Hanoi in Full Bloom
HANOI -- I began my first term as Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the United Nations in January 1993, in New York City. I was given two tasks: to work with the U.N., and to negotiate the normalization of Vietnam's relationship with the U.S. It was right in the middle of the Northeastern winter, and U.S.-Vietnam relations were still frozen.
However, in the spring of that year, the ice on the East River began to thaw. By autumn, the U.S. removed the embargo on World Bank lending to Vietnam. In February of the next year, the U.S. trade embargo on Vietnam was lifted, leading to the establishment of diplomatic relations in January 1995. U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Vietnam in 2000. The two countries agreed on a bilateral trade agreement in 2001, and our prime minister visited the U.S. at the invitation of President George W. Bush in June last year, marking the first-ever visit by a Vietnamese state leader since the war.
Within a span of a decade, the U.S.-Vietnam relationship has evolved from nearly nonexistent ties to normalization. It is now ready to move to new heights. On June 13, draft legislation granting permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status to Vietnam was presented to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate for consideration and approval. In this week's session, the U.S. Congress now has the opportunity to lay the final span of the bridge to normalization of U.S.-Vietnamese ties.
This development takes place at a time when Vietnam is transforming at a rapid pace. Visitors to my country today are greeted with big and colorful signs and billboards about the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings to be held in Hanoi this month. In addition to welcoming the leaders from 21 Asia-Pacific economies, Vietnam will also receive five official state visits during APEC's 14th Economic Leaders' meetings. While the APEC meeting is the apex of Vietnam's diplomacy this year, there is a strong sense of optimism, too, as World Trade Organization officially accepted Vietnam as a full member on November 7. Adding to this joyful atmosphere, all countries of Asia unanimously agreed to nominate Vietnam for the non-permanent seat of the U.N. Security Council for the term of 2008 to 2009.
A strong sense of optimism exists throughout Vietnam. This year, the economy is expected to grow 8.2% and absorb $6.5 billion of foreign direct investment. Total trade volume is estimated to increase more than 24%, to nearly $78 billion. On November 10, Intel announced a $1 billion investment in Ho Chi Minh City's high-tech park. Vietnam is expected to attract nearly three million visitors this year. The new government is determined to carry out our policy of openness and comprehensive reforms, called doi-moi. The fight against corruption is strong and gaining momentum.
On the eve of President Bush's visit, the PNTR bill is much talked about. By granting PNTR, the U.S. Congress would approve the result of bilateral negotiations between the two countries that concluded on May 31, laying the groundwork for this month's vote.
PNTR is not only a gesture of full normalization; it is the engine for the next step in advancing U.S.-Vietnamese relations. The economic relationship between the two countries is a two-way street and rapidly expanding. Total trade volume may reach $10 billion this year. The U.S. is now one of Vietnam's largest trading partners. A country of 85 million people, Vietnam is a promising market for American goods. Right now, the biggest items on our purchase list are Boeing airplanes, Lockheed Martin satellites and others, such as Ford SUVs and Wisconsin beef -- but this list is growing. Already, people are bracing for the roar of Harley-Davidsons on Vietnam's roads.
Together with the bright prospect for mutually beneficial economic relations, there are other aspects of the relationship that should be noticed. The two countries have maintained newly established defense contacts. American naval ships visit Vietnam annually and two U.S. secretaries of defense have visited Vietnam since the 1990s. There already exists a strong cooperation program on antiterrorism and antidrug trafficking, and concerned agencies are talking of ways to further promote this cooperation. Efforts to account for missing American servicemen have been ongoing for more than 15 years, and will be further expanded. The two countries have also forged a strong partnership in the fight against the AIDS epidemic and avian influenza.
On top of all these developments, this month we will welcome President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush to Vietnam for the APEC meetings. It will be another opportunity for us to showcase the Vietnam of today -- not "Vietnam as a war," but "Vietnam as a country and a people." We want to show the dynamism, the progress, and the eagerness of the Vietnamese people to look forward to an ever-brighter future. We want to show that while the wounds of war are still there, the seeds for a better relationship between the people of the U.S. and Vietnam have been planted.
We want, too, to make sure that misinformation about Vietnam will be amended. To some who still comment and cast judgments from a distance, we want to dispel rumors, particularly about press freedom. Not only is the U.S. Department of State's website available on the Internet in Vietnam, but also those of Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, the BBC, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.
Forty-seven years ago, when former President Ho Chi Minh directed Vietnamese forces to guarantee the safety and aid in the passage of America's downed pilots back to Allied territories at the height of the World War II, he had hoped that the U.S. would play a part in the future of an independent Vietnam. The relationship between our two countries is strong and growing. Now is the right time for us to shelve the past and look toward the future. We should not miss this opportunity.
I left Washington D.C. in 2001 after nearly nine years as the first Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the United States, when the spring cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
Mr. Bang is deputy minister of foreign affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. He was Vietnam's ambassador to the U.S. from February 1995 to June 2001. This is the first in a series on Vietnam this week.
