President Obama: Xin chào!
(applause)
Xin chào Vietnam!
(applause)
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
To the government and the
people of Vietnam, thank you
for this very warm welcome
and the hospitality that you
have shown to me
on this visit.
And thank all of you
for being here today.
(applause)
We have Vietnamese from
across this great country,
including so many young
people who represent the
dynamism, and the talent
and the hope of Vietnam.
On this visit, my heart has
been touched by the kindness
for which the Vietnamese
people are known.
In the many people who have
been lining the streets,
smiling and waving, I feel
the friendship
between our peoples.
Last night, I visited the
Old Quarter here in Hanoi
and enjoyed some outstanding
Vietnamese food.
I tried some Bún Ch .
(applause)
Drank some bia Ha Noi.
But I have to say, the busy
streets of this city, I've
never seen so many
motorbikes in my life.
(laughter)
So I haven't had to try to
cross the street so far, but
maybe when I come back and
visit you can tell me how.
I am not the first American
President to come to Vietnam
in recent times.
But I am the first, like so
many of you, who came of age
after the war between
our countries.
When the last U.S.
forces left Vietnam, I
was just 13 years old.
So my first exposure to
Vietnam and the Vietnamese
people came when I was
growing up in Hawaii, with
its proud Vietnamese
American community there.
At the same time, many
people in this country are
much younger than me.
Like my two daughters, many
of you have lived your whole
lives knowing only one thing
-- and that is peace and
normalized relations between
Vietnam and the United States.
So I come here mindful of
the past, mindful of our
difficult history, but
focused on the future -- the
prosperity, security and
human dignity
that we can advance together.
I also come here with a
deep respect for Vietnam's
ancient heritage.
For millennia, farmers have
tended these lands -- a
history revealed in
the Dong Son drums.
At this bend in the river,
Hanoi has endured for more
than a thousand years.
The world came to treasure
Vietnamese silks and
paintings, and a great
Temple of Literature stands
as a testament to your
pursuit of knowledge.
And yet, over the centuries,
your fate was too often
dictated by others.
Your beloved land was
not always your own.
But like bamboo, the
unbroken spirit of the
Vietnamese people was
captured by Ly Thuong Kiet
-- "the Southern emperor
rules the Southern land.
Our destiny is writ
in Heaven's Book."
Today, we also remember
the longer history between
Vietnamese and Americans
that is too often overlooked.
More than 200 years ago,
when our Founding Father,
Thomas Jefferson, sought
rice for his farm, he looked
to the rice of Vietnam,
which he said had "the
reputation of being whitest
to the eye, best flavored to
the taste, and
most productive."
Soon after, American trade
ships arrived in your ports
seeking commerce.
During the Second World
War, Americans came here to
support your struggle
against occupation.
When American pilots were
shot down, the Vietnamese
people helped rescue them.
And on the day that Vietnam
declared its independence,
crowds took to the streets
of this city, and Ho Chi
Minh evoked the American
Declaration of Independence.
He said, "All people
are created equal.
The Creator has endowed them
with inviolable rights.
Among these rights are the
right to life, the right to
liberty, and the right to
the pursuit of happiness."
In another time, the
profession of these shared
ideals and our common story
of throwing off colonialism
might have brought us
closer together sooner.
But instead, Cold War
rivalries and fears of
communism pulled
us into conflict.
Like other conflicts
throughout human history, we
learned once more a bitter
truth -- that war, no matter
what our intentions may
be, brings suffering
and tragedy.
At your war memorial not far
from here, and with family
altars across this country,
you remember some 3 million
Vietnamese, soldiers and
civilians, on both sides,
who lost their lives.
At our memorial wall in
Washington, we can touch the
names of 58,315 Americans
who gave their lives
in the conflict.
In both our countries, our
veterans and families of the
fallen still ache for the
friends and loved ones
that they lost.
Just as we learned in
America that, even if we
disagree about a war, we
must always honor those who
serve and welcome them
home with the respect they
deserve, we can join
together today, Vietnamese
and Americans, and
acknowledge the pain and the
sacrifices on both sides.
More recently, over the past
two decades, Vietnam has
achieved enormous progress,
and today the world can see
the strides that
you have made.
