VietNamNet would like to introduce the first part of a recent online dialogue between US Ambassador Ted Osius and VietNamNet readers. Answering questions entirely in Vietnamese, Mr. Ted Osius shared special memories of his three trans-Vietnam tours nearly two decades ago when he was one of the first American diplomats working in Hanoi.

VietNamNet: Good morning, VietNamNet readers! Welcome to the roundtable discussion with the new U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Ted Osius. We have received a lot of questions from readers for Mr. Ambassador.

Ambassador Ted Osius: Thank you, VietNamNet! I am very honored to join this roundtable discussion. I will try to answer in Vietnamese. If that gets too difficult, I will ask a friend who can help, but I will try to speak Vietnamese. Thank you very much!

Happy because Sword Lake remains intact

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VietNamNet: You arrived in Vietnam to assume office at a quite special time, i.e. the Christmas holiday and you have experienced the holiday with your family in Vietnam. Could you share with VietNamNet readers about this holiday?

Ambassador Ted Osius: First of all, to me and my family, celebrating the Christmas holiday here is very enjoyable. Here, there are almost all members of my family: my mother - Mrs. Nancy, my spouse – Clayton and our son – Tabo, my elder sister – May, my younger sister – Lucy, and my nephew – Sam have all arrived in Hanoi. We are happy to celebrate the Christmas holiday here. One day before the holiday, 50 children arrived at our residence to celebrate the holiday with us. They sang very well and we were happy and honored to celebrate the Christmas holiday with them.

VietNamNet: I guess you experienced many Christmas holidays in Vietnam almost two decades ago when you were one of the first U.S. diplomats to come to Vietnam. Through your observation, is there any difference between the Christmas holiday nearly 20 years ago and now?

Ambassador Ted Osius: Many things have changed! This is the second time I have celebrated the Christmas holiday in Hanoi. This is the first time my family has come to Vietnam (for Christmas). My mother and sisters came to Vietnam before and visited Hanoi. This time, my whole family all agreed that there have been a lot of changes here. At present, Hanoi is different in comparison with the past. Hanoi is very modern; it’s more prosperous and bigger, with many areas. In comparison with the past, the inner area now has a lot of high-rise buildings. There is a new airport with modern airplanes. But the Hoan Kiem Lake remains unchanged. When visiting the Hoan Kiem Lake, we were happy because it remains undamaged.

VietNamNet: Many readers would like you to share your most unforgettable memory during your three-year assignment in Vietnam?

Ambassador Ted Osius: First of all, I have a special love for Vietnam, and to explain why I have to turn toward the land and people of Vietnam. In my opinion, when I was in Vietnam in the past and also currently, Vietnamese people are always very hospitable. In the past, when in Vietnam, I visited a lot of places where local people were very hospitable to me and my family and I still have many friends from that time. I have visited different places such as Ha Long Bay, Thai Nguyen, Sapa, and many other places in the North, the Central, the South, and the Mekong delta. The landscapes are beautiful; the food is good, and the people are hospitable!

VietNamNet: Vietnamese people feel pleased when they watch your clip on Youtube, especially your pictures 20 years ago when you were a young diplomat cycling along Vietnam. At that time, what was the driving force for you to decide to carry out such a long trans-Vietnam cycling? And what impressions did you have from that cycling when you traveled along Vietnam from cities to rural areas?

Ambassador Ted Osius: The truth is I had three trips. The first one was very long. One of my friends loves cycling a lot and we decided to go to Vietnam to cycle instead of other places. We knew that Vietnam is a great country for cycling. We saw a very beautiful Vietnam. Wherever we arrived people were very hospitable and food was very good. We cycled from the North to the South and I will never forget the trip with so many good memories.

The second trip occurred when another group went to Vietnam, including some disabled people and many war veterans from both countries cycled from the North to the South. When the group arrived in Vung Tau, Mr. John Kerry, the then-U.S. Senator, and Mr. Pete Peterson, the then-first U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, and I arrived in Vung Tau to join the group and we cycled together to Ho Chi Minh City. I was happy because a lot of people welcomed the group. I was very happy and honored to cycle with Mr. John Kerry and Mr. Peterson to Ho Chi Minh City.

For the third trip, I cycled from Danang to Vientiane, Laos through Road No. 9. We cycled through underdeveloped mountainous areas where the landscapes were beautiful. I will never forget them. When cycling in Vietnam, we talked to local people, exchanged ideas and had meals together. Vietnamese friends are always hospitable to us.

Vietnam and the US share the same family values

VietNamNet: I remember that at your hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, you told moving stories about your trans-Vietnam cycling. Regarding this trip, reader Ngo Xuan Trinh, 26, asked: “I know that during your trans-Vietnam tour, you arrived at an old demilitarized zone and met a woman who told you that ‘we are now brothers and sisters.” What do you think of this brother-sister relationship from the woman’s words in the context of the current U.S.-Vietnam relations?

Ambassador Ted Osius: In my opinion, when she said we are now brothers and sisters, she was truthful. The unforgettable reason is because earlier I thought maybe a lot of people did not like Americans, but it turned out that it was not true. Many Vietnamese people are hospitable, friendly. When she said we are brothers and sisters, I thought Vietnamese is very special. In the special relationship like a family we are always brothers and sisters, not I and You. In a family, there is always a special relationship, and between Americans and Vietnamese there is a very special relationship like a family.