美、越关系前景灿烂
黎文庞
1993年1月，我开始了作为越南社会主义共和国驻联合国大使的第一个任期。当时我的任务有两个，一是参与联合国事务，二是开展越、美关系正常化谈判。当时美国东北部正值隆冬季节，美、越关系也是一片冰封雪冻。
但随着春天的到来，纽约东河也开始解冻了。到秋天时，美国不再反对世界银行(World Bank)向越南贷款。来年的2月，美国取消了对越南的贸易禁运，并最终导致越、美两国在1995年1月建立了外交关系。美国总统克林顿(Bill Clinton)于2000年到访越南。两国在2001年达成了双边贸易协定，而我国总理也在去年6月应美国总统布什(George W. Bush)之邀访问了美国，这是越南国家领导人在越战后首次访美。
在10年的时间里，美、越两国从几乎毫无往来到实现了关系正常化。两国关系现在正准备向新的高度迈进。今年6月13日，一项给予越南永久正常贸易关系地位(PNTR)的立法草案被送交美国国会参众两院审议。在本周的会议期间，美国国会将有机会为美、越关系正常化之桥铺下最后一块桥板。
上面这些事情都是在越南经历迅速转变之际发生的。近日到访我国的游客首先看到的将是一幅幅巨型彩色标语和广告牌，告诉人们亚太经济合作组织(APEC)年会本月在河内召开。会议期间除了要招待21个亚太经济体的领导人，越南还将迎来五次国事访问。虽然APEC会议是越南今年一系列外交活动的最高潮，但让人高兴的事情还不止这一桩，世界贸易组织(WTO)已于11月7日正式接纳越南为其成员，另外，亚洲国家一致同意提名越南在2008至2009年期间任联合国安理会非常任理事国一事更是锦上添花。
越南举国上下弥漫着浓厚的乐观情绪。今年，我国经济预计将增长8.2%，吸收的外商直接投资将达到65亿美元。外贸总额预计将增长24%以上，达到近780亿美元。英特尔公司(Intel)于11月10日宣布，将在胡志明市的高科技园区投资10亿美元。今年访问越南的游客预计将接近300万人次。越南新一届政府决心继续执行革新开放政策。政府反腐败的势头也很强劲且还在不断加大力度。
在布什总统访越前夕，PNTR法案成了人们谈论的热门话题。如能给予越南PNTR地位，美国国会也将批准美、越两国在5月31日的双边谈判中达成的协议，本月就此举行的投票也就有了很大定数。
PNTR地位不仅仅是美、越关系全面正常化的标志，它还是推两国关系更进一步发展的动力所在。美、越经济关系是一种双向交流，这一关系目前正在迅速发展。两国今年的双边贸易额有可能达到100亿美元。美国目前是越南最大的贸易伙伴之一。有着8,500万人口的越南是美国商品的一个大有前途的市场。越南目前从美国采购的最大宗商品包括波音(Boeing)飞机、洛克希德马丁公司(Lockheed Martin)生产的卫星以及福特公司(Ford)出产的运动型多用途车和产自威斯康星州的牛肉等，但这一采购清单还在不断加长。现在，人们在越南的公路上也能听到Harley-Davidson牌摩托车的轰鸣声了。
除了互利经济关系的光明前景外，美、越关系还有其他一些方面也值得注意。两国一直保持着新建立的防务接触。美国的海军舰船每年都要访问越南，自上世纪90年代以来，已有两位美国国防部长访问过越南。两国在反恐和打击毒品走私方面已建立了强有力的合作关系，相关机构正在讨论加强这一合作的途径。搜寻在越失踪美国军人的工作已经进行了15年，还将继续进行下去。两国在防控艾滋病和禽流感方面也已结成了强有力的合作伙伴。
就在美、越两国关系不断发展之际，我们本月还将迎来出席APEC会议的布什总统和夫人。这将为我们提供另一个展示当今越南的机会──人们看到的不再是越南的战争，而是越南这个国家及其人民。我们希望展示越南的活力、进步以及越南人民向往美好未来的迫切心情。我们希望外界看到，虽然战争的创伤依然存在，但美、越两国改善关系的种子已经播下。
我们也希望关于越南的种种错误信息能够得到纠正。对于那些不深入了解实际情况就妄加评论和判断的人，我们希望能驱散谣言，特别是有关新闻自由的不实之词。在越南，通过互联网不仅可以登录美国国务院的网站，还能登录自由亚洲电台(Radio Free Asia)、美国之音(Voice of America)、英国广播公司(BBC)和《华尔街日报》(The Wall Street Journal)等新闻机构的网站。
多年前，在第二次世界大战进入高潮时，当前越南国家主席胡志明下令越南军队保护被击落的美军飞行员并在他们返回盟军控制区途中给予帮助时，他就已对美国在未来独立后的越南扮演一定角色寄予了希望。美、越两国的关系目前发展势头强劲且越来越好。现在是我们告别过去、展望未来的时候了。我们不应该错过这一机会。
2001年，在担任了数年的越南社会主义共和国首任驻美大使后，我离开了华盛顿，当时正是春季，华盛顿到处都是樱花烂漫。
（编者按：本文作者黎文庞(Le Van Bang)是越南社会主义共和国外交部副部长。他在1995年2月至2001年6月期间担任越南驻美大使。）
