President Obama: Thank you!
(applause)
Thank you so much.
Everybody, please
have a seat.
Thank you very much.
Xin chào.
(applause)
Thank you, Tu, for the
excellent introduction and
your outstanding work to
help more young people in
Vietnam get an education.
Give Tu a big
round of applause.
(applause)
It's not that easy
introducing the President of
the United States.
(laughter)
Also because the podium was
a little higher than her.
(laughter)
I want to thank everybody
at the GEM Convention Center
for hosting us.
I want to thank the
government and the people of
Vietnam for the wonderful
hospitality that you've
extended to me over
the past three days.
I've been deeply touched.
Wherever I travel around the
world, obviously one of my
jobs is to meet with
government leaders.
And these meetings
are important.
But it means that I spend
a lot of time with older
people like me.
There's a lot of gray
hair in the room.
So one of my favorite parts
of the trips I take overseas
is to get out of the
government offices and to
spend time with young
people like you.
It's fun.
It gives me incredible
optimism about the future,
because all of you embody
the energy and the drive
that is helping to propel
this region to new heights.
You make me hopeful about
the future of ASEAN, hopeful
about the future
of the world.
And so that's what I want to
briefly talk about before I
start taking your questions.
As I think all of you know,
I have a strong personal
connection to this part
of the world, to the Asia
Pacific and to
Southeast Asia.
I was born in Hawaii, spent
most of my childhood in Hawaii.
But I also spent time in
Indonesia as a young boy.
My sister was
born in Jakarta.
So this region
helped to shape me.
It is also why I
really like the food.
(laughter)
And I have to say that the
food I've had since I've
been here I've been
really happy with.
Now, as President, a key
part of my foreign policy is
to deepen our ties with
countries and that peoples
of Southeast Asia.
And we've done that.
We've deepened the ties with
our allies and our partners.
We've engaged more with
institutions like ASEAN.
We're pursuing the
Trans-Pacific Partnership to
grow our economies and
to support jobs in
our countries.
Together, we're promoting
peace and encouraging
sustainable development.
We're protecting our
environment, and trying to
meet shared challenges
like climate change.
But government and
businesses are only part of
the equation.
If we're going to meet all
of these challenges, we also
have to build strong
relationships between our
people, and especially
between young people like
you and young people in
other ASEAN countries.
Keep in mind that here in
Vietnam, two-thirds of you
were born after 1975.
As I often say to young
Americans back home, your
generation can look at
the world with fresh eyes,
without some of the old
notions, the old habits of a
previous generation.
And that gives you the
perspective and the power
not just to help to grow
Vietnam, but also to help
shape the world.
Thanks to technology and
social media, you're the
most connected
generation in history.
I see it in my daughters,
who are always on the phone,
and they have to teach
me how to use the phone.
(laughter)
More than 30 million people
in Vietnam -- one-third of
the population -- are
on Facebook -- just on Facebook.
You're posting selfies --
(laughter.)
I know.
I was in the gym this
morning, people were trying
to take selfies.
(laughter)
You're streaming the
latest Son Tung MTP hit.
(applause)
But you're also exchanging
ideas and learning from
each other.
And so this gives
you tremendous power.
And we need your passion and
energy and talents to tackle
some of our biggest global
challenges -- whether it's
reducing poverty, to
advancing equality for women
and girls, to fighting
climate change.
Now, even in this digital
age, as Tu pointed out,
change doesn't
happen overnight.
It requires that you stay
active and involved over the
long term.
And it requires you to
develop some practical tools.
And that's why, three years
ago, I launched the Young
Southeast Asian Leaders
Initiative -- or YSEALI.
And the goal is to empower
young people like you with
the skills and the
resources, and the networks
that you need to turn
your ideas into action.
Since we started this, the
YSEALI Network has grown to
more than 67,000 members
across all 10 ASEAN
countries -- including
over 13,000 here in
Vietnam alone.
And we've welcomed more than
350 YSEALI Fellows to the
United States -- including
some of you -- with more
than 200 coming in
the next six months.
So a lot of what we do in
YSEALI is rooted in the
power and importance
of education.
That's why nearly 19,000
Vietnamese students studying
in the United States right
now are helping to bring
back the kinds of skills and
talents that Vietnam will
need to continue to
grow and develop.
It's why, on this visit, we
announced a new partnership
between American
universities like Arizona
State and Vietnamese
universities to boost
training in science,
technology, engineering,
mathematics and medicine.
It's why we announced that,
for the first time, the
Peace Corps will be coming
to Vietnam, with a focus on
teaching English.
And it's why we announced
that we're moving ahead this
fall with Fulbright
University Vietnam, right
here in Ho Chi Minh City
-- the country's first
nonprofit, independent
university.
And the goal is to make sure
that Vietnamese students, no
matter what their
background, has access to a
world-class education that's
rooted in Vietnam's rich
culture and fueled by the
free exchange of ideas.
And I want to thank former
Senator Bob Kerrey, who is
here, who's been one of the
key people to help lead
this effort.
Thank you very much, Bob.
(applause)
So all these efforts reflect
our belief in you -- in your
ability to keep moving
Vietnam forward.
