VZCZCXRO7211
PP RUEHHM
DE RUEHHM #0333 0881059
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 281059Z MAR 08
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3935
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 2589
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 4157

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000333 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV VM
SUBJECT: GVN CONSERVATIVES LIVID OVER CONGENOFF STOP AT NUNS 
DEMONSTRATION 
 
REF: HCMC WEEKLY MARCH 21, 2008 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  The External Relations Office (ERO) in HCMC 
summoned A/CG and HRS Chief to protest HRS Chief's brief 
interaction on March 17 with a group of nuns holding a vigil in 
front of a disputed building site.  We responded that the visit, 
made to follow-up a report that a nun had been roughed up at the 
site earlier, was purely informational and did not indicate any 
direct U.S. involvement in the protest.  ERO emphasized that 
some within the GVN's top leadership -- extremely wary of the 
United States -- are predisposed to attach tremendous symbolic 
importance to such small matters.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On March 27, HCMC ERO Deputy Director Nguyen Vu Tu 
summoned A/CG and HRS Chief to formally protest the latter's 
brief stop at a demonstration by a group of Catholic nuns in 
front of a building site on March 17 (Reftel).  After showing a 
video of HRS Chief and a ConGen vehicle at the site, Tu stated 
that the GVN viewed this as "interference in Vietnam's internal 
affairs" and a violation of Article 55 of the Geneva Convention 
on Diplomatic Relations.  Going to the site in an official 
vehicle, stopping, and talking to the nuns, was viewed by 
conservative elements "at the top" in both Hanoi and HCMC as 
evidence that some part of the USG is still trying to 
destabilize the GVN, nearly 35 years after the war's end.  These 
elements also viewed the nuns' activities as an anti-GVN 
protest.  Tu noted that the land issue is a sensitive internal 
matter, particularly where the Catholic Church is concerned.  Tu 
said that the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington would also bring 
this incident to the notice of the Department. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) We explained that the visit was prompted by a report 
that a nun had been manhandled at the site earlier in the day 
and the visit was informational only.  Furthermore, we did not 
perceive the nuns' demonstration or the visit as anti-GVN acts. 
Tu elaborated that collecting information was not the problem, 
but that a perception of official U.S. support for a group of 
"anti-government protestors" was an extremely serious issue.  He 
suggested that had the visit been conducted more discretely and 
not included interaction with the nuns, it would not have 
created a problem.  Tu went on to say that the leadership 
elements angered by the visit had "fought against the U.S. 
before 1975."  They view the United States differently than they 
view any other country and thus hold it to a different standard. 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Continuing to read from a long set of points that he 
said "came from Hanoi," Tu said that the "highest leadership" is 
particularly incensed that USG officials continue to meet with 
"persons opposed to the central government," whereas the 
Vietnamese Government "had never met with any persons inside the 
United States opposed to the U.S. government."  He asserted that 
the USG seems intent on hearing "only one side" of the story in 
Vietnam, the anti-GVN side. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) A/CG stated that U.S. consular officials are tasked 
with reporting to Washington on the full range of issues - 
social, economic, and political - that bear on the bilateral 
relationship.  To that end they collect information from a wide 
variety of sources.  This allows the consulate to report with 
accuracy to Washington what is really happening in Vietnam 
rather than relying on sources outside Vietnam who assert, often 
without foundation, that the GVN is misbehaving or mistreating 
its own citizens.  She reiterated the innocent nature of the 
incident in question.  At the same time, she observed that, as 
indicated by the Vietnamese protest, all USG officials in 
Vietnam obviously are being monitored at all times.  Therefore, 
we must assume that all our actions could be misinterpreted at 
any time.  We will continue both to do our jobs in accordance 
with USG policy and show respect for Vietnamese sovereignty and 
the furtherance of bilateral relations. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Comment:  With the rapid growth of Vietnam's economy, 
the far-reaching changes in Vietnamese society, and the 
substantial ongoing improvement in the bilateral relationship, 
it is easy to forget the surreal degree to which some in the GVN 
evaluate our actions for unimagined symbolic meanings.  We are 
hard-pressed to identify many   other countries where this minor 
event would have provoked such a strong reaction.  This is a 
warning that we are under the microscope and that small 
unintentional missteps can lead to major misperceptions.  It is 
also interesting how the ERO characterized those intent on 
protesting the action.  They all but used the term "hardliner" 
and made it clear that they were speaking under instruction 
"from Hanoi."  End Comment. 
 
¶7.  (U) This message was coordinated with Embassy Hanoi. 
 
DICKEY