VZCZCXRO7680
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #1352/01 2131408
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011408Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5960
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 3428
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001352 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KIRF ECON VM
 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TRIET FOCUSES ON 
STRENGTHENING TIES, HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
 
HANOI 00001352  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: In his July 31 farewell call on Vietnam's 
President Nguyen Minh Triet, the Ambassador noted the significant 
progress in bilateral economic and commercial ties as well as 
increased USG support for the GVN's reform efforts, while cautioning 
that important human rights concerns remain.  There is room to 
increase our cooperation on education, the Ambassador said, in part 
by establishing a Peace Corps program in Vietnam.  The Ambassador 
sought Triet's support for a new U.S. embassy building in Hanoi - 
Triet agreed to ask the relevant agencies to facilitate this.  The 
Ambassador and Triet addressed human rights at length.  Triet agreed 
that an ongoing dialogue is vital to addressing the issue, and said 
Vietnam was "hurt" by high-level USG meetings with dissidents.  The 
Ambassador acknowledged that Vietnam's treatment of land protesters 
was more lenient that some reports in the overseas press, and noted 
the importance of allowing Mission Vietnam officers access to 
information on the ground.  The Ambassador underscored that Vietnam 
needed greater transparency, however, including through press 
freedoms, to effectively ensure that observers understand the 
situation here.  End Summary. 
 
STRONG TIES, AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In his fifty minute farewell call with Ambassador Marine on 
July 31, President Nguyen Minh Triet said he was sorry to say 
goodbye, noting the great advancements in U.S.-Vietnam ties during 
the Ambassador's three-year tenure.  The Ambassador agreed that 
there has been significant progress on many fronts, noting that only 
six years ago the bilateral trade agreement came into effect and now 
the United States is Vietnam's biggest market.  Our economic ties 
have created a strong base which we continue to grow, the Ambassador 
said, but there are other areas where our relations have not reached 
their full potential. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that the U.S. Government has increased 
the amount of grants to Vietnam from USD 50 million when he took his 
post three years ago to over USD 95 million at present.  Those funds 
support the STAR program to support Vietnam's ongoing government 
reforms, buy drugs for people with AIDS and help Vietnam fight Avian 
Influenza.  These funds also support efforts to address legacy 
issues from the war: unexploded ordinance and now some environmental 
issues related to dioxin.  Triet said Vietnam is thankful for U.S. 
assistance in these areas, and added that Vietnam is also 
cooperating with the United States on recovering its soldiers 
mission in action. 
 
¶4. (SBU) A strong, stable Vietnam is vital to U.S. interests in this 
part of the world, the Ambassador said.  With Vietnam likely to join 
the UN Security Council as a nonpermanent member in 2008, we will 
have to deepen our dialogue to deal with issues like North Korea, 
Burma and Darfur.  The Ambassador noted that President Bush has 
raised issues related to Iran's nuclear program with Triet in the 
White House last June.  This would be another issue on which we will 
be sharing information, the Ambassador told Triet. 
 
¶5. (SBU) To facilitate our expanded ties, the Ambassador said that 
we may be formally proposing that we open a consulate in Danang in 
the future, and that we understand the GVN wants to open more 
consulates in the U.S. - this is what should happen as our ties 
deepen.  We urgently need a new U.S. embassy building in Hanoi, the 
Ambassador stressed - just as Vietnam needs a new embassy building 
in Washington.  At this point, we need a counter-offer from the GVN; 
simply saying our initial offer was too low does not advance the 
process.  Triet said he "totally agreed" on the need for a new 
embassy and would ask the relevant agencies to move forward on this. 
 
 
EXPANDING EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES: PEACE CORPS CAN HELP 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Noting that Vietnamese leaders are working to improve the 
education system, the Ambassador said that we are helping, and can 
do more.  He mentioned our thriving Fulbright program and the 
Vietnam Education Foundation.  The number of Vietnamese students at 
all levels studying in the States is up 25 percent over last year, 
but still only around 4,500 - that number could easily be doubled or 
tripled, the Ambassador told Triet.  Private American universities 
are also setting up partnerships in Vietnam, the Ambassador noted, a 
trend we should try to reinforce. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that one of the obstacles to increased 
educational exchanges is the lack of English language ability, and 
we continue to hope we can establish a Peace Corps program in 
Vietnam, which could help address this problem.  President Triet 
said "the direction to establish a Peace Corps program in Vietnam is 
set," and all that remains is the concrete implementation of the 
program.  Triet went on that language ability is not the only issue; 
 
