W.Minh Tuan

US President Bill Clinton’s visit to Vietnam in the year 2000 opened a new chapter in the history of the two countries Vietnam and US of America, and especially, created conditions for Vietnam to open its doors to the world.

My house is in Cau Giay street-Ha Noi. I remember the night of November 17, 2000, when US President Bill Clinton’s American motorcade headed from Noi Bai airport to Hanoi, passing Cau Giay street in front of my house, a whole forest of people stood on both sides of Cau Giay street, extending several kilometers, all the way to Daiwoo Hotel, to wait for US President Bill Clinton.

All of Vietnamese deeply admire the representative of the most free, democratic, and powerful and wealthy country in the world.

Then suddenly the whole forest of people chanted “Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray” as President Bill Clinton’s motorcade began to pass by.

That day, the day US President Bill Clinton visited Vietnam, was the day I went to the Japanese Embassy to apply for a visa to Japan, under the status of family reunification.

I stood silently in the group of Vietnamese people welcoming US President Bill Clinton on the Cau Giay street in front of my house, and thought to myself that if Vietnam had conditions like America, then surely I would not be inferior to the US President, and I may also be that respectable person like him.

The day I boarded the plane to Japan, in the waiting room to board the plane, around me were many Vietnamese people with austere faces going to work abroad in Japan, as labor export criterior.

On April 30, 1975, we kicked the Americans out of Vietnam. And now, we Vietnamese stand in long lines, waiting to sell our labor in foreign lands, in pursuit of prosperity and happiness. And I’m also waiting to go to the land of cherry blossoms, to build my little happiness.

The Americans invaded and ruled Japan from 1945 to 1952, and the Commander of the American forces that colonized Japan, General Mac Arthur, made a democratic Constitution for Japan in 1946, and forced Japan to implement it according to that democratic Constitution.

I keep imagining that if the Japanese were as heroic as our Vietnamese people, also fought against America until the day of complete victory, and may also had a liberation day on April 30 that shook the earth like our Vietnam, then what would Japan be like now? huh?

Now Japan is also moving quickly, strongly, and steadily towards Socialism.

Japan will have talented officials with “resolutions put on their heads, policies put on their shoulders, put stance sandals on their feet, and their mouths shouting progress forward“.

They will not have companies like Panasonic, Toyota, Sony, Honda, Yamaha, Mitsubishi, Hitachi,,,, but instead, they will have companies like Red Flag Company, Hammer and Sickle Corporation, Revolution firm, Pioneer Farm, Youth Volunteer Joint Stock Company,,,.

At that time, Red Flag Toyota Company will mainly make cars to transport Japanese leaders to meetings. Honda Hammer and Sickle Company will make motorbikes to carry the guidelines and policies of the Japanese State. Sony Revolution Company will make televisions to propagate the resolutions of Japan’s ruling party,,,.

And then, I will no longer go to Japan, but the Japanese will go to Vietnam, and I will teach them how to conduct class struggle, how to lead the proletariat, and how to clean up the cadres through criticism and self-criticism,,,.

At the age of 27, Mr. Bill Clinton was a Professor at the University of Arkansas, teaching law.

As for me, at the age of 27, in 1987, I was doing investigative reporting on the Dong Tien case, Hung Yen, investigating a group of commune leaders, from secretary to chairman, who repressing and oppressing people, arrest people, put people in pesticide warehouses, and rob people of their land. And the most difficult thing is that Provincial Party Secretary Le Duc Binh shielded and protected the Dong Tien commune’s corrupted leadership group.

I won the First Prize of the Vietnam Journalists Association in 1988 for this series of investigative reports about the Dong Tien case, when I was 28 years old.

At the age of 32, Mr. Bill Clinton began serving as Governor of Arkansas, and served as Governor of this State for 5 terms, until 1991, when he ran for President of the United States.

He is the youngest State Governor in America.

As for me, at the age of 32, in 1992, I started doing investigative reporting on the Chuong Duong Bridge case, the case in which a traffic police officer of the Hanoi Police shot and killed young Nguyen Viet Phuong, while young Phuong was carrying 50 million VND of the Company across Chuong Duong bridge. Many other newspapers also participated in this case, most notably the Hanoi Capital Women newspaper.

As a result, the traffic police officer was sentenced to capital punishment.

At the age of 34, Bill Clinton lost his second bid for Governor of Arkansas. As for me, at the age of 34, in 1994, when Vietnam first allowed people to self-run for local election, I ran for election to the Hanoi People’s Council, and was elected for the 1994-1999 term. .

At the age of 37, Mr. Bill Clinton was re-elected as Governor of Arkansas, his second term.

