Can you tell us about the position of Vietnam in the US’ strategies for Asia/Pacific?

The US wants to have normal relationships with all nations. But how close relationships are depends on the parties concerned. For the past 11 years, especially for the last 3, the concerns and interests of Vietnam and the US have been nearer to each other. So the relationship between our two countries is now more strategic than 5 or 6 years ago.

In what particular business field is the US most interested in investing in Vietnam?

This is a very interesting question. If I can predict the future, I will certainly make a lot of money. American companies’ decisions depend on many factors such as business conditions, education levels, or labour qualities. But if I have to make a specific prediction, I would say IT. The most notable example is Intel’s decision to invest a great deal of money in a project in HCM City. American companies have a wide range of interests, though. They many want to enter Vietnam’s service, financial, and entertainment sectors, because American companies are particularly strong in these areas.

Have you personally met victims of Agent Orange? If so, what will you propose to the US government to do to support them?

For the last 2 years and a half, as well as in the 80s, I have met some disabled people in Vietnam. Nobody can deny that there are a lot of disabled people in Vietnam and they need and deserve support. I’m proud to say that the US is leading the efforts to support Vietnamese disabled people. However, to be honest, I’m not sure if I have seen Agent Orange victims, because we still lack accurate research on the causes of many disability cases in Vietnam. It doesn’t mean that I believe and am sure that the people I met aren’t dioxin victims. It only means that there hasn’t been any scientific basis to ascertain the truth. There are two things I want to bring up, which is deformed newborns and malformation. There are many factors that cause these such as nutrition, heredity, disorders caused by engaging in particular professions, or even parents’ ages. So there should be more international research on cases of innate malformation and deformity.

In recent years, the relationship between Vietnam and the US has moved forward from reconciliation to business ties. Yet, it seems that the Vietnamese community in the US hasn’t forgotten the past to become reconciled with the Vietnamese people. As the American Ambassador to Vietnam, what do you say about this issue?

This is a great question. I believe your picture is quite mixed up. The Vietnamese community in America doesn’t have just one opinion. They have different viewpoints on the relationship between Vietnam and the US. More and more people are having positive opinions about this relationship as well as contributing to Vietnam. The proof is that there are more and more overseas Vietnamese returning to Vietnam to work, study, or take part in charitable activities. Whenever possible, I meet Vietnamese Americans to talk about my opinions and impressions of Vietnam as well as listen to their opinions. One of the most important messages I deliver is that they should return to Vietnam to feel for themselves the tremendous changes currently taking place in their homeland, rather than hear from others or rely on their memories of the past.

What do you think about the changes in the leadership team in Vietnam in recent years?
I have been very impressed by your new leaders. But I don’t mean to say that former leaders weren’t good. Since assuming his position, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has quickly proceeded to handle problems like corruption or traffic in Hanoi. I’m very impressed by Education Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan. He has solved many difficult problems which were all important issues to Vietnam. On his visit, President Bush spent a great deal of time with Head of State Nguyen Minh Triet. Mr. Bush was impressed by the problems Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet chose to discuss as well as the way he addressed them. These are all good signs of the new Vietnamese leaders.

What do you predict about the role of local governments in Vietnam?
I believe that local governments play a very important role. Local authorities understand their communities better than central officials. It is they who need to draw out local potentials and overcome local weaknesses. Vietnam should also rotate high-quality leaders among various levels of government so that less developed provinces will have their share of excellent leadership. Local democracy should be increased too. There has recently been direct voting at the village, commune and ward levels. This should be expanded to the districts and cities.

What do you say about democracy, human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam?

There has been significant improvement in these areas, especially in the past 18 months and in freedom of religions. Religious people have been given wider space to practice their religions. I still remember in 2006, there were some individuals and groups who spoke their minds about what the country should do to develop politically. The Vietnamese government reacted cautiously. But it was notable that these opinions were allowed to be expressed. The US and many other countries are still closely watching Vietnam’s moves. Vietnam’s bid for a seat at the UN Security Council is a very significant achievement. However, there are two things I want to see: eliminating home surveillance regulation no. 31, which the Congress has discussed, and establishing an association law, which is a basic law of social activities.

Living in Vietnam for nearly 3 years, what do you think about young people in Vietnam? What is the difference between the young in Vietnam and young people in the US?

I think there are fewer differences that I thought. Everybody basically wants the same things. But environments, experiences, and educational systems create differences, even those of the mind. I believe that young Vietnamese people are a very important factor to the future of Vietnam. They will become leaders of their country. They didn’t have to go through and weren’t shaped by the difficult past. They enjoy greater prosperity then their parents, but also have to shoulder more responsibilities for themselves, their families and their country. I want to emphasize that the most important factor for a successful future of Vietnam in the next 10 to 20 years is to provide a good education to young people. Education doesn’t stop after you graduate from college. It is the matter of a lifetime.

Can you tell more about your personal life? Which college did you go to? What was your first job? And what do you think is the key to success?

I think I’m not your typical man. I was born in a very crowded family with 19 siblings, 9 of whom are still alive. My family wasn’t wealthy. I had to pay my own way through college. I wasn’t sure about my future then. It means that my motives weren’t very strong. I joined the army, but I didn’t fight in Vietnam. After the army, I returned to school, and got a degree in history, thanks to which I entered the American diplomatic field. You asked me what I think is the key to success. To me, it is to work hard at whatever duty is assigned to you. You have to try your best. If you keep up your good work, someday you will be successful. My first job ever was to gather lemons in summertime while I was in high school. This was a very demanding job to me. It opened my eyes to the values of education: I had to study hard so that I wouldn’t have to gather lemons all my life.

Source: VietNamNet