And there are some
incredible young people who
are here who are great
examples of the incredible
talent and drive of young
people in Vietnam today.
For example, I see Vietnam's
promise in Ngan Dang.
Where's Ngan?
Somewhere.
There you are right there.
(applause)
So I had a chance to meet
Ngan when I welcomed our
YSEALI Fellows to
the White House.
She started as a volunteer
-- she started a volunteer
group to work with street
children and orphans, and
people with physical
disabilities right here in
Ho Chi Minh City.
So far, they've recruited
some 450 volunteers,
delivered over 7,000 hours
of mentoring, built five
libraries in two cities.
And that's just one example
of the incredible work
that's being done by
young people right here
in Vietnam.
We're very proud of you.
Thank you.
(applause)
A couple other people
I want to point out.
We've got Loc Le Xuan.
Where's Loc?
There he is right there.
(applause)
So Loc teaches at Ho Chi
Minh City Vietnam
National University.
He's a researcher at
the Pasteur Institute.
His dream is to go back
to his hometown and open a
medical center so he can
deliver quality, affordable
health care.
He also helped start
Give2Give, which works with
YSEALI members across ASEAN
to improve their skills and
build stronger networks.
So we're very excited about
the work that you're doing, Loc.
Thank you so much.
(applause)
I'm going to close with one
more story just to give you
an example of the incredible
work that's being done by
young people.
Elizabeth Phu is here, I
think, and was born here.
In the aftermath of the war,
Liz and her family became
refugees -- Liz was
barely four years old.
They packed themselves
into a boat; they began a
dangerous journey.
Pirates ransacked
their boat.
But they made it to a
refugee camp in Malaysia
and, eventually, in
1979, to America.
With just $20 in their
pocket, Liz's parents
started to build a new
life in California.
They taught their children
about the importance
of education.
And after years of studying
and hard work, Liz -- a
proud Vietnamese-American --
ended up becoming one of my
top advisors on Asia
in the White House.
And we've relied on her
for all kinds of incredible
policy work that we've done
over the last several years.
So Tu, Ngan, Loc, Liz,
so many of you -- you're
already showing that you can
change the world to reflect
our best values.
You're showing that
with determination and
commitment, and optimism
and hard work, anything
is possible.
And that's why I'm so
hopeful about the future
between the United States
and Vietnam, that our
relationship will continue
to grow deeper and stronger.
But I'm also optimistic that
you're going to be able to
change the region and the
world in so many positive ways.
So as the great Tr n L p
sang, "the path to glory
days is getting closer."
So cam on.
(applause)
So with that, now is the
time for me to start taking
some questions.
I don't know if you've
been briefed, but we have
microphones in the audience.
I'm going to just call on
people and I'm going to go
boy, girl, boy,
girl, so it's fair.
(laughter)
If you can keep your
questions relatively short,
so that we can get as many
questions as possible.
And introduce yourself
before you ask the question
so we know who you are.
Okay?
I'm going to
start right here.
We've got a
microphone coming.
The Press: Good
morning, Mr. President.
I'm from Ho Chi Minh City.
And we are 100 percent
Vietnamese-owned company
that produce high-end
plastic products and
components in the
supporting industries.
And today it is our honor to
meet with the President, and
we have an ambition to
request for your help --
and that is we would like
to be given opportunities to
approach the leading
enterprises in the United
States, especially in
the sector of consumer
electronics, automotive,
and airline industries, and
other plastic-related
products for
supporting industries.
And so, under your help, we
could be able to join and be
the supplier in the
direct supply chain.
And we are committed
to share the values of
integrity and
accountability.
Thank you, Mr. President.
(applause)
President Obama: Well,
thank you so much.
As you know, one of the
things that we're really
emphasizing is
entrepreneurship -- the
idea of people starting
their own businesses,
selling goods across
borders, creating jobs,
creating great
products and services.
And yesterday I had a chance
to meet with a number of
young Vietnamese
entrepreneurs who are
already starting to create
digital platforms to sell
goods not just in Vietnam
but also overseas.
This is one of the reasons
why we're pushing very hard
for the Trans-Pacific
Partnership -- TPP.
Because what that does is it
reduces the barriers between
countries for selling
their goods and services.
It gives opportunities not
just to big companies but
also to small companies to
enter into the global
supply chain.
It raises labor standards
and environmental standards
so that all countries are
working on a level
playing field.
And if we can get that done
-- and the goal is, I think,
to try to complete TPP
before the end of this year
-- then that will open up
a lot of opportunities, and
create great confidence
among investors here in
Vietnam and U.S.
companies who are interested
in working with young people
like you who may
have a great idea.
Now, my general rule in
all this is not to actually
broker deals and
sign contracts.
That's somebody else's job.
My job is to make sure that
we have the kinds of rules
in place that make it easier
for businesses to get to
know each other, to meet.
And one of the things
that we're doing with the
Vietnamese government is
constantly looking for
opportunities for trade
missions, for businesses to
come and learn about
what's going on.
And so what we'll do is
we'll make sure that,
through the consulate or
through the embassy, if and
when we have U.S.
businesses who are coming
here to Vietnam and are
interested in meeting young
entrepreneurs, that you'll
have an opportunity
potentially to present your
ideas and see if
you can make a deal.
