Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BOSTON — Prime Minister Phan Van Khai’s historic visit to the US is a success, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan told a Viet Nam News Agency correspondent, at the end of the US visit on Saturday.

Khoan said that the PM’s visit was historic because it was the first made by a Vietnamese government leader 30 years after the end of the American war and it coincides with 10 years of normalisation of Viet Nam-US relations, and five years since the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement.

It’s the right time to tell the US administration, Congress, entrepreneurs and mass media more about the external and internal policies of the Vietnamese Party and State, Khoan said.

The visit has helped dispel any false information being spread about Viet Nam, and is also an opportunity to introduce America to a country that is reunified, strongly developed, stable and integrated, he added.

The visit is a time for the two countries to look back at the last ten years following the normalisation of bilateral relations.

The PM and other members of the delegation had hundreds of meetings with US administration, Congress, entrepreneurs and the press, Khoan said.

These meetings have helped the US population understand more about Viet Nam and they have praised its position in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific.

There were thousands of articles published in the American press about the visit and that is very good for bilateral relations.

At their talks in Washington, both Prime Minister Khai and President Bush were pleased with the multifaceted development over the past ten years, particularly the strong development in economy and trade.

They agreed to take the bilateral relations to a new height through the development of a constructive partnership, friendly multifaceted co-operation on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefits.

In that spirit, the two leaders agreed to encourage law-makers, and empower people, scientists, entrepreneurs, soldiers and civilians to further exchanges in economy, trade, science, technology, culture and education through the Education Fund for Viet Nam.

The US Government acknowledged that the leading principles of relations between the two countries is equality, mutual respect and territorial integrity of Viet Nam, Khoan said.

US business people have expressed their interest in doing business with Viet Nam. Many major groups such as Microsoft, IBM, Motorola, Boeing, General Electrics, Citi Group, Unocal, and New York Life have concrete plans of co-operation with Viet Nam. The value of signed agreements between Vietnamese and US investors during the visit has hit nearly US$1 billion.

The US showed strong support for Viet Nam’s bid to join the World Trade Organisation. Before the visit, the two sides had negotiations and have made much progress. They agreed to make bigger efforts to settle remaining problems left from previous negotiations.

The two sides also agreed to further promote exchanges and co-operation in healthcare and humanitarian issues including the prevention of diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and bird flu, agriculture, education and training.

Viet Nam confirmed its policy that overseas Vietnamese in the US are an integrated part of the nation, and an important source of the national construction.

The number of people publicly opposing Viet Nam due to a lack of information or receiving false information has remarkably decreased.

However, there are still differences in religion and human rights. But the two sides have agreed to narrow the differences by negotiations.

Khoan said that in the eyes of the Americans, Viet Nam is now a country of co-operation and development, but in the past it was only seen as a country of war.

PM in Boston

In Boston, on Saturday, PM Khai visited Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher education in the US, which was established in 1636.

Khai met with Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers, then briefly visited the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard and touched the bronze toe of the statue for luck.

Between 1996 and 2003, the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard has operated the first level of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Programme at the Economics University in HCM City using an annual funding of US$1-1.2 million from the Fulbright programme.

On March 23, 2004, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the John F. Kennedy School of Government signed an agreement to implement the second phase of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Programme. With non-refundable aid of $7.5 million, the second phase will be carried out from 2004 until 2008, focusing on training decision-makers and economic and business managers for Viet Nam.

Following the visit to Harvard, Prime Minister Khai visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

PM Khai attended a banquet held by Liberty Mutual Group. He delivered a speech, saying that he was deeply impressed during his visit to Boston where the late President Ho Chi Minh, the founder of the Vietnamese State, lived and worked between 1911-1913.

PM Khai said he hoped to encourage a friendly partnership with the US in general and with Boston in particular while visiting Boston – one of the largest economic centre’s in the northeastern region and one of the top scientific and educational centres of the world.

He also expressed his hope that many Vietnamese youth, scientists and business people would study in Boston in order to help Viet Nam catch up with advanced scientific knowledge and serve the nation’s industrialisation and modernisation process.

The same day, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai met with professors from Harvard University and the MIT to discuss how to build a university of international standards in Viet Nam. 

Viet Nam News, June 27, 2005