Remarks by Ambassador Michael W. Marine

Reception for 10th Anniversary of Normalization
Hanoi

July 12, 2005

His Excellency, Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good evening and thank you for coming tonight to commemorate the 10th anniversary of normalization of relations between the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 

As we gather to celebrate on the grounds of this beautiful museum, one of Vietnam's premier cultural institutions, we recognize that this milestone is one distinguished not by a single event or accomplishment, but rather by a series of successes spanning a decade.  Ten years ago, then President Clinton and then Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet formally established diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam, paving the way for our two nations to open embassies in Hanoi and Washington, D.C., respectively.
Five years ago, then U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and then Trade Minister Vu Khoan signed the Bilateral Trade Agreement.  Since it took effect in December 2001, trade between our two countries has blossomed, exceeding $6.4 billion last year.   Mr. Zoellick, who is now Deputy Secretary of State, visited Vietnam in May 2005 to see the robust nature of Vietnam’s economy firsthand and to underscore U.S. support for Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organization.  Last month, Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải’s historic trip to the United States capped the first ten years of the U.S.-Vietnam relations and set the stage for the two sides to take the relationship to a higher plane. 

Our expanding relationship has manifested itself in many areas of cooperation beyond trade and investment, including military training, law enforcement, and educational exchanges such as those supported by the Fulbright program and the Vietnam Education Foundation.  Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, we are working together to combat the tragedy of HIV/AIDS.  Cooperation on the joint humanitarian mission to achieve the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel from the Indochina conflict provided the initial impetus that enabled us to move our relations forward, and this work remains a top priority.  Our concerns about human rights here are well-known, but we recognize that Vietnam today has a far more open society than a decade ago.   Recently, the Government has taken positive steps in the legal framework governing religion. Under these new policies, we look forward to seeing the Vietnamese people enjoy greater freedom to practice their religious beliefs.    In these and all areas of our relationship, we must not rest on our laurels but rather must continue striving to achieve more accomplishments. 

Tonight you have the opportunity to view the photographs by Peter Steinhauer and Nguyễn Hoài Linh in a special exhibition here at the Fine Arts Museum.   These pictures represent an extraordinary friendship of two talented people, depicted through their portraits from throughout this beautiful country.  The styles of these images are different but complementary; together, they capture a small part of Vietnam's unique beauty.  As we pause to reflect on the first decade of U.S.-Vietnam relations and to contemplate the next decade, the photographs by these two friends epitomize the growth in relations between our two countries on the human level.  Ten years from now, I wonder what stories of successful friendship and cooperation between Americans and Vietnamese like that of Peter and Linh we will have to be proud of.  I look forward to the journey ahead as we watch together what unfolds in our ever-growing bilateral relationship. 

Thank you.