All right?
Good luck.
(applause)
All right, it's a
gentleman's turn.
All right, this guy.
He looks very happy
-- right here.
(laughter)
The Press: Hello, sir.
I'm a student in Vietnam
National University.
I have two
questions for you.
The first one is that you
are a very great leader, and
we are young leaders.
Do you have any advice that
how can we be great like you?
President Obama: Oh, wow.
(laughter and applause)
Now, what's the
second question?
The Press: And the second
question is, we are
young leaders.
Do you have any suggestion
that how can we have to
strengthen the relationship
between Vietnam and America?
President Obama: First of
all, let me tell you, that
when I was your age, I was
not as well-organized and
well-educated and
sophisticated as all of you.
When I was young, I
fooled around a lot.
I didn't always take my
studies very seriously.
And I was more interested
in basketball -- and girls.
(laughter)
And I wasn't always
that serious.
So you're already
way ahead of me.
You're doing good.
Whenever I meet with young
people and they ask me this
question, my most important
advice is to find something
that you care deeply about,
find something that excites
you, and put all your
energy and effort into it --
because the path for
everybody is different.
Some people are very
passionate about education.
Some people are very
passionate about medicine.
Some people are
passionate about business.
And so there's no one path
to ending up being a leader.
People sometimes think that
to be a leader you have to
be a great -- you have to
make great speeches, or you
have to be in politics.
But there are a lot
of ways to lead.
Some of the greatest leaders
are people who are behind
the scenes.
So, for example, in the
United States, during the
Civil Rights Movement
that helped to create
opportunities for people
like me -- because at the
time, African Americans
couldn't fully participate
in society -- everybody here
has heard of Martin Luther
King, but there were all
these young organizers, your
age -- people like Bob Moses
and John Lewis, and others
who were helping go into
poor communities and
registering voters, and
getting them active and
getting them involved.
And they were enormous
leaders, amazing leaders --
even though they never made
big speeches in front of
big crowds.
But you have to feel
passionate about something.
And one of the things that I
always tell young people is,
don't worry so much about
what you want to be; worry
more about what
you want to do.
And what I mean by that is,
if you are passionate about
your work, then naturally
over time you are going to
rise and people will admire
and respect what you've done.
But if all you're thinking
about is, I want to be a
member of the National
Assembly, or I want to be
very rich, or I want to be
this or I want to be that,
then you pay less attention
to the actual work in
front of you.
And most of the people
I meet who are very
successful, in any field,
are people who just love
their work.
So Bill Gates, who started
Microsoft, he didn't start
off thinking, I want to
be a multi-billionaire.
He started off thinking, I
really like computers and I
want to find out how I can
create really neat software.
I didn't start off thinking
I wanted to be President of
the United States.
When I finally stopped
fooling around and I wanted
to get serious, what I
decided was that I wanted to
help people in low-income
communities, poor people,
have opportunity.
And so I went to work
in poor neighborhoods
in Chicago.
And because I was interested
in the work, I started
asking questions: Okay, how
can I get more education
dollars for these
communities?
How can I get better housing
built in these communities?
And that's when I became
more aware of how
politics worked.
And I started asking
questions about how could I
have more influence and how
could I build organizations
that could potentially
deliver the things that I
was interested in.
And that's what led
me into politics.
But I didn't start off
saying I want to be president.
I started off saying I
wanted to help these people.
So that's my most
important advice.
Decide what it is that you
care about deeply, and then
put everything you
have into doing that.
If you're interested in
social media and you want to
start a company,
then focus on that.
And if you're interested in
health care for people in
villages around
Vietnam, focus on that.
And if you get good at that,
naturally you'll end up
being a leader and you'll
have opportunities to do
great things in the future.
All right?
Good.
(applause)
Okay, it's a
young lady's turn.
There you go, since you got
such a -- when you've got
the paddy hat with the
"Thank you, Obama" --
(applause.)
That was good organizing.
So go ahead.
(laughter)
She came prepared.
The Press: I am.
So thank you very much,
President, for your very
inspiring speeches.
I'm from an organization
called Save Son Doong.
(applause)
So yesterday I literally
burst into tears when you
mentioned preserving the
cave for our children,
our grandchildren.
That is something that we
have been trying to do for
the past few years.
So my question for you is
that, because Son Doong does
not just belong to Vietnam,
it is a world heritage, how
would you, an American
leader, a global citizen,
preserve it?
And you also mentioned that
you would like to get back
to Vietnam.
If you have a chance to
visit Son Doong, would you
like to do it on foot by
trekking, or would you take
a cable car?
Fortunately, there's one.
(applause)
And also I have a gift.
President Obama: Well,
you've got a shirt for me.
The Press: It would be my
honor if you accept this gift.
President Obama: Well
that's a beautiful shirt.
(applause)
Well, first of all, I
definitely want to go visit
the next time I come.
And I'm a pretty healthy
guy, so I can go on foot.
(applause)
How long is it?
(laughter)
The Press: Seven days.
President Obama: Seven days.
(laughter)
Okay, I'm good.