With economic reforms and
trade agreements, including
with the United States, you
have entered the global
economy, selling your
goods around the world.
More foreign investment
is coming in.
And with one of the
fastest-growing economies in
Asia, Vietnam has moved up
to become
a middle-income nation.
We see Vietnam's progress
in the skyscrapers and
high-rises of Hanoi and
Ho Chi Minh City, and new
shopping malls
and urban centers.
We see it in the satellites
Vietnam puts into space and
a new generation that is
online, launching startups
and running new ventures.
We see it in the tens of
millions of Vietnamese
connected on Facebook
and Instagram.
And you're not just posting
selfies -- although I hear
you do that a lot --
(laughter)
-- and so far, there have
been a number of people who
have already asked
me for selfies.
You're also raising your
voices for causes that you
care about, like saving
the old trees of Hanoi.
So all this dynamism has
delivered real progress
in people's lives.
Here in Vietnam, you've
dramatically reduced extreme
poverty, you've boosted
family incomes and lifted
millions into a
fast-growing middle class.
Hunger, disease, child and
maternal mortality are all down.
The number of people with
clean drinking water and
electricity, the number of
boys and girls in school,
and your literacy rate
-- these are all up.
This is extraordinary
progress.
This is what you have been
able to achieve
in a very short time.
And as Vietnam has
transformed, so has the
relationship between
our two nations.
We learned a lesson taught
by the venerable Thich Nhat
Hanh, who said, "In true
dialogue, both sides are
willing to change."
In this way, the very war
that had divided us became a
source for healing.
It allowed us to account
for the missing and finally
bring them home.
It allowed us to help remove
landmines and unexploded
bombs, because no child
should ever lose a leg
just playing outside.
Even as we continue to
assist Vietnamese with
disabilities, including
children, we are also
continuing to help remove
Agent Orange -- dioxin -- so
that Vietnam can reclaim
more of your land.
We're proud of our work
together in Danang, and we
look forward to supporting
your efforts in Bien Hoa.
Let's also not forget that
the reconciliation between
our countries was led by our
veterans who once faced each
other in battle.
Think of Senator John
McCain, who was held for
years here as a prisoner of
war, meeting General Giap,
who said our countries
should not be enemies
but friends.
Think of all the veterans,
Vietnamese and American, who
have helped us heal
and build new ties.
Few have done more in this
regard over the years than
former Navy lieutenant, and
now Secretary of State of
the United States, John
Kerry, who is here today.
And on behalf of all of us,
John, we thank you for your
extraordinary effort.
(applause)
Because our veterans showed
us the way, because warriors
had the courage to pursue
peace, our peoples are now
closer than ever before.
Our trade has surged.
Our students and
scholars learn together.
We welcome more Vietnamese
students to America than
from any other country
in Southeast Asia.
And every year, you welcome
more and more American
tourists, including young
Americans with their
backpacks, to Hanoi's 36
Streets and the shops of Hoi
An, and the imperial
city of Hue.
As Vietnamese and Americans,
we can all relate to those
words written by Van Cao
-- "From now, we know each
other's homeland; from now,
we learn to feel
for each other."
As President, I've
built on this progress.
With our new Comprehensive
Partnership, our governments
are working more closely
together than ever before.
And with this visit, we've
put our relationship on a
firmer footing for
decades to come.
In a sense, the long story
between our two nations that
began with Thomas Jefferson
more than two centuries ago
has now come full circle.
It has taken many years
and required great effort.
But now we can say something
that was once unimaginable:
Today, Vietnam and the
United States are partners.
And I believe our experience
holds lessons for the world.
At a time when many
conflicts seem intractable,
seem as if they will never
end, we have shown that
hearts can change and that a
different future is possible
when we refuse to be
prisoners of the past.
We've shown how peace
can be better than war.
We've shown that progress
and human dignity is best
advanced by cooperation
and not conflict.
That's what Vietnam and
America can show the world.
Now, America's new
partnership with Vietnam is
rooted in some basic truths.
Vietnam is an independent,
sovereign nation, and no
other nation can impose its
will on you
or decide your destiny.