As for me, at the age of 37, in 1997, I ran for election to the National Assembly, but was removed from the election list, without reason, even though I passed the first two rounds of consultation, with over 80%. number of votes in favor.

At the age of 39, Mr. Bill Clinton is serving as Governor of Arkansas for his fifth term.

As for me, at the age of 39, in 1999, I did investigative reporting on the Thang Long-Hanoi Aquarium park project incident, leading to the dismissal of Deputy Prime Minister Ngo Xuan Loc. This is the first time a Deputy Prime Minister has been dismissed because of an incident reported by the press-my investigating reporting.

I won the Second Prize of the Vietnam Journalists Association in early 2000 for this investigative report. A leader of the Vietnam Journalists Association told me that I deserved to win the First Prize, but if I did that, it would be like “slapping to the Government in the face”, so no, just Second Prize, to save the Government out of humiliated.

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai shook my hand and gave me this Certificate of Second Prize of Merit at the award ceremony held at Giang Vo Exhibition Area, Hanoi in early 2000.

Since then, our Vietnamese press has no longer been able to produce any major investigative reports like that.

By 2006, when I was already settled in Japan, and in the Vietnam country, the press and the Criminal Police Department coordinated to investigate the PMU 18 case, and I was thinking that we could dismiss and imprison a Deputy Minister of Transport, and a Major General of Police who were corrupted in this case.

But then these two were reinstated to their positions, and Major General, Director of the Criminal Police Department, Pham Xuan Quac, who directed the investigation of the PMU18 case, was counter-prosecuted and dragged to court. The incorruptible Police Lieutenant Colonel who directly investigated the PMU18 case was also prosecuted for reverse investigation for revealing work secrets, false investigation, and was sentenced to 1 year in prison!!!.

I hope that one day, Major General Pham Xuan Quac and comrade Police Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Van Huynh will be exonerated.

At the age of 40, Bill Clinton is still the Governor of Arkansas, and is planning to run for President of the United States.

As for me, at the age of 40, at the end of 2000, I resigned from Dai Doan Ket newspaper, said goodbye to my beloved Fatherland Vietnam, said goodbye to relatives, said goodbye to friends, to go to the land of free cherry blossoms. , building the happiness of his little family.

And in 2000, US President Bill Clinton completed two terms as US President and then visited Vietnam, opening a new chapter in the development of relations between Vietnam and the United States.

During his two terms as President of the United States, President Bill Clinton has done many important things that benefit the Vietnamese people, and the United States.

In January 1994, he signed a decision to lift the embargo on Vietnam.

And on July 15, 1995, he signed a decision to normalize Vietnam-US relations.

Without these two decisions of President Bill Clinton, Vietnam would still be closed to the world, no country would dare to play with Vietnam, dare not to invest in Vietnam, if the Americans did not turn on the green light.

Without those two decisions of US President Bill Clinton, Vietnam would not have been able to receive more than 800 billion USD of foreign investment capital poured into Vietnam so far, until in 2023, plus more than 200 billion USD of capital of ODA from other countries has poured in to help Vietnam until now – 2023, and our Vietnamese economy has not been able to grow as fast as 7%, 8% a year for more than 20 years.

He is also the only American President who, when he was young, opposed the Vietnam War, dodged the military draft, and he was almost brought to court for draft evasion.

I really feel grateful to US President Bill Clinton.

I read US President Bill Clinton’s autobiography: “My Life” in English

In this book, President Bill Clinton talked a lot about the relationship between Vietnam and the US, and especially wrote about the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement in the US and around the world.

However, in the 957 pages of that book, President Bill Clinton only spent more than 1 page talking about that historic visit to Vietnam in 2000.

He expressed praise for President Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai because these two leaders showed a soft, polite, and understanding attitude when holding talks with President Bill Clinton.

But he was very critical of General Secretary Le Kha Phieu, because during the meeting between the two of them, our comrade General Secretary Phieu of Vietnam kept talking about the old Vietnam war, denouncing American imperialism, which seems Mr.Phieu does not see that President Bill Clinton’s visit to Vietnam is for the two countries to look forward to the future, together to build a better future for the two nations, and for the world, not to keep looking back forever? to curse each other.

President Bill Clinton did not visit Vietnam to curse at Vietnam.

And he was also an opponent of the Vietnam War in the past.

If only General Secretary Le Kha Phieu had thanked US President Bill Clinton for opposing the war in Vietnam at that time.

But actually, you have to be inside to understand and sympathize with Comrade General Secretary Le Kha Phieu.

Because in 1999, comrade Le Kha Phieu led a delegation of Vietnamese leaders to visit Western European countries.

In several Western European countries, comrade Le Kha Phieu made a speech to the leaders of those countries, basically saying that you lead your countries to make your people happy. We, the Communist Party of Vietnam, also try to lead to make our Vietnamese people be happy.

