHUNG DESCRIBED ONE OF THE MAJOR 
PROBLEMS IN US-VIETNAM RELATIONS AS "FEAR" OF THE U.S. 
BY SENIOR MND OFFICIALS.  HE CLAIMED THAT "WHENEVER YOU 
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SEE A POSITIVE EDITORIAL ON THE U.S., THAT 
REFLECTS MY VIEWS; WHENEVER IT IS NEGATIVE, THAT COMES 
FROM THE MINISTRY'S LEADERSHIP."  HE ADMITTED THAT THE 
MND WOULD NEVER ALLOW PUBLICATION IN QDND OF AN OP ED 
PIECE WRITTEN BY THE AMBASSADOR.  (NOTE:  QDND EDITOR- 
IN-CHIEF TOLD AMBASSADOR MAY 9 THAT HIS NEWSPAPER WOULD 
WELCOME PAS-PRODUCED MATERIALS, AS LONG AS THEY FIT 
GENERAL EDITORIAL POLICY -- REF B.)  ONE MAJOR REASON 
FOR ANTI-U.S. SENTIMENT WAS CONCERN ABOUT THE 
DIMINISHING ROLE OF THE MND, HE SAID.  HE CLAIMED THAT 
MND LEADERS BELIEVED THAT CONTINUED ECONOMIC 
DEVELOPMENT -- AND CORRESPONDINGLY HIGHER LEVELS OF 
TRADE AND INVESTMENT WITH THE U.S. -- WOULD FURTHER 
WEAKEN MND'S INFLUENCE WITHIN THE GVN.  HE DISMISSED AS 
IRRELEVANT COMPARISONS WITH THE PRC, WHERE DEFENSE 
OFFICIALS HAD OVER THE PAST DECADE PARLAYED GREATER 
LEVELS OF NATIONAL PROSPERITY INTO HIGHER BUDGETS FOR 
NATIONAL DEFENSE AND ACQUISITION OF MORE SOPHISTICATED 
WEAPONS SYSTEMS. 
 
4.  (C)  COMMENT:  AN OFTEN FRANK INTERLOCUTOR OUTSIDE 
THE EARSHOT OF HIS COLLEAGUES, COLONEL NHUNG 
UNWITTINGLY ECHOED VICE FOREIGN MINISTER LE VAN BANG'S 
REMARKS TO AMBASSADOR (REF A) THAT BOTH SIDES NEED TO 
MAKE SURE THEIR RESPECTIVE MILITARIES WERE ON BOARD AS 
DIPLOMATS SOUGHT FURTHER TO IMPROVE BILATERAL TIES.  IT 
IS NO SURPRISE THAT SUSPICION AND CONSERVATISM REMAIN 
THE HALLMARKS OF MANY SENIOR MND OFFICIALS, DESPITE 
WHAT HAS BECOME ROUTINELY GOOD COOPERATION WITH THE US 
MILITARY ON THE SEARCH FOR MISSING-IN-ACTION, MEDICAL 
RESEARCH, AND DEMINING.  INTERESTINGLY, COLONEL NHUNG 
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DID NOT CITE WAR MEMORIES AS ONE OF THE FACTORS IN MND 
NEGATIVISM VIS-.-VIS THE U.S., BUT THIS LIKELY REMAINS 
AN ISSUE FOR THE ELDER GENERATION OF ACTIVE AND RETIRED 
GENERALS.  BUILDING UP OUR MILITARY-TO-MILITARY 
RELATIONSHIP WITH VIETNAM TO MORE NORMAL LEVELS IS AND 
MUST BE A KEY GOAL FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, BUT IT 
WILL NOT BE AN EASY TASK.  NASCENT MILITARY COOPERATION 
WITHIN THE ASEAN FRAMEWORK, AS WELL AS NEW US-ASEAN 
COOPERATION IN MANY FORMS AGAINST TERRORISM, MAY PROVE 
TO BE HELPFUL BUILDING BLOCKS IN ADDITION TO OUR 
UNILATERAL EFFORTS. 
BURGHARDT 
 
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