(laughter)
I can do that.
(applause)
Are there places to get
something to eat along the
way, or do I have to
carry my own food?
(laughter)
Well, no, I'll
carry it myself.
Well, look, I think the
possible designation of a
world heritage site
is a complex process.
It would involve I think
working with the government
of Vietnam, with existing
organizations that designate
world heritage sites.
We'll be happy to work with
your organization, with the
Vietnamese government
and others about the
possibilities of doing that.
But I do think that one of
the great things about your
generation is, is that
you're already much more
conscious about the
environment than my
generation was or
previous generations were.
And that's really important
not only to preserve
beautiful sites in our
countries, but also because
economic development and the
well-being and the health of
your people and everyone
around the world is going to
depend on how we deal with
some of these
environmental issues.
Now, to some degree, this
is not fair, I think it's
important to note, because
if you think about Western
industrial development,
before we knew anything
about climate change, they
used enormous amounts of
carbon energy, and we in the
United States have a huge
carbon footprint and for 100
years, or 150 years, were
helping to warm the planet.
So it's not entirely fair,
then, to say to countries
that are developing now,
well, you have to stop
because of climate change.
But the problem is, is that
if a country like Vietnam,
or China, or India took the
same development path that
the West did, we're all
going to be under water,
because the climate is going
to warm up so quickly and
the climate patterns are
going to change, that, in
fact, the terrible
consequences could actually
impede development rather
than advance development.
That's why we had this
agreement in Paris to have
all countries join together
to deal with climate change.
And what it says is, is that
each country at different
stages of development have
different obligations.
The United States,
we have to do more.
Countries like China that
are large have to do more.
But everybody has
to do something.
And we all have an
obligation then also to help
developing countries find
new paths for energy and
development that are
environmentally friendly,
developing clean energy
strategies that can leapfrog
over the old, dirty
industries and immediately
go to the clean industries.
Now, the good news is I
think that can happen.
Because if you think about
-- everybody here has a
cellphone, right?
Everybody has a smartphone?
Yes, you do.
Of course, you do.
Well, in many countries like
Vietnam, you didn't start
off with a lot of phone
towers and digging and
laying telephone lines
under the ground.
You leapfrogged the old
technologies and immediately
went to a cellular
technology and a
wireless technology.
Well, the same thing
that we're doing with
communications, that's what
we need to do with energy.
And so, instead of going
through the same energy
usage in developing and
providing electricity and
power, we need to start
immediately finding cleaner
energy sources, which can
create jobs and businesses
and opportunities all
throughout this region.
And I'm very excited about
the possibilities of doing that.
So we have to think about
beautiful areas that need to
be preserved.
But we also have to
recognize that no matter how
well we preserve one or two
areas in each country, if
the overall climate patterns
change radically, then we're
all going to be in a
really difficult situation.
And you're already starting
to see the effects of
climate change
here in Vietnam.
I think this country is
going to be one of the
most affected.
And in someplace like the
Mekong Delta, you have
drought on the one hand,
but you also have saline
intrusion on the other hand.
And that could have a huge
impact on Vietnam's ability
to feed its people, on
fishermen, on farmers.
And it could be a really,
really big problem if we
don't do something about it.
So it's going to be up to
you to start, and I'm going
to want to partner with
you to make that happen.
Thanks for the
tee-shirt also.
(applause)
All right, so let's see.
You got flags
and everything.
(laughter)
Gentleman right here.
The Press: Good morning,
President Obama.
I'm from Study Abroad, which
brings American students to
come to Vietnam to learn.
My question is that, as
you said earlier, YSEALI
initiative -- and I know
that you want to leave the
White House very soon, but
I'm wondering, when you
leave do you come up any
plans to handle for the next
President to maintain
this very good idea?
Thanks.
(applause)
President Obama: Well,
it's a great question.
This is something that
we're already planning.
Our expectation is, is that
the next President will want
to continue the incredible
work that we've done with
the YSEALI.
It's not just, by the way,
young people in Southeast
Asia that we're
doing this with.
We have a Young Africa
Leaders program that
involves young people from
50 countries in
Sub-Saharan Africa.
We have a Latin American
version that brings young
people together.
And at some point, we're
going to bring key leaders
from each of these areas so
that they can start learning
from each other.
And our hope is, is that
the State Department will
continue this program.
But one of the things --
people always ask me, what
am I going to do after
I leave the presidency.
Because I'm so relatively
young -- not compared to
you, but compared to other
Presidents, I'm pretty young.
And I don't know everything
that I'm going to do, but
the one thing I do know I
will continue to work on is
developing young leaders in
the United States and around
the world.
So, in addition to my hope
that the next President
continues the program
through the State
Department, I'll make sure
that through my philanthropy
and my own work that we're
continuing to bring young
people together so that we
can start building the kind
of talent that knows each
other and is networked and
is connected, and is
learning from each other.
Because that's what it's
going to take for countries
in the future to be able to
solve these big problems.
If you ask me what I'm most
excited about in terms of my
legacy 20 years from now, I
would feel really good if I
see 10,000 or 20,000, or
50,000 young leaders who are
now taking over governments
and businesses and nonprofit
organizations, and they
now know each other from
different countries and
they've worked together, and
they've built trust and
they've built relationships.