(applause)
Now, the United States
has an interest here.
We have an interest
in Vietnam's success.
But our Comprehensive
Partnership is still
in its early stages.
And with the time I have
left, I want to share with
you the vision that I
believe can guide us
in the decades ahead.
First, let's work together
to create real opportunity
and prosperity for
all of our people.
We know the ingredients for
economic success
in the 21st century.
In our global economy,
investment and trade flows
to wherever there is rule of
law, because no one wants to
pay a bribe to
start a business.
Nobody wants to sell their
goods or go to school if
they don't know how they're
going to be treated.
In knowledge-based
economies, jobs go to where
people have the freedom to
think for themselves and
exchange ideas
and to innovate.
And real economic
partnerships are not just
about one country extracting
resources from another.
They're about investing in
our greatest resource, which
is our people and their
skills and their talents,
whether you live in a big
city or a rural village.
And that's the kind of
partnership that America offers.
As I announced yesterday,
the Peace Corps will come to
Vietnam for the first time,
with a focus
on teaching English.
A generation after young
Americans came here to
fight, a new generation of
Americans are going to come
here to teach and build
and deepen
the friendship between us.
(applause)
Some of America's leading
technology companies and
academic institutions
are joining Vietnamese
universities to strengthen
training in science,
technology, engineering,
mathematics, and medicine.
Because even as we keep
welcoming more Vietnamese
students to America, we also
believe that young people
deserve a world-class
education right here in Vietnam.
It's one of the reasons why
we're very excited that this
fall, the new Fulbright
University Vietnam will open
in Ho Chi Minh City -- this
nation's first independent,
non-profit university --
where there will be full
academic freedom and
scholarships for those in need.
(applause)
Students, scholars,
researchers will focus on
public policy and management
and business; on engineering
and computer science; and
liberal arts -- everything
from the poetry of Nguyen
Du, to the philosophy of
Phan Chu Trinh, to the
mathematics of Ngo Bao Chau.
And we're going to keep
partnering with young people
and entrepreneurs, because
we believe that if you can
just access the skills and
technology and capital you
need, then nothing can stand
in your way -- and that
includes, by the way, the
talented women of Vietnam.
(applause)
We think gender equality
is an important principle.
From the Trung Sisters to
today, strong, confident
women have always helped
move Vietnam forward.
The evidence is clear --
I say this wherever I go
around the world --
families, communities and
countries are more
prosperous when girls and
women have an equal
opportunity to succeed in
school and at work
and in government.
That's true everywhere, and
it's true here in Vietnam.
(applause)
We'll keep working to
unleash the full potential
of your economy with the
Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Here in Vietnam, TPP will
let you sell more of your
products to the world and it
will attract new investment.
TPP will require reforms to
protect workers and rule of
law and intellectual
property.
And the United States is
ready to assist Vietnam as
it works to fully
implement its commitments.
I want you to know that,
as President of the United
States, I strongly support
TPP because you'll also be
able to buy more of our
goods, "Made in America."
Moreover, I support TPP
because of its important
strategic benefits.
Vietnam will be less
dependent on any one trading
partner and enjoy broader
ties with more partners,
including the United States.
(applause)
And TPP will reinforce
regional cooperation.
It will help address
economic inequality and will
advance human rights, with
higher wages and safer
working conditions.
For the first time here in
Vietnam, the right to form
independent labor unions and
prohibitions against forced
labor and child labor.
And it has the strongest
environmental protections
and the strongest
anti-corruption standards of
any trade agreement
in history.
That's the future TPP offers
for all of us, because all
of us -- the United States,
Vietnam, and the other
signatories -- will have to
abide by these rules that we
have shaped together.
That's the future that is
available to all of us.
So we now have to get it
done -- for the sake of our
economic prosperity and
our national security.
This brings me to the second
area where we can work
together, and that is
ensuring our mutual security.
With this visit, we have
agreed to elevate our
security cooperation and
build more trust between our
men and women in uniform.
We'll continue to offer
training and equipment to
your Coast Guard to
enhance Vietnam's
maritime capabilities.
We will partner to deliver
humanitarian aid
in times of disaster.
