Tea with the Vietnamese Ambassador MANILA - Vietnam marked an important milestone in its history a few months ago. In April 1975, Communist troops from the northern half of the country captured Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), resulting in the reunification of the war-ravaged country. Vietnam has changed a lot in the last 25 years. At the end of that costly war, the country remained hugely isolated and proceeded along a strict Socialist path. Then, in the 1980s, the former Soviet Union Russia and China experimented with market economy policies. The trend gained ground among the allies and Vietnam followed suit. The socialist state has undergone drastic changes since 1975. While keeping its socialist values, it has worked hard to join the mainstream and opened up its economy. Life has normalized and business is booming. In fact, Vietnam has emerged as a favored destination in the region for foreign capital. It will be very interesting to see how this fast-burgeoning emerging market develops for the next 25 years. Over a cup of tea and a light snack, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thac Dinh talks about his country’s ties with the Philippines and its vision for the future. Below are excerpts of an exclusive interview the ambassador granted the Manila Times. The Manila Times: Vietnam has just celebrated the 25th anniversary of the reunification of the country. How would you assess the progress of the nation? Dinh: The reunification of Vietnam created very favorable conditions for our country to recover and develop our society and economy. We have scored great achievements over the past 25 years particularly after 1986 when our government and people implemented the Renovation Policy or Doi Moi as it is called in Vietnamese. Having implemented Doi Moi over the past 15 years, we not only have made our country come out of socio-economic crisis but maintain a high annual growth rate and create the foundation for the new period of development, which is the industrialization and modernization of the country. Thanks to the Doi Moi policy, the average annual growth of the GDP from 1992 to 1999 has been eight percent. In the field of agriculture, Vietnam has evolved from a rice-importing country into one of the biggest rice-exporting countries in the world. And, the living standards of the people, particularly the poor, have increased. Peace and security in our country have been maintained. The number of countries that have diplomatic relations with Vietnam has increased. As of now, Vietnam has set up diplomatic relations with 167 countries and trade relations with more than 130 countries. Total foreign investment in Vietnam is valued now at nearly $40 billion, and ODA (Overseas Development Assistance) in Vietnam is valued at more than $10 billion. What is Vietnam’s vision of development for the next 25 years? The next 25 years is a crucial period for the development of our country. Vietnam shall continue implementing its Renovation Policy. We shall also fully develop our domestic strength, expand external economic relations, promote the cause of industrialization and modernization, and increase the effectiveness and competitiveness of our economy. We shall also try our best to realize the objective laid down by our government, which is to build a socialist Vietnam into a strong country with an equitable and civilized society and rich people. What is the thrust of Vietnam’s presence in the Philippines? The main thrust of our presence in the Philippines is to promote friendly relations and multi-level cooperation not only for the interest of our countries but also for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in this region as well as in the world over. How would you describe the relations between Vietnam and the Philippines? Vietnam and the Philippines have many similarities in history and culture. Our peoples share the same aspirations to build strong countries, to promote happy and prosperous lives, and contribute to the cause of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world. Vietnam and the Philippines established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level on July 12,1976 and soon after set up their respective embassies in Hanoi and Manila. I am greatly pleased to tell you that relations between Vietnam and the Philippines have been developing very fast. Recently, the leaders of our countries have made high-level visits - namely the visit to the Philippines of Prime Minister Vo Van Keit in February 1992 and President Le Duc Anh in November 1995 and the visits to Vietnam of former president Fidel Ramos in March 1994 and President Joseph E. Estrada in December 1998. Through the several agreements signed between the two countries, the relations do not only cover the economic, trade, and investment fields but also culture, education, trade, and science and technology. Bilateral trade volume increased very fast from $75 million in 1994 to $300 million in 1999. Vietnam exports to the Philippines mainly rice, agricultural products, white sand, coal, and imports from the Philippines mainly fertilizers, medicine, and automotive spare parts. And, as of now, total Philippine investments in Vietnam has reached $254 million, the 20th highest among all foreign countries and fourth among ASEAN members. What can Vietnam learn from the Philippines? There are a lot of things that Vietnam can learn from the Philippines, particularly in the economic development and the market economy. We have sent various delegations to study and exchange experiences with the Philippines in these areas so that we can learn and apply the good lessons in conformity with our policy and the conditions of our countries. We would like to thank the Philippine government and people for sincerely and openly sharing these experiences with us. What can the Philippines learn from Vietnam? As far as I know, many Philippine officials and people highly appreciate the development of our country from a rice-importing economy to a rice-exporting country. They say that this is one of the areas from which the Philippines can learn; and cooperate closely for our mutual benefit. What is the most satisfying aspect of being a diplomat? I think one has a good opportunity to know very well the people and country in which one serves. A diplomat can also make a contribution to promote cooperation between your country and the host country. What is the biggest difficulty of being in the foreign service? Every diplomat experiences different difficulties. For Vietnamese diplomats, the biggest difficulty is living far away from their families and relatives because many of them cannot bring their families to live with them due to the education of their children, language barrier, and jobs. How heavy is the workload of Vietnam’s ambassador to the Philippines? I myself am quite busy here since I have many activities, appointments, and functions. The workload is increasing because the relations and cooperation between our two countries have developed fast. All of my work as well as that of the embassy staff is to make an active contribution to promoting the relationship between our two countries, particularly in the economic, trade, and agricultural fields. In performing my duties, I am very happy to enjoy the kind of assistance and cooperation from the government and people of the Philippines. I am sure that without their assistance and cooperation, I would not be able to fulfill my task. Do you get a lot of free time? And, how do you spend it? I do not have much free time. Normally, I play table tennis with my staff after work. In the evenings, I often watch the news and films on television or read books. During the free weekends, I sometimes play golf or go sightseeing. What do you like the most about the Philippines? The people. I think the Filipino people are very warm, open-minded, hospitable and ready to help others. Wherever I go and whomever I meet, whether it is the President or an ordinary person, I always enjoy the warm feeling and friendship extended by them. Also, I enjoy the climate in the Philippines because it is almost the same as that in Vietnam. Since I got here, I feel like I have been living and working in Vietnam. What displeases you most about the Philippines? I think it has to be the traffic jams. There were times when I arrived very late or too early for some functions because one cannot tell exactly how long it would take to go to certain places. But, there have been less traffic jams recently. What surprised you the most about the Philippines when you first arrived? The jeepney. Nowhere in the world can one find vehicles as colorful as the jeepneys in the Philippines. And, I think this kind of transport is very convenient and cheap for the people, particularly the poor. By Juan Ramos Tanjuatco - The Manila Times - June 23, 2000.