And if I can help facilitate
that, that would be
something that I'd
be very proud of.
So you can guarantee that
I'll continue to work on this.
(applause)
All right, yes, right here.
Oops.
Is it working?
You might need to use mine.
(applause)
Okay, there you go.
Just in time.
(laughter)
The Press: Good morning,
President Obama.
I'm a YSEALI Academy fellow,
presently at the University
of Montana.
President Obama: Excellent.
How do you like Montana?
The Press: It's not
cold, it is hot.
President Obama:
Oh, it's very cold.
You just haven't -- have you
gone through January yet?
The Press: Summer.
President Obama: When
did you get there?
The Press: June
through August.
President Obama: Yes, it's
not cold in June and August.
(laughter)
You just went there
at the right time.
But it's a beautiful
state, isn't it?
The Press: Yes.
I love it.
President Obama:
Yes, it's lovely.
You have gorgeous mountains.
Have you learned
how to fish?
The Press: Yes.
President Obama:
Fly fishing?
The Press: Yes.
I went rafting as well.
President Obama:
And rafting also.
That's great.
The Press: So my topic is
about global
environmental issues.
So I'm going to make my
professor in Montana happy
by asking a question related
to climate change
and environment.
So in Mekong region, there
are a lot of hydropower dams
being are being built on the
mainstream of the Mekong.
And this problem is not
easy because we have big
countries and small
countries related to the
hydropower building
in the area.
So do you have any
suggestions for all the
governments of the Mekong
region to get together and
suspend in the interests,
for the economic and
environmental interests?
And just one more question.
This is like a very
tactical job interview.
Where do you find
yourself in five years?
Because I think it is a
very interesting period when
Malia probably graduates
from Howard University and
you still holding the
computer or iPhone 10.
(laughter)
And also that's when
probably maybe Mr. Sanders
or Mrs. Hillary or maybe
Mr. Trump finish their
president term.
So where do you find
yourself and the world in
five years?
Thank you.
(applause)
President Obama: Well, first
of all, on the Mekong Delta,
we actually, through ASEAN
and the East Asia Summit,
created a Mekong Delta
working group with all the
countries that are impacted.
And through our State
Department and various
programs, we're working to
help them plan and create
sustainable development
across countries.
Now, you're right that one
of the big challenges is how
do you deal with water
resources and the building
of dams and hydropower.
And that's not a problem
that's unique to the
Mekong Delta.
You see this in a lot of
parts of the world where big
projects get built with
unintended consequences, and
it has severe
effects downstream.
And the results in some
cases have been not great.
And they have significant
environmental degradation
because of lack of planning.
So what we're going to try
to do is to continue to work
with the affected countries
and to provide them with the
technical assistance and the
evaluations of what needs to
happen, what they
need to watch out for.
And hopefully that
information is power.
That information then can
be used to negotiate on an
international level to try
to prevent some projects
that might have
very bad effects.
But one of the things that
we've seen in ASEAN is when
small countries band
together as a unit, then
their power is magnified.
That's true on economic
issues; that's true on
environmental issues; that's
true on security issues.
And we've seen, since I
became President, I think a
greater willingness of the
ASEAN countries to do more
substantive work.
It used to be I think ASEAN
would meet and everybody was
very polite, but you didn't
always have I think as many
specific, concrete
plans of action.
And now you're starting to
see I think ASEAN being used
as a much more effective
tool for policymaking, and
the environmental area is
a critical place where that
can happen.
In terms of where I see the
world in five years, some of
you are going to be doing
great things, and I'll be
very excited to find
out what you're doing.
I suspect that I'm going to
be doing the kinds of work
that I've been
doing all my life.
I'll be doing organizing
work and involved in public
policy issues.
But I just won't be doing
it in a formal way through
elected office.
I'll be like a community
organizer, except a little
more famous than
I used to be.
(laughter)
In terms of American
politics, I tend to be
positive and optimistic
about American politics.
I think sometimes other
countries look at our
election system and people
think, wow, what a mess.
But usually we end up doing
okay because the American
people are good people, and
they -- as I hope you've
gotten to know people in
Montana -- the American
people are generous, and
they're decent and
they're hardworking.
And sometimes our politics
doesn't express all the
goodness of the people.
But usually, eventually, the
voters make good decisions,
and democracy works.
So I'm optimistic that we'll
get through this period.
And one of the great things
about the United States is
that even when it makes
mistakes, I think it's able
to adjust and recognize
our mistakes, and then we
correct course and
take different steps.
So things are going
to be okay, I promise.
(applause)
This guy, he has two
hands up and a symbol.
I don't know
what that means.
(laughter)
I don't know, it was
interesting, so we'll call
on him.
Maybe he'll explain it.
The Press: Hello,
Mr. President.
I want to say that
you're so handsome.
(laughter and applause)
President Obama: Oh, okay!
Well, you can just
stop there if you want.
(laughter)
The Press: Okay.
I have two questions of me
-- now turn a little bit
into business.
President Obama: Business.
The Press: Yes.
You told us just find
something you deeply care
about, and my biggest care
about is human resource
management or
talent management.
