Cablegate: Hcmc Party Commission On Ideology and Culture Favors Foreign Investment

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

2001HOCHI01265 - UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ8986

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FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5681
INFO AMEMBASSY HANOI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 001265

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR BCLTV ALLAN LANGLAND

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL VN
SUBJECT: HCMC PARTY COMMISSION ON IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE FAVORS FOREIGN INVESTMENT

1.(U) SUMMARY: CONSUL GENERAL PAID A COURTESY CALL
NOVEMBER 6 ON MS. PHAM PHUONG THAO, HEAD OF THE HO CHI
MINH CITY PARTY COMMISSION ON IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE. IN
A CORDIAL MEETING, PHAM EXPLAINED SHE DEALS WITH A VERY
BROAD RANGE OF ISSUES, INCLUDING URBAN PLANNING. SHE
SPOKE AT LENGTH ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTRACTING FOREIGN
INVESTMENT TO HCMC AND ON THE PROBLEMS FLOWING FROM
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INTERNAL MIGRATION. SHE ALSO EXPLAINED HOW THE
COMMISSION CHECKS THE MEDIA TO ENSURE ITS CONTENT FITS
PARTY POLICIES, ALTHOUGH SOME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS
PERMITTED. END SUMMARY.

2.(U) FOREIGN INVESTMENT: PHAM EMPHASIZED HCMC'S
IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ROLE IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF
VIETNAM. SHE SAID FOREIGN INVESTMENT HAS ALREADY HAD A
POSITIVE IMPACT IN THE CITY AND SURROUNDING PROVINCES,
INCREASING BOTH OPPORTUNITIES AND AVAILABLE SERVICES.
SHE BELIEVES LOCAL AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN
TRANSPORTATION, EDUCATION, MEDICINE, MEDIA AND CULTURE
IS CRUCIAL TO BOTH THE CITY'S DEVELOPMENT AND ITS
EFFORTS TO COMBAT SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

3.(U) PHAM WAS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE MANY NEW BUSINESSES
THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED IN HCMC AND WANTS MORE. SHE
NOTED THAT ALTHOUGH 5,000 BUSINESSES HAD BEEN
ESTABLISHED IN THE PAST YEAR IN HCMC, SOME 3,000
BUSINESSES HAVE CLOSED. INJECTING A BIT OF HUMOR INTO
THE PROCEEDINGS, PHAM SAID SHE WAS COMMITTED TO THE
MARKET SYSTEM OF ECONOMICS, BUT IT WOULD BE NICER TO
SEE A "BETTER RATIO OF BUSINESS START-UPS TO BUSINESS
FAILURES."

4.(U) INTERNAL MIGRATION: PHAM HIGHLIGHTED INTERNAL
MIGRATION AS A MAJOR FACTOR IN HCMC'S RAPID GROWTH.
RURAL MIGRANTS TO HCMC PRIMARILY COME IN SEARCH OF
BETTER PAYING JOBS, WITH SALARIES FOR THE MENIAL JOBS
THEY FIND GENERALLY RANGING BETWEEN 40 TO 60 USD PER
MONTH. BUT HCMC IS SEEING SOME CITY RESIDENTS
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MIGRATING TO NEIGHBORING PROVINCES. THIS OUT-MIGRATION
IS DRIVEN BY THE DESIRE FOR HIGHER PAYING FACTORY JOBS,
WITH SALARIES AVERAGING 100 USD PER MONTH. PHAM SAW
THIS OUTFLOW OF WELL-EDUCATED PEOPLE AS A PROBLEM, AND
SAID FOREIGN INVESTMENT TO BUILD ADDITIONAL FACTORIES
IN HCMC WOULD HELP COMBAT THIS.

5.(U) MIGRATION ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS
SUCH AS PROSTITUTION AND BEGGING. PHAM STATED THAT
FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN HCMC BUSINESSES IS KEY TO HELPING
ALLEVIATE THESE SOCIAL PROBLEMS. SHE BELIEVES FOREIGN
INVESTMENT WILL HELP PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE OTHERWISE RELYING ON THESE
ACTIVITIES FOR THEIR INCOME.

6.(U) MASS TRANSIT: PHAM STATED THAT THE CITY
DESPERATELY NEEDS A MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM, EMPHASIZING
THE ROLE FOREIGN INVESTMENT COULD PLAY IN ITS CREATION.
SHE URGED U.S. BUSINESSES TO INVEST IN MASS TRANSIT FOR
HCMC. AT A MINIMUM, PHAM BELIEVES HCMC NEEDS TWO MASS
TRANSIT CORRIDORS (NORTH-SOUTH AND EAST-WEST). IN
ADDITION TO MASS TRANSIT, ENFORCEMENT OF EXISTING
TRAFFIC LAWS IS KEY TO MANAGING HCMC'S TRANSPORTATION
PROBLEMS. PHAM HIGHLIGHTED THE CURRENT EFFORT TO TEACH
DRIVERS IN HCMC TO FOLLOW BASIC TRAFFIC RULES, CALLING
IT AN "IMMENSE TASK". SHE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS
PUBLIC EDUCATION EFFORT -- ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO LAST
ONE YEAR -- MIGHT HAVE TO BE EXTENDED IN ORDER TO
PRODUCE THE DESIRED RESULTS.

