Human Rights in Vietnam
Eric G. John, Deputy Assistant Secretary, East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Statement before the Subcommittees on Asia and the Pacific and Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations,
House International Relations Committee
Washington, DC
March 29, 2006
Thank you for inviting me to appear before the Subcommittees today.
This hearing is timely not only because of the resumption of our bilateral Human Rights Dialogue, but also because a
convergence of events and issues has the potential to make 2006 a watershed year for U.S.-Vietnam relations.
Mr. Chairman, before I delve further into this topic, I would like to thank you for your long-standing interest in
Vietnam. Your many visits to Vietnam and your forceful voice on human rights and advocacy for religious freedom have
helped bring positive change in Vietnam.
Extraordinary Transformation
In previous appearances before the Committee I have described Southeast Asia as a dynamic and exciting region. There is
no more apt way to describe the current situation in Vietnam. It is in the midst of an extraordinary trans- formation
from an impoverished, inward-looking command economy with little space for personal initiative to a more open society
with a vibrant, free market economy that seeks to engage with the wider world.
I recall that when I first went to Vietnam in 1989 to interview applicants for the Orderly Departure Program, Vietnam
consciously tried to block out the outside world. A uniformed official gathered all the discarded newspapers from
incoming airplanes and Vietnamese customs confiscated any papers visitors tried to bring in. Now, the situation is quite
different. Like many other foreign goods and services, international newspapers are widely available and sold in hotel
lobbies and Vietnam is a destination for hundreds of thousands of tourists, many of them Americans.
Travel between Vietnam and the United States has grown at a rapid rate. This reflects not only tourist and business
travel and Vietnamese-Americans who return to Vietnam to invest, trade, visit relatives, or marry, but also increasing
numbers of Vietnamese who visit the U.S. Issuance of U.S. student and training visas reached a new high of 3,448 in
2005, which is an increase of 124% since 2001. Business and tourist visas rose sharply last year to 21,765, an increase
of 55% since 2001.
In the mid-1980s, Vietnam recognized the failure of doctrinaire Marxist economics and abandoned it in favor of a policy
of "doi moi," or renovation. Its goal was to accelerate economic development. The government saw the need to integrate
into the world economy; to attract foreign trade, investment, and technology; and to reach out to the United States and
others.
Since then, we have developed a relationship with Vietnam that serves both countries' interests. Over time, Vietnam has
made some progress on human rights and allowed more personal freedoms because it recognized it could not grow its
economy without releasing the dynamism of its population and increasing interaction with the international community.
With a growth rate of 8 percent, it is now one of the world's fastest growing economies. Their eagerness to study
English, business, and high-tech fields creates an enormous opportunity for us to work with the Vietnamese people
constructively.
The entry into force of the U.S-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in December 2001 has led to greatly expanded
trade from about $1.5 billion in two-way trade in 2001 to $7.8 billion in 2005 and heightened cooperation on economic
reform.
U.S. businesses have taken advantage of Vietnam's new openness by investing a total of $730 million from 1998 to 2005.
Most recently, Intel announced plans to invest $300 million in Vietnam to package and test microchips that power
personal computers and mobile phones. The combined cumulative U.S. direct investment and investment from U.S.
third-country subsidiaries has made us the largest foreign investor in Vietnam.
On March 24-26, we conducted a round of WTO accession negotiations in Geneva with representatives of the Vietnamese
government. Although the U.S. Government is in the process of assessing the Vietnamese offers and consulting with
industry, we are clearly approaching an agreement that will open markets, improve Vietnam's trading rules, and provide
both the United States and Vietnam access to dispute resolution mechanisms that will benefit U.S. companies. The
conclusion of these negotiations will trigger a Congressional vote on Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for
Vietnam.
Expanding Ties
As Vietnam has increased its openness and integration with the global community, our bilateral ties and interactions
have rapidly expanded.
During Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's historic meeting with President Bush at the White House on June 21, 2005,
commemorating the tenth anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two leaders agreed to cooperate to promote peace,
prosperity and stability in Southeast Asia; upgrade our bilateral relations; and increase contacts of all kinds between
the Vietnamese and American governments and people.
In addition to the Human Rights Dialogue, we are now frankly discussing a broader range of regional issues because we
recognize that we have increasingly common interests. The Vietnamese Government favors a strong U.S. role in the region
and realizes the importance of U.S. ties to regional organizations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN).
We now have regular U.S. Naval ship visits to Vietnamese ports and we enjoy good cooperation with the Vietnamese
government on identifying and repatriating the remains of American servicemen who lost their lives in the Vietnam
conflict. So far, 599 Americans have been identified and repatriated since 1973, and our efforts continue. We are asking
the Vietnamese to do even more to help us account for the remaining servicemen.