HANOI 00001352  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
the cost of an education in the United States is also high for 
Vietnamese and a barrier for seeking opportunities there.  The 
Ambassador suggested that the Fulbright program could expand if the 
Vietnamese government is willing to provide some financial support. 
With more U.S. institutions setting up operations in Vietnam, the 
cost of the programs will be cheaper than study in the United 
States. and should be an important area of possible emphasis, the 
Ambassador said. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Triet agreed that we have had great achievements in the 
relationship; in just a few days he will be welcoming to Vietnam 
representatives of some major corporations with whom he met during 
his recent visit to the U.S.  In other areas we have obstacles 
remaining, but if we work together we can overcome these.  President 
Bush said he had committed USD three million for Agent Orange 
cleanup efforts and this was a good start, Triet noted.  The 
Ambassador agreed we must work together to make these efforts a 
success - we have a solid foundation on the environmental issues but 
more must be done on the human health side and both are important. 
 
VIETNAM "HURT" BY MEETINGS WITH DISSIDENTS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Ambassador raised democracy and human rights issues 
several times during the discussion, underscoring that we need to 
discus our differences frankly and constructively.  The Ambassador 
recalled that President Triet told President Bush during his recent 
visit to the United States that dialogue in this area is very 
important.  We were encouraged by the positive GVN response to 
Senator Patrick Leahy's March letter to Triet outlining interest by 
the U.S. Congress in expanding our cooperation in promoting the rule 
of law and good governance.  We now need to translate this consensus 
into concrete efforts, which could deal, for example, with 
corruption and accountability and other items high on the GVN's 
agenda. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Triet recalled that he had discussed human rights and 
democracy with President Bush as well as members of Congress.  In 
these discussions, he had pointed out that Vietnam had suffered a 
long history of war, during which human rights did not exist and the 
people lived in misery.  Now the GVN fully understands human rights 
and their importance.  This does not, however, mean that persons 
would be allowed to break the law and go unpunished.  Triet 
acknowledged that there is a gap between U.S. and Vietnamese law on 
this subject, adding that Vietnam's laws need to be improved, and 
stated that further dialogue is needed in order that we understand 
each other.  Triet then recalled that, shortly before his own visit 
to Washington, President Bush met with four people called 
"dissidents."  This was not a problem, Triet said, but then after 
his visit the NSC also met with an additional dissident.  "It hurts 
us," Triet asserted, calling again for direct dialogue "so we can 
work together on this issue on a very fair and candid basis."  You 
can see all the churches in Vietnam are open and people are free to 
worship, Triet said. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Ambassador agreed that there is a need to deepen our 
understanding of each other's positions.  He said that it is normal 
for the President and members of his NSC staff to meet with 
individuals holding a range of views.  We look forward to the day 
when the GVN will be more open to listening to its critics. 
Listening does not mean the GVN necessarily does what its critics 
want, but it should give them an opportunity to express their views. 
 Openness will make Vietnam stronger, he told Triet. 
 
GETTING OUT THE TRUTH ON LAND PROTESTS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Responding to the Ambassador's point, Triet indicated that 
the GVN understands the value of listening to those with complaints. 
 Citing the recent demonstrations in Ho Chi Minh City regarding land 
issues, Triet said that Vietnamese leaders had instructed provincial 
officials to meet with the protesters, resolve their concerns and 
convince them to go home.  There are some who say we oppressed these 
people, Triet said, but the fact protests were allowed to last for 
many weeks proves otherwise.  Even in the United States, people must 
ask permission to stage demonstrations and abide by time limits. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that officers from the Embassy and 
our Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City had followed the land protests 
closely.  Because we have been able to interact with a range of 
individuals, U.S. policy makers understand how the GVN approached 
the HCMC demonstrations, and that some of the accusations of the GVN 
posted on the internet were not accurate.  The Ambassador noted that 
a small group of people may still be detained, and we would like the 
GVN to engage in a dialogue about their cases.  The Ambassador also 
noted that Vietnam would benefit from a strong and free media, which 
can also be an ally in getting out the word about changes in 
 
HANOI 00001352  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
Vietnam, as well as helping the GVN improve governance overall. 
 
¶14. (SBU) The Ambassador concluded that his most important job in 
Vietnam has been strengthening mutual understanding between our two 
peoples and that he leaves knowing the people of Vietnam understand 
that the United States wants a strong, independent, open Vietnam. 
To build these same ties in the United States will take outreach to 
the Vietnamese community there, the Ambassador said.  President 
Triet's outreach during his recent visit to the United States was 
seen as very successful, the Ambassador said, and he encouraged 
President Triet to continue this process, including during another 
visit the United States later during his tenure. 
 
MARINE