And now --
President Obama: Hote
management, did you say?
The Press: Talent
management.
President Obama:
Talent management.
Got it.
The Press: Okay, now we
are joining AEC and TPP.
This may not -- beside
opportunities, we have
many challenges.
The more challenge that
-- they have many overseas
companies, they want to
attract Vietnamese talent.
And can you give
a suggestion?
We cannot just base on the
patriotism of them to force
them to stay in Vietnam.
They have a chance to seek
for their own development.
So how can Vietnamese firms
and Vietnam government can
have them stay and
contribute to Vietnam?
And one more question
about entrepreneurship.
There is more -- like some
company will have lack of
human resource because they
move from other countries.
And how can the young
entrepreneurs can deal with it?
Can you give any suggestion?
Thank you.
(applause)
President Obama: Okay.
Look, if I understood your
question -- so TPP, you've
got these new opportunities.
Companies are going to be
interested in coming into
Vietnam as investors or
as business partners with
existing Vietnamese
companies.
And I think that any good
foreign company is going to
want to partner with a
Vietnamese partner who
understands the culture,
understands the system.
They're going to be
looking for young talent.
And if you start a company
that helps to identify
talent and is then helping
those who are doing business
here to recruit, I'm sure
that that will go very well.
This is not an area that I'm
an expert on, but one of the
things that we're seeing is,
through organizations like
-- or companies like
LinkedIn -- I don't know if
you've heard of that --
based out of Silicon Valley.
But they've been able
to build these digital
platforms where people are
continually updating their
résumés and providing
their information.
And that becomes a powerful
tool then for human resource
people who are recruiting.
And it's conceivable that
you could do something
equivalent to that in
Vietnam in preparation for
the ongoing growth and
development of businesses
here in Vietnam.
So that's a great idea.
Good luck.
In terms of the question on
entrepreneurship, I wasn't
clear exactly what
your question was.
Was it that you think
talented Vietnamese are
going someplace else
instead of staying here?
Is that right?
The Press: How ca
Vietnamese firms and
government have places to
keep, to retain the talent?
President Obama:
To retain talent.
The Press: Yes.
President Obama: So you're
worried about a
brain-drain where --
The Press: Yes,
brain-drain, yes.
President Obama: -- where
young Vietnamese, they get
an education and suddenly
they're being recruited to
go to Australia, or to go
to Singapore, or to go the
United States, or China, and
then you don't have enough
entrepreneurs here.
Well, look, I think the best
way to retain talent in any
country is to make sure
that talent is rewarded.
And the way to reward talent
is to have strong rule of
law; to have a good
education system; to have
the ability to start a
business relatively easily;
to make sure that government
policies when it comes to
taxation or when it comes
to building infrastructure,
that those policies are good
ones, and so that people
feel as if, by staying here,
this is the best place for
them to make it.
People usually don't want to
leave their home countries
if they feel like they've
got opportunity in their
home countries.
Usually, they end up leaving
if they feel as if they're
stuck in their
home countries.
And so one of the benefits
of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership is it's going
to lead to the government
taking a series of legal
reforms that I actually
think will create a better
business environment.
And it means for young
talented people like you,
there's no reason to leave
because you're going to be
in a position to do great
things here in Vietnam.
The places that I think lose
talent where there's a lot
of corruption -- so no
matter how hard you work,
you always have to pay a
bribe or you've got to hire
somebody's cousin to get a
license to do something --
that ends up
frustrating people.
I think people feel
frustrated if there's not a
good education system,
because the truth is, is
that not only do you need a
good education, but then if
you want to start a
business, you've got to be
able to hire people who
also have a good education.
And so you've got to count
on the schools training
people properly.
You want to have good
infrastructure -- proper roads.
And you want to have proper
wireless service in order
for you to do business
in the 21st century.
Environmental issues are
increasingly important.
I mean, there are some
countries where it's
actually hard to recruit
people because it's hard to
breathe in some
of the big cities.
You don't want to raise
your kids -- no job is so
important that it's okay if
your children have asthma
and they can't breathe.
And so, interestingly
enough, if you want the best
talent today, you have
to pay attention to
quality-of-life issues and
making sure that people can
have clean air and clean
water, and they're not being
exposed to pollution that
may cause cancer, and things
like that.
So those are all policies
that end up making a
difference in retaining
talent in any country, in
any city, in any community.
(applause)
Good.
All right.
Okay, well, we got
these young ladies.
They got a flag.
So since you brought a flag,
that's -- I'm very impressed
with your planning.
(laughter)
Those of you with the hat,
with the flag -- it's
good organizing.
The Press: Hi, my name is
Christina, and I'm with my
colleague and some of our
other colleagues here.
And we work for an American
anti-human trafficking NGO
called Pacific
Links Foundation.
So we fight against human
trafficking here in Vietnam.
With Vietnam emerging as an
important player in the TPP,
many companies will start
to shift their production in
factories to Vietnam, which
will create a new
mobile workforce.
With that comes the
unfortunate opportunity for
human traffickers and labor
brokers to take advantage of
these workers, such as
creating false promises or
tricking them or even
coercing them into moving
across borders, and
therefore forcing them into
a situation of
being trafficked.
