US embassy cable - 03HOCHIMINHCITY572

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HO CHI MINH CITY 000572 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/BCLTV, INR/B 
USDOC FOR 3132 USFCS/OIO EAP/A. BACHER 
 
E. O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ECON, SENV, SOCI, PREL, EINV 
SUBJECT: NEWEST HCMC VICE CHAIRMAN: BAD HABITS TO BLAME FOR 
TRAFFIC, SEWAGE, LAND USE PROBLEMS 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (SBU)  HCMC People's Committee's newest Vice Chairman, Nguyen 
Van Dua, discussed urban planning and quality of life issues with 
Consul General in an initial courtesy call on June 11.  Vice 
Chairman Dua focused on HCMC's serious waste management, land use 
and trafffic issues, and its efforts to attract investment for 
municipal projects.  He also discussed ideas for vocational 
training and policies regarding construction and urban 
development. 
 
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NO ONE WANTS TO TOUCH IT: SEWAGE AND WASTE DISPOSAL 
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2.  (SBU)  The Consul General paid a courtesy call on Mr. Nguyen 
Van Dua, the newest of the HCMC People's Committee's five vice- 
chairmen, on June 11.  The 45-minute discussion focused on urban 
planning and quality of life in HCMC, as well as waste management, 
vocational training, and investment efforts.  According to the Mr. 
Dua (hard D), the municipal authorities are deeply concerned about 
current inadequate methods for dealing with the large amounts of 
waste produced daily.  Waste management problems are exacerbated 
by leaks in antiquated water and sewage pipes.  While local and 
Dutch scientists were working to address the waste issue, they had 
yet to find solutions.  HCMC needed a more comprehensive approach, 
to include use of new technologies for landfill, composting, and 
waste-to-energy conversion. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Asked why he thought foreign investors had yet to 
express real interest in waste management projects, Vice Chairman 
Dua blamed delays in land planning for disposal sites and poor 
management practices.  In the past, civil servants had focused on 
questionable sites, failing to take into consideration the impact 
of drive time, environmental hazards, and other factors.  The HCMC 
government was making adjustments, but the impact had yet to be 
felt.  While one investor group had developed a plan to process 
waste into energy, the costs were too high.  HCMC still needs 
modern waste disposal technology -- but at an affordable cost. 
 
4.  (SBU)  According to Mr. Dua, HCMC is studying new ideas for 
managing waste, including the use of city waterways, rather than 
roads, for transportation.  At the same time, the government is 
working to raise awareness and encourage sorting and 
classification of trash at the household level. 
 
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BETTER MANAGEMENT THROUGH VOCATIONAL TRAINING 
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5.  (SBU)  Vice Chairman Dua noted the importance of improved and 
expanded vocational training to raise the quality of the 
workforce.  Only 30 percent of the labor pool has professional 
skills at present, but HCMC hopes to raise that figure to 40 
percent in the near future.  The Vice Chairman expressed interest 
in working with San Francisco, within the framework of the Sister 
City relationship, to meet training needs.  In particular, he 
emphasized the importance of training line supervisors to organize 
and manage their workers. 
 
6.  (SBU)  Asked to choose between joint-venture, general use 
vocational schools throughout the city, or more specialized 
vocational schools to supply existing industrial parks, Vice 
Chairman Dua saw value in both -- one for improving the labor pool 
at large, the other for meeting specific labor needs.  He looked 
forward to discussing appropriate sectors with any interested 
investor with sufficient capital.  He also cited HCMC's need for a 
detailed analysis of labor supply and demand. 
 
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HCMC'S FAMOUS TRAFFIC CHAOS ON THE DECLINE? 
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7.  (SBU)  Despite signs of improvement in dealing with HCMC's 
"famous" traffic problem, Vice Chairman Dua was not satisfied that 
sufficient progress had been made.  Traffic deaths and injuries 
are reportedly down 30 percent compared to last year, but the city 
government wants to reduce accidents to the lowest level possible. 
The Vice Chairman stressed that easing traffic flow and making 
travel within the city safer and more convenient was essential to 
improving quality of life for visitors and residents alike. 
Public transport is a top priority, and the city is looking at 
ways to convince people to take advantage of existing options. 
Buses are currently the primary means of transport, but city 
planners are examining other options.  Vice Chairman Dua asked the 
CG to encourage American companies to participate in 
transportation projects and expressed his eagerness to accept 
recommendations for technical assistance and investment from the 
U.S. 
 
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URBAN PLANNING NIGHTMARES 
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8.  (SBU)  Turning to other large infrastructure and construction 
projects, Vice Chairman Dua noted his disappointment with the 
Saigon South development, citing the modest number of projects 
underway in the relatively large (2600 hectare) area.  He had high 
praise, however, for the Thu Thiem New Urban Area Project (which 
he managed just prior to his promotion in February of this year). 
HCMC is soliciting anonymous design proposals and bringing in a 
jury of international architects to help select the optimal 
design.  (Note: Results for the Thu Thiem development project 
should be announced o/a July 10, 2003.)  Mr. Dua said he expected 
bidding packages to go out in October, and encouraged American 
participation at every stage.  Construction on a new East-West 
highway is expected to begin in November, and general upgrades are 
planned for the downtown business district. 
 
