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Viewing cable 08HANOI1264, AMBASSADOR EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT VIETNAM'S DRAFT PRESS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08HANOI1264 2008-11-14 05:39 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Hanoi
VZCZCXRO0744
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #1264/01 3190539
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140539Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8730
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 5296
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001264 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/AWH AND EEB/CIP 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAS/OTEC CDICKSON AND BMERONEY AND 
4430/MAC/AP/OPB/VLC/HHPHO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EINT ECON TSPL KCOR KPAO SOCI PGOV PHUM PREL TBIO
VM 
 
SUBJECT:  AMBASSADOR EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT VIETNAM'S DRAFT PRESS 
LAW 
 
REF: HANOI 0569 
 
HANOI 00001264  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  The Ambassador met with Minister of Information & 
Communications (MIC) Le Duan Hop on November 6, 2008.  The 
Ambassador expressed concern about the Government of Vietnam's (GVN) 
draft press law, urged that private sector companies in Vietnam 
participate in the upcoming 2008 ICT Commercial Dialogue Working 
Group Meeting, and asked MIC to circulate a copy of its draft 
telecom law.  Minister Hop outlined his priorities, which include 
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education, and 
universal access and e-government.  Hop also asked the Ambassador to 
help Vietnam in its bid to establish a University of Information & 
Communications.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) The Ambassador met with Le Duan Hop, Minister of 
Information & Communications (MIC) on November 6.  MIC was formed in 
2007 after a merger between the Ministries of Culture & Information 
and Post & Telematics.  Hop, appointed Culture & Information 
Minister in 2006, has a PhD in Economics and is a member of the 
Communist Party Central Committee. 
 
Concern About New Press Law 
--------------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) The Ambassador expressed concern about Vietnam's new press 
law, which MIC is currently drafting.  The Ambassador said the new 
law, if passed in its current form, would tighten journalistic 
freedoms, exert overly broad political demands on journalists and 
editors, compel restructuring of media organizations, and place new 
censorship restrictions on press conferences and electronic media. 
The Ambassador offered to work with the Ministry to provide 
technical assistance to strengthen press freedom and reduce 
corruption, but Hop did not reply.  Note:  The Embassy plans to 
follow-up by sending the Ministry an offer of assistance in a 
letter. 
 
4. (SBU) Hop defended the new press law by citing what he said were 
several "inaccuracies" in Vietnamese press stories about the 2006 
PMU-18 case.  PMU-18, named after a unit of the GVN's Ministry of 
Transport, was a corruption scandal involving officials who stole 
development funds earmarked for roads and bridges, gambling much of 
it on European football games (Reftel).  In May 2008, police 
arrested two high-profile Vietnamese newspaper reporters and charged 
them with "abuse of power" for their reporting.  A court 
subsequently convicted both reporters of "violating democratic 
freedom rights," sentencing one to prison.  Hop told the Ambassador 
that the reporters deliberately tried to exaggerate the wealth of a 
high-ranking Transport official accused of wrongdoing in the case. 
 
5. (SBU) Hop said MIC is finalizing the draft law and hoped to send 
it to the National Assembly for approval in May 2009.  He said that 
while some view the new law as complicated and restrictive, the 
Ministry aims to create a "comprehensive and transparent" legal 
regime for the press.  The Ambassador asked Hop to support the 
efforts of foreign news organizations to open offices in HCMC, which 
the GVN currently does not permit. 
 
Private Sector Participation in ICT Commercial Dialogue 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
6. (SBU) Turning to the upcoming ICT Commercial Dialogue, the 
Ambassador thanked the Minister for sending a 20-member interagency 
delegation to Washington and encouraged Vietnam to send private 
sector representatives as well.  Currently, no Vietnamese companies 
are scheduled to attend the Dialogue.  (Note:  Following the 
meeting, the Ministry reported that Madame Quan Duy Ngan Ha, MIC's 
ICT Dialogue Working Group leader, would not attend the Dialogue 
Working Group Meeting.  Instead, Bui Nhu Uyen, the Ministry's lead 
official on ICT education, will lead the delegation.  End note.) 
The Ambassador noted that MIC has proposed universal access, 
e-government and ICT education as topics for the Dialogue's Working 
Group, and he asked the Minister to elaborate on Vietnam's plan to 
develop these capabilities. 
 
7. (SBU) Hop responded energetically by outlining the GVN's desire 
to collaborate with a U.S. university to develop an Information & 
Communications University in Vietnam.  The Ambassador welcomed the 
idea and asked the Ministry to provide a paper with additional 
details in time for the Joint Education Task Force Conference in HCM 
City in January 2009. 
 
Vietnam's E-Government Ambitions 
-------------------------------- 
 
 
HANOI 00001264  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
8. (SBU) Hop admitted that the rollout of e-government services, 
which the GVN has been discussing for several years, was proceeding 
"very slowly."  He agreed with the Ambassador that Vietnam would 
likely require a new agency to coordinate technology standards among 
the various ministries.  Hop said e-government was "critical" to 
ensure that Vietnam's central government could communicate with its 
citizens, provincial government and the business community.  "We can 
only solve corruption and other shortcomings by deploying government 
services online," he said. 
 
9. (SBU) Note:  The World Bank agreed in 2006 to lend Vietnam $88 
million toward a $197 million ICT Development Project.  The project, 
signed by then-State Bank governor Le Duc Thuy, aimed to modernize 
Vietnam's ICT infrastructure and enhance e-government services.  The 
World Bank has warned Vietnam that it will withdraw the funding by 
December 1, 2008 if the GVN fails to hire consultants to analyze its 
ICT status.  End note. 
 
10. (SBU) MIC is working to increase telecom and broadband coverage 
in rural areas and Hop said Vietnam hoped to learn from the 
experience of the United States in achieving this goal.  (Note: In a 
2005 ICT strategy paper, the GVN outlined a goal to reach internet 
subscription rates of 8-12 per 100 people, of which 30 percent would 
be broadband subscriptions.  End note).  Hop also stressed that it 
was imperative for Vietnam's managers and business professionals to 
receive ICT training.  In closing, the Ambassador urged the Minister 
to circulate a draft of Vietnam's long-awaited new telecom law (now 
dubbed the "Communications Law") and expressed hope that MIC would 
adhere to its latest timeline to issue four 3G licenses by January 
2009.  U.S. companies Qualcomm and Motorola believe that 3G services 
will help to expand mobile voice and high-speed broadband data 
services to Vietnamese in urban and rural areas. 
 
MICHALAK