VZCZCXRO5379
RR RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #1419/01 2211101
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091101Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//ISA/DPMO//
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6040
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 3503
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC//J2/J3/J5//
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-3//
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5//
RHHMHAA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/CDR JPAC HICKAM AFB HI
RHMFIUU/CDRUSARPAC FT SHAFTER HI
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//SAFE//
RHMFIUU/NGA FT BELVOIR VA
RHMFIUU/NGA HQ BETHESDA MD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 HANOI 001419 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND EAP/RSP 
SECDEF FOR ISA/SHUBERT AND STERN 
JCS FOR J5/CDR CHASE 
PACOM FOR J5/MAJ MA 
PACFLT FOR N5/YAMAMOTO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PTER MARR VM
 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S OUTCALL WITH VIETNAM'S MINISTER OF 
DEFENSE (U) 
 
(U)  This cable is Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for 
Internet. 
 
¶1. (SBU) On 30 July, Ambassador Marine conducted a final call 
on Senior General Phung Quang Thanh, the Minister of Defense. 
In their discussion, the Ambassador raised a wide range of 
issues including high level visits, ship visits, fullest 
possible accounting (MIA), International Military education 
and training (IMET) and security assistance, Vietnam's 
possible support to regional and UN peacekeeping operations, 
bilateral cooperation on counter terrorism and legacy of war 
issues like dioxin and unexploded ordinace (UXO). 
 
¶2. (SBU) On 30 July 2007 Ambassador, accompanied by the 
Deputy Chief of Mission and the Defense Attache, conducted a 
final call on Senior General Phung Quang Thanh, the Minister 
of Defense. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Minister Thanh warmly welcomed the Ambassador and 
expressed his appreciation for his hard work during his term 
of service in Vietnam.  He stated that the Ambassador had 
made many positive contributions and in this call he urged 
the Ambassador to share his thoughts on anything of military 
or non-military nature. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador congratulated the Senior General on 
his recent promotion and noted this was an excellent time to 
have been ambassador in Vietnam, as the environment was one 
is which much could be accomplished.  The Ambassador said 
that there has been progress on a wide range of large and 
small issues and numerous successes.  He stated that during 
his tenure both sides had worked effectively to grow the 
military-military relationship in a measured, step-by-step 
manner.  He said that this was good for the past, but now the 
time is right now for us to do more together. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In reply, Minster Thanh agreed that both sides 
should maintain a stabile, lasting friendship and develop 
cooperation in various fields.  He echoed the Ambassador's 
view that it will be mutually beneficial to further develop 
bilateral relations, especially the military to military 
relationship.  General Thanh stated that he had noted 
improvements in education and training in Vietnam.  The 
United States has contributed to this progress, Minister 
Thanh said, as well as to the economic development of Vietnam. 
Defense cooperation has advanced as well, the Minister 
continued, stating that this is very gratifying to him 
personally.  Thanh said that, should both sides increase 
cooperation in defense areas, such as in the provision of 
training equipment, then other areas also will benefit and 
improve as well.  He said that he personally greatly 
appreciates cooperation with the United Sates --especially 
since it is a nation with a strong economy and advanced 
science and technology.  "We can work together and promote 
peace and stability in the region," he concluded. 
 
=========== 
Ship Visits 
=========== 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Ambassador then addressed a number of current 
and future issues related to the bilateral military 
relationship.  One recent notable success was the visit by 
the USS Peleliu, whose crew had treated more than 3,000 
people during its recent visit.  The Ambassador informed 
Minister Thanh that he had visited the ship and the Peleliu 
Partnership medical assistance missions in Danang.  He noted 
that Ministry of Health was the lead for that ship's visit, 
but acknowledged that it could not have happened without the 
strong support of the Ministry of Defense (MOD). 
 
¶7. (SBU) On a related issue, the Ambassador said that the 
 
HANOI 00001419  002 OF 005 
 
 
United States is now coordinating a visit to Danang by the 
USNS Bruce Heezen in late October.  The primary focus of this 
mission will be to support the work of hydro-meteorological 
scientists who work with Vietnam's forecasters on warnings 
about impending typhoons, floods and warning for disasters. 
The Ambassador noted that this is also important to Vietnam's 
military, which has a role in search and rescue and disaster 
relief missions.  He added that Vietnam's Office for the 
Search for Missing Persons (VNOSMP) will be invited to send 
personnel to visit the USNS Heezen, since the United States 
plans to use this ship, or ones just like it, for at-sea 
searches in the fullest possible accounting effort in the 
near future. 
 
¶8. (SBU) In reply, Minster Thanh reaffirmed that MOD indeed 
played a "strong role" in the visit by "the humanitarian 
assistance ship" (referring to the USS Peleliu) and will 
continue to do so for future ship visits in other areas. 
 