With the announcement I made
yesterday to fully lift the
ban on defense sales,
Vietnam will have greater
access to the military
equipment you need
to ensure your security.
And the United States is
demonstrating our commitment
to fully normalize our
relationship with Vietnam.
(applause)
More broadly, the 20th
century has taught all of us
-- including the United
States and Vietnam -- that
the international order upon
which our mutual security
depends is rooted in
certain rules and norms.
Nations are sovereign, and
no matter how large or small
a nation may be, its
sovereignty should be
respected, and it territory
should not be violated.
Big nations should not
bully smaller ones.
Disputes should be
resolved peacefully.
(applause)
And regional institutions,
like ASEAN and the East Asia
Summit, should continue
to be strengthened.
That's what I believe.
That's what the United
States believes.
That's the kind of
partnership America
offers this region.
I look forward to advancing
this spirit of respect and
reconciliation later this
year when I become the first
U.S. President to visit Laos.
In the South China Sea,
the United States
is not a claimant in
current disputes.
But we will stand with
partners in upholding core
principles, like freedom of
navigation and overflight,
and lawful commerce that
is not impeded, and the
peaceful resolution of
disputes, through legal
means, in accordance
with international law.
As we go forward, the United
States will continue to fly,
sail and operate wherever
international law allows,
and we will support the
right of all countries
to do the same.
(applause)
Even as we cooperate more
closely in the areas I've
described, our partnership
includes a third element --
addressing areas where
our governments disagree,
including on human rights.
I say this not to
single out Vietnam.
No nation is perfect.
Two centuries on, the United
States is still striving to
live up to our
founding ideals.
We still deal with our
shortcomings -- too much
money in our politics, and
rising economic inequality,
racial bias in our criminal
justice system, women still
not being paid as much as
men doing the same job.
We still have problems.
And we're not immune from
criticism, I promise you.
I hear it every day.
But that scrutiny, that open
debate, confronting our
imperfections, and allowing
everybody to have their say
has helped us grow stronger
and more prosperous
and more just.
I've said this before -- the
United States does not seek
to impose our form of
government on Vietnam.
The rights I speak of I
believe are not American
values; I think they're
universal values written
into the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
They're written into the
Vietnamese constitution,
which states that "citizens
have the right to freedom of
speech and freedom of the
press, and have the right of
access to information, the
right to assembly, the right
to association, and the
right to demonstrate."
That's in the Vietnamese
constitution.
(applause)
So really, this is an issue
about all of us, each
country, trying to
consistently apply these
principles, making sure
that we -- those of us in
government -- are being
true to these ideals.
In recent years, Vietnam
has made some progress.
Vietnam has committed to
bringing its laws in line
with its new constitution
and with international norms.
Under recently passed laws,
the government will disclose
more of its budget and the
public will have the right
to access more information.
And, as I said, Vietnam has
committed to economic and
labor reforms under the TPP.
So these are all
positive steps.
And ultimately, the future
of Vietnam will be decided
by the people of Vietnam.
Every country will chart
its own path, and our two
nations have different
traditions and different
political systems and
different cultures.
But as a friend of Vietnam,
allow me to share my view --
why I believe nations
are more successful when
universal rights are upheld.
When there is freedom of
expression and freedom of
speech, and when people can
share ideas and access the
Internet and social media
without restriction, that
fuels the innovation
economies need to thrive.
That's where new
ideas happen.
That's how a
Facebook starts.
That's how some of our
greatest companies began --
because somebody
had a new idea.
It was different.
And they were
able to share it.
When there's freedom of the
press -- when journalists
and bloggers are able to
shine a light on injustice
or abuse -- that holds
officials accountable and
builds public confidence
that the system works.
When candidates can run for
office and campaign freely,
and voters can choose their
own leaders in free and fair
elections, it makes the
countries more stable,
because citizens know that
their voices count and that
peaceful change is possible.
And it brings new
people into the system.
When there is freedom of
religion, it not only allows
people to fully express the
love and compassion that are
at the heart of all great
religions, but it allows
faith groups to serve their
communities through schools
and hospitals, and care for
the poor and the vulnerable.