9.  (SBU)  Calling the Vietnamese mindset a "disaster" for urban 
planning, the Vice Chairman blamed many of the city's housing 
problems on the poor quality of existing residential options. 
Given the choice, most people preferred to live in their own 
houses rather than apartments, leading to a constant effort to out- 
build one another.  From Mr. Dua's point of view, the new 
construction is not only of dubious quality, but the architectural 
designs are "ugly."  While better apartment quality would 
certainly help, any real improvement would require a fundamental 
change in attitude.  There is district-level authority to approve 
most residential construction, but illegal buying and selling of 
land is difficult to control, as is building without a permit. 
 
10.  (SBU)  Vice Chairman Dua stressed the need to change the 
mindset and behavior of HCMC's population in order to deal more 
responsibly with both urban planning and waste management issues. 
He said 2003 had been declared the "Year of Restoring Order in 
Public Life," during which time efforts would be made to change 
attitudes on littering, driving, construction, and other urban 
issues.  He remarked that the SEAGAMES (Southeast Asia 
Games)competition to be hosted by Vietnam in December 2003 might 
provide an opportunity for the HCMC government to launch public 
sanitation and anti-litter campaigns. 
 
11.  (SBU)  Asked to estimate the actual population of HCMC (some 
official publications still list the figure as 6 million), Vice 
Chairman Dua pointed to the large number of temporary residents 
and the huge migratory influx of job-seekers from the provinces as 
complicating an accurate count.  Describing the need to better 
manage the division of labor between HCMC and neighboring 
provinces, he hoped HCMC could move toward attracting a more 
highly skilled, white-collar workforce to stabilize the 
population.  When pressed, he did not contradict a population 
estimate of "more than 8 million." 
 
12.  (SBU)  Vice Chairman Dua asked the CG for her "frank 
observations" on the current state of the relationship between 
city government and the population it served.  Noting that ConGen 
staff were generally quite pleased to call HCMC home, she cited 
police responsiveness as one specific area for improvement. 
 
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STRENGTHENING THE SISTERHOOD 
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13.  (SBU)  Vice Chairman Dua asked the CG to recommend specific 
areas for cooperation with HCMC's Sister City in the U.S.  Noting 
San Francisco's  reputation as being progressive and open-minded, 
she recommended pursuing cultural and educational exchanges, mass 
transit projects, fire prevention and safety training, vocational 
training, and environmental improvement programs.  She also 
mentioned that Chief Mario Trevino of the San Francisco Fire 
Department hoped to visit Hanoi and HCMC in August to participate 
in a jointly-organized Fire Prevention and Safety Conference. 
 
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LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD 
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14.  (SBU)  Vice Chairman Dua assumed his new position as one of 
HCMC's five Vice Chairmen in February 2003.  His portfolio 
includes transportation, public works, land administration, 
construction, and urban management.  He served previously on the 
Project Management Board for the Thu Thiem New Urban Area for one 
year, and as Secretary of the HCMC District 3 Party Committee for 
five years before that.  He was Secretary of the HCMC Youth Union, 
a traditional stepping-stone to prominence in city and national 
politics, during 1992-1996.  Vice Chairman Dua holds an advanced 
degree in politics, and bachelor's degrees in economics and law. 
He understands/speaks some English. 
 
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COMMENT 
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15.  (SBU)  ConGen first requested this initial courtesy call more 
than two months ago, after Vice Chairman Dua indicated his 
interest in meeting after a serendipitous encounter with the CG at 
a representational event.  However, when we requested an 
appointment, we were told that the new Vice Chairman was "not 
ready", as he was still getting acquainted with his portfolio. 
Having now seen Mr. Dua in action, it is clear he is comfortable 
with his new responsibilities and willing to speak openly with USG 
officials.  Our External Relations Office contacts say he has 
already earned a reputation as a hard worker (in the office by 
7:00 a.m., does not leave until after 9:00 p.m.), and is more 
"openly emotional." 
 
16.  (SBU) Vice hairman Dua was confident and engaged throughout 
the meeting, asking as many questions as he answered.  His 
requests for feedback and criticism from the CG were bold and 
unusual in a first meeting in the Vietnamese context.  This may 
indicate that the powers-that-be continue to recognize the 
importance of assigning outward-looking non-ideologues to 
administer Vietnam's dynamic economic engine.  That said, HCMC 
covers a huge metropolitan area, with many of the same pluses and 
minuses of developing world cities anywhere.  Given budget 
realities and varying levels of central government control, it 
would be unrealistic to expect that even the most enlightened city 
officials could solve such massive infrastructure and public 
service problems anytime soon. 
YAMAUCHI