=========================== 
Fullest Possible Accounting 
=========================== 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Ambassador then turned to the issue of fullest 
possible accounting for the missing from the Vietnam War.  He 
thanked Minster Thanh for MOD's recent help with the return 
of an identification tag ("dog tag") to the family of a 
marine who was lost in the war.  The Ambassador said this was 
a positive humanitarian gesture that truly comforted the 
family.  He noted how important this is to our leaders as 
well and told the Minister that one U.S. Congressman even 
called to thank him for this action.  The Ambassador also 
thanked the Minister for his Ministry's support and 
cooperation in this humanitarian work. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Ambassador then reminded the Minister that the 
United States will be assigning two MIA researchers to the 
Embassy.  These two researchers have been working for years 
on temporary basis on the MIA mission in Vietnam.  The 
Ambassador noted that time is running out to access eye 
witnesses and the older generations who are valuable 
resources to help resolve the remaining cases.  Having these 
two researchers work full-time in the Embassy will enhance 
our ability to continue to find answers for the families. 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) already has the 
accreditation request, but is waiting for MOD must approval. 
The Ambassador asked for Minster Thanh's help with this 
action so we can get our two researchers in-country now. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Minister Thanh stated that the new personnel issue 
of two assistant attaches would be handled through functional 
organizations, in this case MOD's External Relations 
Department (ERD), which will review the report from Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs.  He thanked the Ambassador for all of the 
work the United States has done so far and hoped that the 
United States could share more information and any records it 
has with Vietnam counterparts who also are working to resolve 
the missing cases from Vietnam's side. 
 
=================== 
Security Assistance 
=================== 
 
¶12. (SBU) The Ambassador next turned to the issue of 
International Military Education and Training (IMET).  He 
noted that IMET budget has doubled each year for the past two 
years and the IMET program is likely to continue to grow. 
This will allow Vietnam's IMET to expand beyond English- 
language training into other areas including search and 
rescue and military medical training, areas that both sides 
recognizes are valuable to Vietnam for its own forces and for 
any future regional support work.  The two officers who 
 
HANOI 00001419  003 OF 005 
 
 
participated in English-language training and English- 
language teacher training at Defense Language institute 
English Language Center in Texas had done exceptionally well. 
They were the top students in their class, the Ambassador 
noted. This year IMET will provide a language lab to MOD and 
these two officers will be able to put their training to good 
use to expand the English-language skills of the Vietnam 
officers and NCOs. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The Ambassador reminded the Minister that President 
Bush changed the policy on non-lethal Defense articles for 
Vietnam in December 2006.  We know that Vietnam desires U.S.- 
sourced parts for helicopters and vehicles.  However, the 
United States can't move ahead on this issue until we have 
the spare parts lists , or clear information on exactly what 
Vietnam seeks.  The U.S. Government had even worked on 
provisions to support the Vietnam security assistance program 
by considering recommendations for funds in Fiscal Year 2009, 
but without any movement by the Government of Vietnam now, it 
is difficult to move ahead with those plans.  He recommended 
that Vietnam not limit its security assistance focus to parts, 
but also consider items like patrol boats, helicopters or 
other items that could improve search and rescue or disaster 
relief capabilities of the People's Army. 
 
¶14. (SBU) In reply, the Minister thanked the United States 
for providing English training for the two Vietnamese 
officers and said that Vietnam looks forward to participation 
in the medical, search and rescue and demining courses in the 
future.  He added that he is looking forward to touring the 
new IMET-supported language lab when it is installed at the 
military language school in the near future. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Minister Thanh also acknowledged that Vietnam has 
not yet provided information on desired non-lethal military 
equipment to the Embassy, but said that MOD would soon 
provide the list of requested spare parts for UH1 helicopters 
and vehicles.  He also said that MOD would like to continue 
cooperation on equipment for search and rescue and 
forecasting for floods, tsunami and disaster relief. 
 
=============================== 
PKO, Counter Terrorism and 1206 
=============================== 
 
¶16. (SBU) Ambassador then transitioned into the topic of 
Peacekeeping Operations (PKO).  Noting that Vietnam now is 
poised to gain a seat on the United Nations Security Council 
(UNSC), he told Thanh that Vietnam also has some very capable 
military forces, which could make valuable contributions to 
UN and regional PKO or Humanitarian Assistance/ Disaster 
Relief (HA/DR) missions.  The Ambassador said that he knows 
Vietnam's military is preparing for these kinds of operations 
and that Vietnamese involvement is only a matter of time, but 
the United States is prepared to assist Vietnam with training 
programs to help prepare for these missions. 
 
