AMBASSADOR MICHAEL W. MICHALAK

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our celebration! We mark our national day as the anniversary – this year it’s 233 - of America’s Declaration of Independence. That declaration, written by Thomas Jefferson, expressed the desire of the American people to be free from tyranny in one of the most famous sentences in the English language:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Impressive words, timeless words and words that were used by Ho Chi Minh in his Independence speech on Sept 2, 1945.

To be honest, Americans traditionally celebrate this day much less formally than we are doing today. We cook out and we watch firework displays, but as we do today, we celebrate the values Thomas Jefferson asserted: economic freedom, the freedom to choose our government, and, freedom of expression.

We have much to celebrate in this 233rd year of our independence. We witnessed the 43rd peaceful transfer of power of the most powerful office in our nation, with a new President who embodies the American spirit of “equal opportunity for all.”

This has also been a year where we have celebrated and worked to deepen our relationship with Vietnam through cooperation on a wide range of issues -- in the long-term interests of both countries and for the peace, prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. We continued to deepen our political-military relationship, to work together on issues of economic governance, administrative reform and transparency. Making good on agreements between our countries’ leaders, cooperation on health and the environment continues to grow. Bilateral trade continues to expand. This year we’ve had Trade and Investment Framework talks, successfully concluded an agreement on cargo flights which will make it even easier to do business here, and begun to negotiate a Bilateral Investment Treaty. Even in the face of the global economic crisis, U.S. investor interest in Vietnam remains high.

It has been of my top priorities to double the number of Vietnamese studying in the United States and I’m pleased that we’ve made good on that commitment. Vietnamese students now make up the eighth largest group of foreign students studying in the United States—up from ranking 21st in 2006! These students are not only getting a great education in the U.S., but they are teaching their classmates and teachers about Vietnam, strengthening bilateral ties and making a real contribution to Vietnam’s economic and political development. Our unwavering commitment to academic integrity and freedom of expression has helped the United States to develop what I believe is an unparalleled education system. I hope to see more Vietnamese students take advantage of its many opportunities.

I am honored that so many people have joined us today in celebrating America’s birthday. I thank all of you for coming, including representatives from American businesses in Vietnam, many of whom have directly contributed to the success of this event. And I thank those of you who were not able to be with us here tonight for your courage, and for your service.

Please join me in toasting the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, their leaders and their people, and the relationship between our two nations. May we continue to deepen our friendship!