Comrade General Secretary Le Kha Phieu spoke very sincerely and correctly.

However, when he returned to Vietnam, Comrade General Secretary Le Kha Phieu was criticized by some of his revolutionary predecessors for losing his class stance, and as capitalists, they only exploit people, never make people be happy,,,.

Perhaps that is why, when receiving President Bill Clinton, comrade Le Kha Phieu appeared too rigid and conservative.

When President Bill Clinton visited Vietnam on November 17, 2000, the entire Vietnamese people happily welcomed him.

As for me, when I arrived in Japan at the end of November that year 2000, at Narita airport, there was only one person who came to welcome me, holding a small bouquet of flowers, that was my wife, a Japanese female journalist, a reporter for the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri. She worked as a permanent reporter in Vietnam for 3 years, and we got to know each other, and decided to spend our lives together.

In August 2000, we had a small wedding in Hanoi, then she returned to Japan first, and then carried out the procedures to welcome me to Japan later.

I remember in early 2000, Mr. Pham Huy Hoan, Editor-in-Chief of Lao Dong newspaper, met me and invited me to leave Dai Doan Ket newspaper and work in the Political Department of Lao Dong newspaper. At that time, I had already decided to go to Japan, so I had to ask Huy Hoan for permission to refuse his invitation.

I am very grateful to Mr. Pham Huy Hoan.

However, if I accept Mr. Huy Hoan’s invitation to go to Lao Dong newspaper to be a reporter, it is very likely that in 2006, when the PMU18 incident occurs, I will also be involved, and will be arrested and imprisoned like Mr. Nguyen Viet Chien, reporter for Thanh Nien newspaper. Mr. Nguyen Viet Chien, because he enthusiastically wrote articles about the PMU18 case, was arrested and imprisoned for 2 years.

If I were still in Vietnam, I would definitely participate in this PMU18 case, and especially, I have a very close relationship with Comrade Major General Pham Xuan Quac, Director of the Criminal Police Department, who only Leading the investigation of the PMU18 case.

If so, how can I go to Japan to see the cherry blossoms?

Because in a prison in Vietnam, how can there be cherry blossoms to see?

Okay.

In prison, people can still see cherry blossoms, see in the dream of Freedom.

I wrote my own comment on the first page of President Bill Clinton’s book “My Life” as follows:

“Only democratic, free countries like America can produce great people like President Bill Clinton, and thus bring the country to prosperity and wealth.

And all dictatorial, undemocratic, anti-liberal countries will bury all talent, and therefore, will inhibit the country’s development, the country’s culture will be destroyed.”

In April this year, 2023, I returned to Vietnam for 3 months. Our Vietnamese country developed very impressively, very quickly, very surprisingly. The streets changed so much that I couldn’t recognize them and got lost a lot. Most of my friends and relatives are richer and happier than before. Almost every family has a car, not a motorbike like before.

But I also feel a bit sad because I see our Vietnamese culture being degraded and destroyed in many aspects.

People throw trash everywhere. Da Lat people walk around on trash in the lakeside of  Ho Xuan Huong Lake, that lake is wonderfully beautiful, but the surrounding area is full of dirty trash, spoiled smelly.

Then there’s the bad traffic law violation, reckless overtaking, and not respecting traffic laws at all.

Then  people that sitting drinking ice tea and occupy the sidewalks and roads.

On Le Van Huu Street, Hanoi, near Obama’s noodle shop, I saw a police car roaming the street, the policeman spoke on a loudspeaker:

“Please everyone be careful not to sit and occupy on the road or sidewalk. There are many people who sit and drink a cup of iced tea only, but sit down all morning, encroaching on the sidewalk, we told them so many time, but they not listening. If they get fined, they tell that the police to be strict, if they don’t get fined, they just sit all day on the street,,, . Is that okay to watch?”

I think the police officer is right, but it seems that the simple act of sitting and drinking tea encroaching on the sidewalks and roads in Hanoi is a “daily thing in the district”, “talking forever but not listening”.

Then bad words, bad swearing, bad arguing, cursing, fighting, bad cutting off tourists, defrauding tourists, stalking, persistent solicitation of tourists, especially in Hoi An, is really bad, is terrible.

If US President Bill Clinton visits Vietnam now, in 2023, he will probably feel like me, that Vietnam’s economy is developing, but the culture has problems.

I leave Vietnam in early July 2023, and hope that one day when I return to Vietnam, I will see Vietnam develop and progress both economically and culturally. At that time, I hope that US President Bill Clinton will also visit Vietnam again, to experience a Vietnam with a thousand years of culture, both developing economically and preserving Vietnamese cultural identity.///