What is the United States
federal government doing to
prevent human trafficking
in the global supply chain?
The Press: Before you
answer, can I ask you
a question?
President Obama: I'm
sorry, I didn't know --
The Press: Because
we had the same --
President Obama: You're
a tag team -- I got you.
The Press: Thank you.
Before I came here I asked
many -- whenever I met
someone I also asked what do
you want to ask if you can
meet President?
And a lot of questions
and a lot of comments.
And for now, I forgot
everything, but this remind
me about Kenya friend -- and
he said if I see you see if
he would come to Kenya,
and he was pretty excited.
And he said if you could
ask please Obama about human
trafficking
prevents strategy.
Thank you.
President Obama: All right.
Well, let me see.
You lost my
train of thought.
(laughter)
Look, the issue of human
trafficking is something
that we have made a top
priority in our State
Department and the
United States government.
So we have an entire
set of policies designed
specifically to work with
countries to prevent
human trafficking.
And we've actually begun
making progress in improved
enforcement, in improved law
enforcement coordination.
NGOs have been very helpful
as partners with us in
identifying what are some of
the paths where people are
being exploited.
With respect to TPP, it's
precisely because we put
such an emphasis on this
that we actually have
provisions in TPP
designed to prevent
human trafficking.
And it's actually given us
leverage to work with some
countries to say, if you
want to be part of TPP, you
have to have a better system
in place to prevent human
trafficking, including
some of these cross-border
migrant worker situations.
So when I was in Malaysia,
for example, meeting with
Prime Minister Najib, one of
the most important topics as
we were negotiating TPP was
how could we do more work in
order to protect people
who are being brought in --
whether it's working at the
palm oil plants or what have
you -- so that there was
better tracking, better
enforcement, better
protections for people.
And that's in the
actual agreement.
Now, I think that an
agreement on paper is never
enough, so there have to be
systems in place to monitor
what's taking place.
And these human traffickers
are very clever.
They're like
drug traffickers.
If you cut off one path,
then try to take another
path, and they're always
looking to exploit people
who are desperate.
So this is why this can't
just be a government
initiative or a law
enforcement initiative.
It has to be something where
we're partnering with NGOs,
human rights organizations.
We have to be very nimble
in how we adapt to changing
circumstances so that we're
constantly shutting down
some of these pathways.
The last thing I'll say,
though, is one of the best
ways for us to reduce human
trafficking is to provide
more opportunity for people,
particularly in rural areas
through Southeast Asia.
And if we can give young
people in villages a chance
to make a living and get
an education, and if we
particularly focus on women
and girls -- because a lot
of human trafficking results
from the fact that girls are
not given the same
educational opportunities as
boys, and as a consequence,
they find themselves in very
desperate situations -- the
more we can change those
dynamics, that will also
reduce the ability of people
to exploit people who have
no hope, or think that they
have to leave their village,
and are vulnerable then to
claims that if you just come
with us you're going to be
able to get a great job and
everything is going to be okay.
And then, by the time they
get there, they suddenly
find themselves trapped
in a very bad situation.
Congratulations on the
good work you're doing.
I'm very proud of you.
Thank you.
(applause)
All right, how much
more time we got?
We only got time for
one more question?
All right, I'll take
two more questions.
But it's a guy's turn first.
I'm going to call on this
guy just because I kind of
like the yellow
in his hair there.
I like the style.
(laughter)
There you go.
The Press: Thank you.
I'm a filmmaker, so I'm
very interested in
personal stories.
And you said before, when
you are young you're like
fooling around.
And I read on Internet --
I'm not sure if it's true or
not -- that you also like
smoking weed and things
like that.
(laughter)
President Obama: I don't
know if that's true.
The Press: I wonder what
makes you from that guy
become a guy who care
about the society.
Because a lot of -- I
think many young Vietnamese
people, they still love
like fooling around and they
don't really care
about the society.
But there must be something
that makes you become
this person.
Thank you.
(applause)
President Obama: Well,
it's a good question.
I wrote a book about this
called, "Dreams From My
Father." I think it was
translated into Vietnamese,
but I don't know if it's
still in bookstores near you.
You know, you never know
exactly why something inside
you clicks and you decide
to take a different path.
I think, for me, when I was
young -- because I didn't
know my father, and I didn't
grow up with him in the
house -- my grandparents
and my mother raised me.
And they were very
loving and very generous.
But I think I rebelled in
part because I felt that
something was missing.
And as I got older I
realized that instead of
worrying about the father
who wasn't there I should
worry more about what
can I do, and take more
responsibility
for my own life.
And that led me to start
studying more, and it led me
to start thinking about
social issues more.
I grew up.
And why it took me until
I was 19 or 20, where some
other people like many of
you have always been very
organized -- like this young
lady, I'll bet she's always
been very focused --
you don't know why.
But I think your point
about stories is good.
One of the things that I've
learned about being a leader
is sometimes we think people
are motivated only by money,
or they're only motivated
by power, or these very
concrete incentives.
But people are also
inspired by stories.
The stories they tell
themselves about what's
important and about their
lives and about their
country and about
their communities.
