VZCZCXRO9537
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #0503/01 1201021
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291021Z APR 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7731
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 4661
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7108
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000503 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/AWH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL CM VM
 
SUBJECT: OLYMPIC TORCH IN VIETNAM 
 
REF: (A) Hanoi 494 (B) Hanoi 493 
 
HANOI 00000503  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Olympic torch arrived in Ho Chi Minh City 
(HCMC) on April 28 in advance of the planned torch relay set to 
begin at six o'clock p.m. on April 29.  Despite anti-China protests 
planned by activists in both HCMC and Hanoi (Ref A), a heavy police 
presence will almost certainly ensure that the actual torch relay 
encounters no serious problems.  Fans with Chinese flags were 
allowed to march in HCMC on April 29 ahead of the torch's arrival. 
Vietnam's official media have given the torch's presence in Vietnam 
positive attention, while online fora have carried pieces critical 
of the relay and of China.  Vietnam's protests are only indirectly 
concerned with Tibet; anger against China is focused on Beijing's 
actions with regard to the South China Sea.  End summary. 
 
Flag-Waving Fans Allowed in HCMC 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The torch arrived in HCMC, its only stop in Vietnam and 
19th stop overall, on April 28 with a run through HCMC set late in 
the day on April 29.  In the run-up to the torch relay event, there 
was talk online and rumors of planned protests in front of the 
Chinese consulate, Opera House and other key public sites.  Calls to 
boycott sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Lenovo and Samsung have also 
been circulating on the Internet. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Police presence in HCMC was heavy during the day on April 
29, with up to 100 police officers of various units in the central 
area near  Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace and the 
Chinese Consulate in HCMC.  On the sidewalk opposite the Chinese 
Consulate, plainclothes and uniformed police were not allowing 
anyone to stop in the area. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Four small groups of approximately 30 people, apparently 
Chinese nationals, conducted peaceful marches through central HCMC 
waving Chinese flags and wearing white T-shirts with the Beijing 
Olympics logo.  A group of between 35 and 50 people wearing white 
T-shirts and waving Chinese flags gathered in the lawn near the 
Reunification Palace.  Police watched them closely but left them 
alone.  The group walked on in the direction of the Opera House, 
where a dais for the torch relay ceremony has been in place since 
the morning. 
 
Hanoi: Anti-China Protesters Reportedly Arrested 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Anti-Chinese protests in Hanoi were reportedly planned for 
both the Chinese Embassy and Hoan Kiem Lake, where families of 
Vietnamese fishermen killed by the Chinese in the South China Sea 
were allegedly planning to rally.  (Note: Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown 
Hanoi plays a prominent role in Vietnam's legendary struggles to 
gain independence from China.  End Note.)  On the morning of April 
29 the road in front of the Chinese Embassy (site of previous 
protests against Chinese actions in the South China Sea) was blocked 
off to traffic by a few dozen uniformed police, including helmeted 
riot police.  There was no indication of people rallying or being 
arrested at either site. 
 
¶6. (SBU) There were press reports that at least six people were 
detained in Hanoi and that two men hoisted banners with the words 
"Beijing 2008" and a design depicting the Olympic rings as handcuffs 
at Hanoi's central market before being hustled away by dozens of 
uniformed and plainclothes police officers.  Unconfirmed blog 
reports put the number of those arrested much higher. 
 
Official Media Positive, Bloggers Less So 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Ho Chi Minh City portion of the Olympic torch relay has 
drawn a great deal of attention from the Vietnamese media.   The 
official state-run outlets have highlighted Vietnam's inclusion in 
this global event and have reported officials vowing to ensure its 
success.  These outlets, unsurprisingly, did not cover any protests 
or challenges encountered during relay stops in other countries. 
And according to media contacts, editors of state-run media 
organizations have been instructed to cover the subject sparingly, 
focusing on the major kickoff event. 
 
¶8. (SBU) In contrast, online fora and popular blog sites have 
carried numerous pieces critical of the relay and of China.  Just 
days ago, a popular HCMC blogger Dieu Cay posted a protest of 
China's plan to put disputed South China Sea islands under Chinese 
administration.  Cay was subsequently arrested for tax evasion, and 
more than 20 "illegal" websites have been pulled from the by 
Vietnamese authorities.  While bloggers and members of online forums 
have exercised more restraint since those events, they continue to 
discuss the torch relay, often in negative tones. 
 
HANOI 00000503  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
Anti-China Protests in Vietnam Not About Tibet 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶9. (SBU) In contrast to anti-Chinese protests the torch has 
encountered elsewhere, those in Vietnam are not directly focused on 
Tibet but rather on perceived Chinese "bullying" of Vietnam in the 
South China Sea.  Indeed, there was a rumor in the Vietnamese 
blogosphere that China had intended to include in the torch run the 
disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The situation in Tibet does, however, have relevance in 
Vietnam as another case of Chinese "bullying" and an indication of 
how the Chinese could (or would like to) treat Vietnam.  Vietnamese 
blogs have made the case that China's claims to Tibet are not 
dissimilar to claims that China is making on the Spratlys and 
Paracels.  More importantly, China could make the same "Tibet style" 
claims to most of Vietnam since there were times -- most of 
Vietnam's history -- when Vietnamese rulers and governments were 
either directly subservient to China or deferred to China on major 
matters. 
 
¶11.  Comment: Anti-Chinese sentiment constitutes a challenge for 
Vietnam's leaders.  While many of them share in the anger generated 
by Beijing's actions to limit foreign companies' collaborations with 
Vietnam in exploiting offshore oil resources and Beijing's move late 
last year to create a civil jurisdiction covering the islands, Hanoi 
also knows that Beijing will react swiftly and sharply to any 
"provocation," which would definitely include allowing protesters to 
besmirch the relay.  In addition, given these limitations, Hanoi 
also fears seeming impotent in the face of challenges by Vietnamese 
(including critics of the regime) that it cannot or will not stand 
up to China.  Its response, unsurprisingly, is to stifle protesters 
and officially pretend that all is well. 
 
¶12. (U) This cable was coordinated with ConGen HCMC. 
 
MICHALAK