Socialist Republic of Vietnam

For the casual reader of the international pages of any newspaper, the U.S.-Vietnamese relationship may seem rocky at times. Vietnam is regularly at the receiving end of U.S. legislative action, be it resolutions on human rights or attempts to bar Vietnamese fish and shrimp from U.S. tables.

But behind the noise, for the professional in charge of managing the bilateral relationship, the machine is running quite smoothly. Ambassador Nguyen Tam Chien, an engineer by training with top diplomatic posts like Russia and Japan under his belt, has been in charge of keeping that machine oiled since October 2001. An inauspicious date, since his arrival in Washington almost coincided with the September 11 attacks.

"Despite the difficult times, we have done something useful with our relationship," Chien says. "Our economic relationship has gone from normalized to normal. We have cultural and scientific exchanges, and even military to military relations."

Equality is the crucial issue on the Ambassador's mind. Some of the hiccups in the bilateral relations are seen by the Vietnamese side as an attempt by the powerful United States and some of its lobbies to treat the Vietnamese differently from others, because they are larger or simply older friends. The catfish case, where the United States simply declared Vietnam a non-market economy has caused these feelings.

"When we are treated equally, Vietnam can compete with everybody in the U.S. market," Chien insists. And this ability to compete, he believes, is key to much more than shrimp farmers on the one and Microsoft on the other side. For him, the commercial relationship is just the beginning of a broader understanding.

"The BTA [Bilateral Trade Agreement] is the fuel for our relationship," he argues. "I saw here that we have a very different approach to the same issues, a different culture," he says.
Southeast Asian culture traditionally tries to solve differences in mutually convenient ways, without any party losing face. Americans, on the other hand, are more rigid in their attempt to convince the other side that their position is correct, and thus less willing to give even a little.

The economic prerogative

The boom in economic relations has opened doors for better understanding. Some 300,000 Americans visit Vietnam annually, assuring a better understanding of a country that is still known to many primarily as a war. If the economic relations are truly beneficial for both sides, says Chien, better understanding on other issues will follow. "I look at our overall relations and enjoy the way we are closing our differences."

The U.S. market is huge for Vietnam's economy, presenting the country with a virtually unlimited demand for many of its products. Bilateral trade has reached a total of $6 billion by now, and is still growing strong. In contrast to how the catfish and shrimp lobbies in the United States have portrayed this trade, it is not a one-way street.

Vietnam is a big buyer of American goods and services as well. Especially the high-tech tools and financial services that keep a growing economy humming have seen many U.S. success stories.
"Vietnam is among the success stories of globalization," the Ambassador says. "It has its difficulties, but there is no better way than integration. But in spite of the successes, we are still poor and have to work hard."

The next step is membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), which Vietnam hopes to achieve in 2005. Without it, some industries, especially textiles, one of the top foreign currency earners, would invariably lose out to member states competition.
Vietnam will need U.S. approval to join the club, among support of other key states with veto powers. The negotiations are well on the way, and things are looking cautiously optimistic. Vietnam is addressing complaints from foreign businesses.

"I accompanied a delegation of 25 U.S. businesses to Vietnam under the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council forum. Some of their complaints are reasonable," Chien admits. Intellectual property rights protections tend to top the list.

"This is a WTO commitment," says Chien. Joining WTO would only enshrine it more deeply. Moreover, "One day we will want to export our intellectual property and see our rights protected."

Stumbling stone human rights

As regularly as trade disputes, some in the U.S. Congress return to the question of human rights. Chien does not dispute that there are disagreements, but he feels that in America every disagreement unnecessarily leads to a bump in relations.

"We must aim at understanding reality in Vietnam," he patiently explains. "When I presented my credentials on October 10, 2001, President Bush said that it is most important to enhance our dialogue and our mutual understanding in areas we disagree. I agree with him on that. We will be able to deal with all issues, including difference over human rights. Diplomats deal with these issues, they build bridges."

But Chien points out that most who criticize have not even visited Vietnam, and know little about its history. Since economic renewal in 1986, when the country opened up its economy, "the situation has vastly improved for our people," says Chien. But as a poor country with a history of colonialism and foreign oppression, priorities are not the same as those of a Member of the U.S. Congress.
"For a Vietnamese, given our history, the first right is to be alive. The second is to achieve a better living standard, not only economically, but also culturally. Vietnam has done very well in providing these things."

Not surprisingly, says Chien, those who support Vietnam tend to be veterans; people who have been to Vietnam and know the culture and the country. Hence, he sees the biggest task for himself and those who will come after him in fostering more exchange, economic, political, cultural, educational.
"Our perceptions are always rooted in culture, we need to meet each other to understand each other better." Indeed, there is very little discontent in Vietnam, and a poll taken by an international polling firm found that Vietnamese are among the happiest of all Asians.

Even on the human rights front, things are improving. The newly formed U.S.-Vietnam Caucus is trying to bring a broader perspective to Congress. Ambassador Chien sees the biggest task for himself and those who will come after him in fostering more exchange, economic, political, cultural, educational.

"Our perceptions are always rooted in culture, we need to meet to understand each other better."