Socialist Republic of Vietnam

The Vietnamese community in America is a vital bridge between Vietnam and the United States, asserted Ambassador Ton Nu Thi Ninh in an interview with Thanh Nien newspaper about her recent trip to the U.S.

Q: What was special about your latest diplomatic mission to the United States?

A: This trip was quite different from others because I visited 8 states and 12 cities across the United States. Also, I held extensive meetings with people at universities, research institutes, foundations, and the US media rather than just high-ranking U.S. officials and politicians.

I also took some time to meet the Vietnamese community in the United States, including first-generation Vietnamese immigrants, the 1.5 generation – the term referring to those born in Vietnam but moving to the States at an early age, as well as members of the second generation born in the States.

During those meetings, I tried to provide the Vietnamese-American audience with an overview of Vietnam and get feedback from them to know their outlook on Vietnam.

I held several discussions at prestigious universities and institutions such as Harvard University, Princeton, Yale, San Diego State, and the National Defense University in Washington DC, and the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.

Q: How were the meetings?

A: Generally speaking, they were very interesting. The talks were held in an atmosphere of sincerity and frankness. I did not evade any questions and was more than willing to meet anyone, although there were some who “refused” to meet me, like those radical Vietnamese Americans who staged a small demonstration in San Diego.

Q: What do you think about young Vietnamese-Americans?

A: The so-called 1.5-generation and second-generation Vietnamese Americans expressed a strong desire to contribute to Vietnam’s future development. They were very energetic.

I had an interesting meeting with a young Vietnamese-American who had just founded the Vietnamese Institute of Education and Culture in a bid to get young Vietnamese musicians, writers, poets and artists together.

I was highly impressed by a NASA engineer who pursued writing as a sideline. He expressed hope that the Vietnamese government would give him a chance to show his work to the vast Vietnamese audience at home. I find it very satisfying when these overseas generations take a genuine interest in their mother tongue.

Q: It is said that you put great emphasis on the issue of “national reconciliation” during talks with the Vietnamese community in the United States?

A: I think it’s time for us to take serious initiatives to bring about national reconciliation, 30 years after the country’s reunification. To facilitate the national reconciliation process, we need to demonstrate more good will.

Quite a few Vietnamese-Americans confided to me that words like “winning” and “defeat,” which serve as a reminder of the devastating war almost 30 years ago, should not be focused any longer, especially during major national holidays. They advocated the phrase “30 years of reunification.”

According to these Vietnamese- Americans, too much emphasis on winning and losing will give radical Vietnamese groups reasons to remain hostile toward their homeland because feelings of inferiority cause them to cling to the past and fail to look forward to the future.

Q: Why does the answer to national reconciliation still remain elusive?

A: At times I wonder how we can shake hands and work with American veterans who once dropped thousands of tons of bombs in our country, but we Vietnamese “cannot look into each other’s eyes.”

We need to take the initiative to promote national reconciliation because those people haunted with feelings of inferiority can hardly make the first move.

I am of the opinion that we only need some more efforts to demonstrate good will, which in turn will helo us to come together more quickly. Therefore, on the 30th anniversary of Vietnamese reunification, we should step up our efforts to achieve national reconciliation.

Q: I heard that you had a very successful press conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C?

A: I held an international conference in Washington D.C, which attracted wide media attention. Leading news agencies and the American press including several Vietnamese-American newspapers covered the event.

They asked a lot of questions on democracy, human rights, religious freedom in Vietnam and even Vietnam’s denial of a visa to U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

From my point of view, the conference must have made a good impression on the American press because I was honest and frank in answering all the questions.

Experience told me that I needed to illustrate my point of view by providing explicit figures or statistics to convince the American audience. In fact, asked why Vietnam denied a visa to Ms. Loretta Sanchez, I immediately cited figures proving that the United States has many times denied visas to Vietnamese citizens, and then I explained the reason why our government had to turn down her visa application.

Vietnam’s Deputy Finance Minister Ta Ca being denied an entry visa to the United States was cited as a case in point. I asked them on what grounds did the United States Government refuse to grant a visa to a Vietnamese official who came to the States to study its stock market.

Q: It is said that you publicly announced your intention of holding talks with Ms. Loretta Sanchez when you arrived in California?

A: Yes. I asked our Embassy in Washington to inform Ms. Loretta Sanchez of my good will to hold talks with her once I came to California. It was a pity that I couldn’t meet her because she was supposedly on her way to Mexico. Later, she sent me a letter, expressing regret for not having been able to meet me.

I intended to tell her that Vietnam has always been a friend of the American people. It should be noted that there is a distinction between the American people and the American Government. Unlike herself, I just want to promote the relationship between Vietnam and the United States when I visit her country.

Q: What impression did the American people make on you?

A: One elderly woman who might have had a deep-rooted prejudice against communism, asked me if there was “a court in Vietnam.” Although stunned by her question, I gently told her that Vietnam, like the United States, has district courts, provincial courts, and a Supreme Court.

Her question convinced me that she either lacked basic knowledge of Vietnam or had an ingrained prejudice against communism to such an extent that in her eyes, a communist country is synonymous with a lack of democracy, modernization and civilization.

Also, her question pointed to the fact that the American people are not very well-informed about Vietnam. And during talks with other Americans, I used this story to illustrate how the American public has biased information about Vietnam.

A young man asked me how democracy could be built in a one-party system. I told him that Vietnam has been trying hard to build a solid democratic structure with the National Assembly playing a pivotal role, and that though not many countries in the world have a one-party political system, we still expect outsiders to respect Vietnam’s way.

I was deeply impressed when all the university professors I met spoke highly of Vietnamese students.

Q: We often say that Americans are not well-informed about Vietnam, but do you think that we know about American society?

A: It’s a pity that our knowledge about the United States is still limited. To be successful in the highly competitive American market, we need to be equipped with an extensive and profound knowledge of their country.

In fact, if Vietnamese exporters had enough knowledge about American anti-dumping laws, they wouldn’t have been so shocked when the U.S. government decided to impose anti-dumping tariffs on Vietnamese catfish last year.

However, a good knowledge of American trade laws can help Vietnamese exporters avoid certain conflicts. Vietnamese seafood exporters and producers recently achieved a slight victory when the U.S. government decided to reduce tariffs on the country’s shrimp exports.

I often call on Vietnamese exporters to conduct extensive market research before entering the American market. The host country has certain rules that we are expected to abide by even though we do not like them.

Also, we do not know much about the concept of lobbying, which is an accepted fact of American political life. Therefore, we cannot approach the United States effectively.

Similarly, our knowledge about American institutions is far from adequate. Institutions, funds, and above all think tanks and their indispensable role in American politics seem strange to the Vietnamese people. This highlights the urgent need to establish American Studies programs in Vietnam.

Q: What do you think about the future relationship between Vietnam and the United States?

A: Next year will witness the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States. Also, Vietnam has entered into negotiation with the United States over Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organization.

I believe that the relationship between the two countries will be further promoted by the support of both American political parties. I often joke with American friends that Vietnam is lucky to win the backing of two “Johns” – Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator John Kerry.

I am convinced that the way we approach the Vietnamese community in the United States is instrumental in boosting the relationship between the two countries. The Vietnamese-American community can serve as a bridge between Vietnam and the United States.

The relationship between Vietnam and the United States can hardly be improved unless Vietnam is on good terms with its overseas community.

Reported by Xuan Danh – Translated by Tran Phong.
Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 26 December, 2004, 02:28:45 (GMT+7)
Copyright Thanh Nien News