7.(U) MEDIA CONTROLS: ANOTHER ASPECT OF HCMC'S ROLE IN
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THE SOUTHERN PART OF VIETNAM IS ITS FUNCTION AS A
CENTER FOR INFORMATION AND THE MEDIA. PHAM SAID PEOPLE
IN HCMC ARE "THIRSTY" FOR NEWS - DOMESTIC AND
INTERNATIONAL. IN HER POSITION AS HEAD OF THE HCMC
PARTY COMMISSION ON IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE, PHAM IS
INSTRUMENTAL IN SETTING THE POLICY AND REGULATIONS THAT
GOVERN THE MEDIA HERE. SHE SAID THE DEPARTMENT OF
CULTURE AND INFORMATION IS TASKED WITH IMPLEMENTING
THIS POLICY. PRINT MEDIA IN HCMC SUBMIT A COPY OF
THEIR PUBLICATIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE AND
INFORMATION, WHERE IT IS EVALUATED IN LIGHT OF THE
POLICY AND REGULATIONS ESTABLISHED BY THE PARTY
COMMISSION. IF THE MATERIAL FAILS THE EVALUATION, IT
CANNOT BE PUBLISHED. (COMMENT: ALTHOUGH CERTAIN TYPES
OF CRITICISM ARE ACCEPTED BY THE GVN, THE PRINT MEDIA
PRACTICES SELF-CENSORSHIP TO AVOID PROBLEMS WITH EITHER
THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION OR THE PARTY
COMMISSION.)

8.(U) CG ASKED PHAM ABOUT THE MEDIA'S FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION, ESPECIALLY RELATING TO EDITORIALS. CG ALSO
INQUIRED HOW FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS COULD BEST ASK FOR
CORRECTIONS IN ARTICLES OR COMMENTARY THAT DO NOT
ACCURATELY REFLECT THE FACTS OR THEIR VIEWS. PHAM
REPLIED THAT THE HCMC MEDIA SOMETIMES PROVIDE
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM THAT STRENGTHENS THE VIETNAMESE
GOVERNMENT. SUCH CRITICISM HAS SOMETIMES LED TO THE
GVN IMPLEMENTING DIFFERENT PROPOSALS. HOWEVER, SHE
ALSO NOTED THAT SOMETIMES THE MEDIA DO NOT HAVE ALL THE
FACTS ABOUT A CASE. IN THOSE INSTANCES, THE LOCAL
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GOVERNMENT INVOLVED COMMUNICATES WITH THE MEDIA IN HCMC
AND INFORMS THEM OF THEIR MISTAKES. THE MEDIA THEN
AMEND THEIR STATEMENTS AND PUBLISH THE CORRECT
INFORMATION. LIKEWISE, SOMETIMES THE MEDIA DO NOT HAVE
ALL THE FACTS ABOUT EVENTS OR POLICIES IN FOREIGN
COUNTRIES. THE LOCAL MEDIA ARE AWARE OF THIS, AND THE
COMMISSION URGES THEM TO BE OPEN TO MORE SOURCES OF
INFORMATION. CG STATED SHE WOULD TAKE UP THAT OFFER
AND WOULD PROVIDE REPORTERS WITH ACCURATE INFORMATION
ABOUT U.S. EVENTS/POLICIES. THE MEETING CONCLUDED WITH
BOTH PHAM AND THE CG EXPRESSING THEIR COMMITMENT TO
CONTINUED OPENNESS AND ACCESSIBILITY.

9.(U) COMMENT: PHAM WAS NOTABLE FOR HER IMPRESSIVE
COMMAND OF THE FACTS UNDERLYING HER BROAD AREAS OF
RESPONSIBILITY. SHE SPOKE VERY SOFTLY, BUT WITH A
RAPID-FIRE DELIVERY, LISTING STATISTICS FROM MEMORY TO
SUPPORT HER STATEMENTS IN ALL SUBJECT AREAS. HER
MANNER REMAINED FRIENDLY THROUGHOUT, INCLUDING WHEN
MORE SENSITIVE AREAS WERE BROACHED. THE IMPRESSION SHE
LEFT IS THAT THE PARTY COMMISSION ON IDEOLOGY AND
CULTURE REACHES BEYOND ITS NAME, TOUCHING MANY ASPECTS
OF LIFE IN HCMC -- INCLUDING THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF
URBAN PLANNING. END COMMENT. YAMAUCHI

UNCLASSIFIED

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