And when there is freedom of
assembly -- when citizens
are free to organize in
civil society -- then
countries can better address
challenges that government
sometimes cannot
solve by itself.
So it is my view that
upholding these rights is
not a threat to stability,
but actually reinforces
stability and is the
foundation of progress.
After all, it was a yearning
for these rights that
inspired people around the
world, including Vietnam, to
throw off colonialism.
And I believe that upholding
these rights is the fullest
expression of the
independence that so many
cherish, including here,
in a nation that proclaims
itself to be "of the People,
by the People
and for the People."
Vietnam will do it
differently
than the United States does.
And each of us will do it
differently from many other
countries around the world.
But there are these basic
principles that I think we
all have to try to
work on and improve.
And I said this as somebody
who's about to leave office,
so I have the benefit of
almost eight years now of
reflecting on how our system
has worked and interacting
with countries around the
world who are constantly
trying to improve their
systems, as well.
Finally, our partnership
I think can meet global
challenges that no nation
can solve by itself.
If we're going to ensure the
health of our people and the
beauty of our planet, then
development
has to be sustainable.
Natural wonders like Ha Long
Bay and Son Doong Cave have
to be preserved for
our children and our
grandchildren.
Rising seas threaten the
coasts and waterways on
which so many
Vietnamese depend.
And so as partners in the
fight against climate
change, we need to fulfill
the commitments we made in
Paris, we need to help
farmers and villages and
people who depend on fishing
to adapt and to bring more
clean energy to places like
the Mekong Delta -- a rice
bowl of the world that
we need
to feed future generations.
And we can save lives
beyond our borders.
By helping other countries
strengthen, for example,
their health systems, we can
prevent outbreaks of disease
from becoming epidemics
that threaten all of us.
And as Vietnam deepens
its commitment to U.N.
peacekeeping, the United
States is proud to help
train your peacekeepers.
And what a truly remarkable
thing that is -- our two
nations that once fought
each other now standing
together and helping others
achieve peace, as well.
So in addition to our
bilateral relationship, our
partnership also allows
us to help shape the
international environment
in ways that are positive.
Now, fully realizing the
vision that I've described
today is not going to happen
overnight,
and it is not inevitable.
There may be stumbles and
setbacks along the way.
There are going to be
times where there
are misunderstandings.
It will take sustained
effort and true dialogue
where both sides
continue to change.
But considering all the
history and hurdles that
we've already overcome, I
stand before you today very
optimistic about
our future together.
(applause)
And my confidence is rooted,
as always, in the friendship
and shared aspirations
of our peoples.
I think of all the Americans
and Vietnamese who have
crossed a wide ocean -- some
reuniting with families for
the first time in decades --
and who, like Trinh Cong Son
said in his song, have
joined hands, and opening
their hearts and seeing our
common humanity in each other.
(applause)
I think of all the
Vietnamese Americans who
have succeeded in every
walk of life -- doctors,
journalists, judges,
public servants.
One of them, who was born
here, wrote me a letter and
said, by "God's grace, I
have been able to live the
American Dream...I'm very
proud to be an American but
also very proud
to be Vietnamese."
(applause)
And today he's here, back in
the country of his birth,
because, he said, his
"personal passion" is
"improving the life of
every Vietnamese person."
I think of a new generation
of Vietnamese -- so many of
you, so many of the young
people who are here -- who
are ready to make your
mark on the world.
And I want to say to all the
young people listening: Your
talent, your drive, your
dreams -- in those things,
Vietnam has everything
it needs to thrive.
Your destiny is
in your hands.
This is your moment.
And as you pursue the future
that you want, I want you to
know that the United States
of America will be right
there with you as your
partner and as your friend.
(applause)
And many years from now,
when even more Vietnamese
and Americans are studying
with each other; innovating
and doing business with each
other; standing up for our
security, and promoting
human rights and protecting
our planet with each other
-- I hope you think back to
this moment and draw hope
from the vision that I've
offered today.
Or, if I can say it another
way -- in words that you
know well from the Tale of
Kieu -- "Please take from me
this token of trust, so we
can embark upon our 100-year
journey together."
(applause)
Cam on cac ban.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Vietnam.
Thank you.
(applause)