VietNamNet: That’s also the reason why many people were impressed with your first images when you arrived at the airport; that’s the image of a warm family. Maybe you have been in Vietnam and Asia for quite a long time, I am sure you are well aware of family and family values are special ones in the culture of Vietnamese people?

Ambassador Ted Osius: My family is a three-generation one: my mother, me and my spouse, and my son. I think it’s an American value and it’s also a Vietnamese one. Last night, we celebrated the Christmas holiday with a very special Vietnamese family. They are a four-generation family: grandparents, parents, children, and grandchildren. The four-generation family members meet one another every week, on every important holiday, and they return to their native village to see one another. It’s Vietnam’s very important value. In my opinion, we share this value: the values of family, ancestors, grandparents, parents are important to Vietnamese people, and also important to Americans, including my family.

Ted Osius’ imprint

VietNamNet: Vietnamese people are very interested in you probably because you have such special attachment to Vietnam. Returning to the moment when you first heard that you may be appointed to be the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, how did you feel personally?

Ambassador Ted Osius: The fact that President Obama appointed me to be the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam is a dream comes true when I return to Vietnam at a time when we are going to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-Vietnam friendship relations. An opportunity that I had thought would not come true, especially when I was assigned to a country that I have a deep love for. I love this country very much and I love the opportunity to promote a closer relationship between the two countries.

VietNamNet: Many readers have asked you a question: Each ambassador has left their own stamps during their assignment. Which stamps are you planning to set on your own in the next three years in Vietnam?

Ambassador Ted Osius: A very important thing is that I want to contribute to promoting many fields in the U.S.-Vietnam relations. I hope, in the future, we will have an independent and effective Fulbright University, a direct flight between the two countries, the TPP, and a long-term relationship between the two countries. I hope I will contribute to promoting the comprehensive and long-term partnership between the two countries. It’s my dream.

VietNamNet: Your answer probably relates to many readers’ question that at your swearing-in ceremony to become the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, you said “I will support Vietnam – the country of the children of two winged creatures: the dragon from the sea and the fairy from the mountains – to fly further and higher.” Readers want to ask what specific measures should be taken to realize your ideas, to help Vietnam fly further and higher.

Ambassador Ted Osius: As John Kerry said, the United States supports a Vietnam that is strong, prosperous, and independent, and that respects human rights and the rule of law. I think the way we can continue together as partners to support each other is by deepening our comprehensive partnership. There are at least five ways that we can deepen our comprehensive partnership:

The first is the economic and commercial fields. I want to promote closer ties between the two countries in these fields, and we have a very important tool in the TPP agreement. I am very optimistic about the TPP and I think TPP will help Vietnam succeed and grow faster. As I said, a direct flight route between the two countries is also a way of promoting the important relationship between the two countries.

My second priority is to support Vietnam in strengthening the effectiveness of state governance, i.e. transparency, respect for the law and human rights. TPP also contributes to transparency and several other fields in which ideas can be exchanged between the two countries regarding state governance. We will exchange ideas in a very respectful and straightforward manner. I will always talk straight and respect the leadership of Vietnam.

The third priority is to promote a closer security relationship; particularly, further strengthening in the fields of navigation and maritime security. We have started to develop relations between the coast guard forces of the two countries.

The fourth priority is to promote education, as I said that is, to build the Fulbright University. Previously, the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP) in Ho Chi Minh City was very effective, contributing to the economic development of Vietnam. In the future, I hope the Fulbright University will contribute to Vietnam’s educational development. I (also) think when more students study abroad, they will learn a lot about that country. It is very important to help us understand each other better. For example, when you go to Georgetown University, you understand the United States better than before, and I think the exchange of students is very good for the long-term relationship.

The fifth priority is to promote scientific, health, and environmental cooperation, especially climate change. The two countries have had a lot of cooperation (in this area) and I would like to further (such) cooperation.

VietNamNet: Regarding your priority in education, you were in Asia and Vietnam for a long time; you may have known that the belief of the Vietnamese people is education can change the destiny of a people, even the destiny of a nation. Now, a lot of Vietnamese families believe that education is the important path to prosperity, not just for the individual, but for the whole country. We have over 16 thousand Vietnamese students studying in the U.S., making Vietnam one of the top countries in the number of students in the U.S. However, not all Vietnamese students have access to advanced education in the United States. What will you tell to the families that are very hungry for having their children access U.S.’s advanced education of high quality?

Ambassador Ted Osius: There are several scholarship programs, such as Fulbright, but I agree that it is not sufficient. That's why it is important for Vietnam’s education system to gain more progress. The United States wants to contribute to this process. USAID has many supportive programs, focusing on primary, secondary and higher education. When we have a Fulbright University in Ho Chi Minh City, this would serve as a bridge to connect with many universities in Vietnam. For example, there is a famous University located in Can Tho; certainly, the Fulbright University will have exchanges with Can Tho University and with the University of Hanoi. In addition, there will be more exchanges between U.S. and Vietnamese students and teachers. I believe that is how we achieve more progress in the educational field.