¶17. (SBU) In the area of counter terrorism, the Ambassador 
said that the United States has programs to work with 
friendly nations against the spread of terrorism. One of the 
ways to do this was with the joint Department of State- 
Department of Defense "1206" program.  Vietnam should 
consider working with the United States on this program, 
which could provide equipment and training to counter the 
growth of terrorism in the region. 
 
¶18.  (SBU) Minister Thanh replied that he shares the 
Ambassador's hope that the United States and Vietnam can 
share more information on counter terrorism.  He also hopes 
that the Defense Attaches from both nations could work on 
this, and especially hoped that the Defense Attache office in 
Hanoi would have close contacts with MOD.  He said that 
 
HANOI 00001419  004 OF 005 
 
 
Vietnam also wants to learn more about and develop the 
dialogue on 1206 counter terrorism cooperation as well. 
 
¶19. (SBU) On the other hand, Minister Thanh said that he 
hopes that the United States will help with "terrorist cases" 
of interst to Vietnam like that of Ly Tong, who illegally 
flew an airplane into Vietnam in 2000, scattering thousands 
leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City and Nguyen Huu Trang, who the 
Minister said had been involved in planting explosive devices 
in front to Vietnamese embassies in foreign countries. 
 
¶20. (SBU) In the area of UN and regional peace operations, 
the Minister said that Vietnam will participate in peace 
operations "sooner or later, when conditions permit and when 
the National Assembly has provided a legal basis for such 
actions." 
 
============== 
Dioxin and UXO 
============== 
 
¶21. (SBU) The Ambassador thanked Minister Thanh for these 
comments and then noted that even in the sensitive area of 
dioxin/Agent Orange issues both sides have made real advances 
in our dialogue.  Discussions and professional exchanges on 
this issue have been included in virtually all recent high 
level visits, and Presidents Bush and Triet had commented 
favorably on our cooperation and called for more.  More 
delegation and meetings have occurred to share research, 
information and to expand cooperation.  The Ambassador 
mentioned his recent visit to Danang where he personally 
observed one of the spots with dioxin contamination where the 
GVN, the United States Government, and non-governmental 
agencies including the Ford Foundation will combine forces to 
address remediation needs. He also noted that the U.S. 
Congress this year appropriated USD three million to deal 
with issues related to dioxin in Vietnam. 
 
¶22. (SBU) The Minister said that he greatly appreciated the 
very good first steps on the Agent Orange/dioxin issue that 
the United States had taken, including those efforts at the 
Danang Airport.  He also was grateful for the United States' 
work in demining and noted that it is very important to make 
the lands of Vietnam safe and to reclaim needed lands for 
farming and development. 
 
================= 
High Level Visits 
================= 
 
¶23. (SBU) Minister Thanh remarked that the Ambassador would 
be leaving shortly and the Minister wished him success and 
good luck in future endeavors to strengthen U.S.-Vietnamese 
relations.  He noted that, during the Ambassador's service in 
Hanoi, many high-level delegations had successfully occurred, 
including those of then-Prime Minster Phan Van Khai, 
President Nguyen Minh Triet, and even the then-Secretary of 
Defense Rumsfeld.  He advised the Ambassador to urge senior 
officials to lead high level delegations to Vietnam.  In this 
way, they would learn the conditions here first hand and 
build more understanding. 
 
¶24. (SBU) Ambassador Marine thanked the Minister for these 
comments and noted that there is a high level delegation from 
the U.S. Congress planning a visit to Vietnam shortly.  This 
delegation's work focused on security issues and the 
Ambassador hoped that the Minister could meet with this 
delegation personally. 
 
¶25. (SBU) The Ambassador also remarked that Minister Thanh 
had not yet traveled to the Unites States.  The Ambassador 
encouraged the Minister to consider a trip to the United 
 
HANOI 00001419  005 OF 005 
 
 
States to meet his counterpart, and said that the time was 
right to begin planning for such a visit. 
 
¶26. (SBU) Minister Thanh replied that he hoped Secretary of 
Defense Gates could find a chance to visit Vietnam as well. 
Minster Thanh noted that he hoped to visit the United States, 
but at the right time.  He again thanked the Ambassador and 
his family for the dedicated service and contributions. 
 
¶27. (SBU) COMMENT: The atmospherics were cordial and the 
discussion friendly in this meeting.  Minister Phung Quang 
Thanh was uniformly positive in his comments.  As in previous 
meetings, he reaffirmed Vietnam's desire to develop and 
expand bilateral military cooperation.  On the other hand, 
Minister Thanh also avoided endorsing any new initiatives, or 
to committing the Ministry of Defense to any new areas of 
cooperation.  The MOD continues to have one of the most 
cautious approaches to bilateral relations among all of the 
Vietnam's ministries. 
 
Marine