Bush may get cool reception in Vietnam
HANOI - When Bill Clinton came to Vietnam six years ago, he drew huge, jubilant crowds at every stop on the first visit by an American president since the end of the war in 1975.
President Bush's reception at the Nov. 18-19 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi is likely to be considerably cooler.
Clinton was seen as a symbol of reconciliation between the two former foes, and everyone wanted a small piece of the historic occasion.
Bush's invasion of
Iraq, which some critics have dubbed America's second Vietnam, has many Vietnamese, their own memories of war still vivid, recoiling at the idea of another country taking on the superpower.
"I don't hate Bush personally, but I strongly opposed his invasion of Iraq," said Nguyen Thi Tu Oanh, a fourth-year university student from Hanoi. "Vietnamese people have been through so many years of war and they don't want to see the Iraqis, most of them civilians, bear the losses and suffering of the war there."
In an echo of criticism that Bush has heard, Clinton got an earful from Vietnam's top communist leader, who labeled the United States an imperialist country. Clinton's response also sounded familiar to today's Iraq watchers.
"The conflict here was over what self-determination for the Vietnamese people really meant, and what freedom and independence really meant," Clinton said at the time.
Ordinary Vietnamese responded to Clinton's charisma, and to the fact that he normalized relations between their nation and the United States, said Ton Nu Thi Ninh, deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Vietnam's National Assembly. The Vietnamese are very forgiving people, Ninh said, but many of them, especially old soldiers who fought the Americans, find the Iraq war unforgivable.
"I think it will be a polite and courteous welcome, but warm? I don't think so," Ninh said. "I don't think you will see crowds."
When Clinton arrived, thousands gathered along the route from Hanoi's international airport just before midnight in what was believed to be the largest turnout ever for a foreign head of state.
It was even more remarkable considering that Clinton's visit was not announced in the state-run media until three days before his flight touched down, no arrival time was given and the official welcoming ceremony was planned for the next morning. Official media had even suggested that Clinton should be given a cool reception.
The visit's sensitivity was underscored by government media using only reports from the Vietnam News Agency, which government censors checked thoroughly, instead of their own staffers, whose articles still would have had to be vetted by the government. Today, Internet cafes that have sprung up everywhere provide global access, though users have to deal with the government's firewalls.
Hoping to shake his hand, crowds gathered everywhere Clinton went, from shopping trips with wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea to meetings with Vietnamese officials. Most were young people born after the war.
"This only happens once in 1,000 years," homemaker Tran Thi Lan, 50, said at the time.
Even though Bush, another lame duck president, may not be basking in such adulation, Vietnamese are known for their politeness and still could turn out in large numbers. And there are many who see good coming from the trip. Bush has been pushing for Congressional approval for an agreement to normalize trade relations with Vietnam.
"Bush's visit is good for Vietnam," said Nguyen Van Hao, 50, who looks forward to warmer relations with Washington. "It would help to bring more trade and investment between the two countries."
By Paul Alexander - The Associated Press - November 13, 2006.
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