Growing Assistance
In their June 21, 2005 Joint Statement, President Bush and Prime Minister Khai also agreed to "strengthen bilateral and
multilateral cooperation on transnational issues, including the global fight against terrorism, transnational crime,
narcotics, trafficking in persons, health and humanitarian issues, including the prevention of pandemics, especially
HIV/AIDS and Avian Influenza."
We are following up this commitment by providing Vietnam with $34 million in Fiscal Year 2006 assistance under the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, to support prevention, care and treatment programs to combat HIV/AIDS. With
this funding, U.S.-supported programs will reach five million young people with prevention messages, provide HIV
counseling and testing for 97,000 individuals, and provide care for 1,500 orphans and vulnerable children. In Fiscal
Year 2007, our funding is expected to exceed $50 million and the number of people receiving care and treatment supported
by U.S. assistance will double.
>From 2004 to 2006, the United States has committed $24 million through HHS and USAID to improve Vietnam's basic
veterinary and health systems to contain Avian Influenza in Vietnam, where 50 million poultry have been culled, and 42
human deaths recorded. U.S. industry is also playing a role in this critical effort.
The United States supports Vietnam's counter-terrorism capacity with police training provided by the International Law
Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok and through military exchanges. We are seeking to expand bilateral cooperation to
combat trade in illegal narcotics. We also support anti-trafficking programs run by NGOs operating at the borders of
China and Cambodia. Furthermore, we provide assistance in humanitarian demining, clearance of unexploded ordnance, and
secure trade.
Through the Support for Trade Acceleration (STAR) program, implemented by USAID, we promote trade and customs reform in
Vietnam's legal system and help the country to update its civil and commercial laws and implement its obligations under
the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). STAR is effective because it strengthens the legislative role of the
National Assembly, improves the business climate for U.S. companies, and helps create conditions conducive to increased
prosperity and rising incomes for all participants in the Vietnamese economy.
We have a small International Military Education Training (IMET) program in which we provide English language training
to Vietnamese military officers. Building that capacity will be important for Vietnamese officers to participate in
future training assignments and peacekeeping operations.
Our Fulbright program with Vietnam, funded at $5 million for the traditional programs for students and scholars, plus an
additional 1.5 million for the Fulbright Economic Teaching Program in Ho Chi Minh City, is one of the largest the world.
With these programs, Fulbright funds student and scholarly exchanges and an outstanding one-year program for mid-career
managers and policy makers.
One other important source for education of top Vietnamese students is the federally funded Vietnam Education
Foundation. Its mission is to strengthen the U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relationship through educational exchanges in
science and technology.
In 2006, Congress appropriated $2 million in Economic Support Funds for individuals and communities in Vietnam's Central
Highlands. We have reported to Congress already on our initial planning for the use of these funds and we expect to make
final decisions in the near future.
Human Rights and Religious Freedom
As Assistant Secretary Lowenkron and Ambassador Hanford laid out in detail, there remain serious deficiencies in Vietnam
with respect to human rights and religious and political freedoms. Vietnamese citizens have no meaningful vote. The
government, which is firmly under the control of the Communist Party, places severe restrictions on freedom of political
speech, limits access to the internet, and continues to block Radio Free Asia broadcasts. In addition, Vietnam remains a
Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for severe violations of religious freedom. We are addressing these important issues
head-on in the Human Rights Dialogue and in our day-to-day diplomatic conversations with the Vietnamese Government.
There are also positive developments on the human rights and religious freedoms front in Vietnam that should be
underscored. These include: the July 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief and its implementing regulations; the Prime
Minister's February 2005 instruction on Protestantism, which bans forced renunciations of faith; and the May 5, 2005,
exchange of letters between the United States and Vietnam. These represent a commitment by Vietnam to expand the scope
of religious freedom. We have welcomed the release of pro-democracy activist Nguyen Dan Que and religious dissident
Father Nguyen Van Ly although others, including Dr. Pham Hong Son, remain incarcerated, and we are working hard to get
them released. The Vietnamese can and should do more.
Watershed Year
I see 2006 as a watershed year for the bilateral relationship. Building on the positive momentum generated by last
year's visit by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, we are working this year toward the successful conclusion of our bilateral
WTO negotiations with Vietnam an agreement that benefits both the United States and Vietnam, and leads to its accession
to the WTO.
In this regard, I look forward to working with Congress when it takes up the issue of Permanent Normal Trade Relations
for Vietnam. We also will continue to press for improvements in the area of religious freedom and human rights. The
culmination of our efforts to advance the bilateral relationship in 2006 will be President Bush's visit to Hanoi for the
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting -- which the Government of Vietnam will host in November.
In sum, we are making progress on many fronts with Vietnam. In confronting transnational issues, expanding prosperity,
and promoting regional stability, Vietnam's interests are increasingly aligned with our own -- and, on human rights and
related issues, we are narrowing our differences. Looking ahead, we face a year full of opportunity for both nations to
pursue common interests and strengthen this important relationship. Thank you. I would be happy to take your questions.
Released on March 29, 2006
ENDS