And I think if you want to
-- in whatever field you're
in, whether it's business or
politics or nonprofit work,
it's worthwhile to listen
to other people and ask them
questions about the stories
that are important to them,
because oftentimes you'll
find their motivations.
And when we come together
to do important things, it's
usually because we told
a good story about why we
should be working together.
You think about the
United States of America.
We have a really good story
called the
Declaration of Independence.
"We hold these truths to be
self-evident that all men
are created equal; that
we're endowed with certain
unalienable rights; that
among these are life,
liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness."
That's a wonderful story.
There's no -- when the
Declaration was made, there
really was not
United States.
It was just a good story
that they were telling about
what could be.
And then people were
attracted to that story.
And it led to independence,
and it led to immigrants
from around the world who
wanted that vision for
themselves -- it led Ho
Chi Minh to adapt it when
Vietnam was trying to
declare independence.
It inspired movements
around the world.
So, yes, the stories we tell
each other are very,
very important.
And good luck on
making your movies.
Don't believe everything
you read on the
Internet, though.
(laughter and applause)
Okay, last question.
This young lady, she stood
up and she's like -- I
couldn't say no to her.
She had her hand up.
I thought she was going to
hit me if I didn't call on her.
(laughter)
I'm teasing.
The Press: Hi.
So I am a rapper here
in Saigon, Vietnam.
President Obama:
Are you a rapper?
Oh, yes?
The Press: You have spoken
a lot about environment and
like politics and economic
progress of Vietnam.
But as an artist, we
have a lot to say.
President Obama: Okay.
The Press: We have
message to say.
I want to know how important
it is for a nation to really
help and promote their art
and culture, and to help its
nation in the future.
President Obama: Okay.
Before I answer your
question, why don't you give
me a little rap?
Let's see what you got.
(applause)
Come on.
Do you need like
a little beat?
Badoom, badoom.
(laughter)
The Press: Yes,
I do, actually.
(laughter)
President Obama: Go ahead.
Come on.
The Press: Vietnamese
or English?
President Obama: In
Vietnamese, of course.
The Press: In Vietnamese?
President Obama: I won't
know what it means, but just
a short version -- because
I got to get going.
(laughter)
The Press:
(Raps in Vietnamese.)
My name is Sue, by the way.
(applause)
President Obama:
Well, that was good.
See there, that
was pretty good.
What were you just rapping?
What was your verse there?
The Press: I was just
talking about some people
having a lot of money,
having big houses, but
actually are they
really happy?
President Obama: Okay.
The Press: Yeah, a lot of
things -- that people look
at us and see like different
thing and something they
assume, or a lot of like
stereotypes like me, Asian
rapper, looking
like a cute girl.
People don't know --
President Obama: Is
that what they think?
(laughter)
The Press: But for
Vietnamese people,
it's different.
They think rapping is
not like for women.
President Obama: Ahh.
Well, that's true in
the United States too.
(laughter)
No, no, I just mean that
there's always been sort of
sexism and gender
stereotypes in the music
industry like every
other part of life.
But to answer your
question, look, the
arts are important.
Artistic expression
is important.
It's what I was just saying
to the filmmaker about
stories that we
tell each other.
Music, poetry,
representations of life as
it is and how it should be
-- those are the things that
inspire people.
Life is a combination of
very practical things, right?
You got to eat, you got to
work, you got to build roads
and make sure that some dam
isn't ruining a community.
But it's also the spirit
that we have inside of us,
and how is that expressed,
and what are our vision and
what are our ideals for the
future, and how do we want
to live together, and how
do we treat each other.
And one of the most
important things about art
is it teaches you to not
just think about yourself,
but it puts you in the
head of other people.
So you start realizing
somebody else's pain, or
somebody else's hopes.
And you start realizing
that we have more in common.
So if I read a novel by
somebody in Africa, now,
suddenly, I understand more
about how we are similar.
And if I listen to a
Vietnamese rap, and it
connects to the things that
I'm feeling, now I feel
closer to a country on the
other side of the world.
And that's how we
build understanding.
And that's how we end up
being able to work together
and plan together and build
a better future together.
So, look, let's be honest.
Sometimes art is
dangerous, though.
And that's why governments
sometimes get nervous
about art.
But one of the things that I
truly believe is that if you
try to suppress the
arts, then I think you're
suppressing the deepest
dreams and aspirations
of a people.
And one of the great things
about the United States, for
all of our flaws in a lot
of areas, is that we do give
much greater expression
to our culture.
And something like rap,
which started off as an
expression of poor African
Americans, now, suddenly has
become a global phenomenon
and is really the art form
of most young people around
the world today in a lot
of ways.
And imagine if, at the time
when rap was starting off,
that our government had
said, no, because some of
the things you say are
offensive, or some of the
lyrics are rude, or you're
cursing too much -- then
that connection that we've
seen now in hip-hop culture
around the world
wouldn't exist.
So you got to let people
express themselves.
That's part of what a
modern, 21st century culture
is all about.
All right, everybody.
I've got to go, but
this has been wonderful.
Thank you so much.
(applause)
God bless you.
Thank you.
(applause)
