Clinton Presses Vietnam on Rights Record

By PATRICK BARTA in Phnom Penh and VU TRONG KHANH in Hanoi

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for closer ties between Washington and its former wartime foe Vietnam, even as she said the government in Hanoi isn't doing enough to respect human rights.

Speaking in the Vietnamese capital on Tuesday in the midst of a cross-Asia tour, Mrs. Clinton touted the widening commercial links between the two nations, with trade reaching $22 billion in 2011, from $1 billion in 2001. The two countries have also moved closer in recent years as Vietnam seeks more support in its long-running disputes with China. Beijing's extensive territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea overlap with those of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations, leading to growing fears of a regional conflict.

Mrs. Clinton said she hoped Asian leaders would work together to come up with a solution to the territorial disputes. She encouraged the development of a fresh code of conduct for activities in the sea at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this week in Cambodia, to ensure future disagreements are resolved amicably.

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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during a meeting in Hanoi on Tuesday.

"The U.S. greatly appreciates Vietnam's contribution to a collaborative, diplomatic resolution of disputes and the reduction of tensions in the South China Sea," Mrs. Clinton said at a briefing after meetings with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

But Mrs. Clinton said she remains concerned that Vietnam's government isn't doing enough to protect the rights of its citizens, including protections for free expression online. Vietnam has at times instructed Internet-service providers to block access to sites such as Facebook and Twitter in recent years, while police have detained some well-known bloggers. Human-rights groups say such actions are designed to limit dissent.

"I know there are some who argue that developing economies need to put economic growth first and worry about political reform and democracy later, but that is a short-sided bargain," Mrs. Clinton said. "So I also raised concerns about human rights, including the continued detentions of activists, lawyers, and bloggers, for the peaceful expression of opinions and ideas."

Mr. Minh said at the briefing he was hopeful that relations between the countries would continue to warm, however, especially through economic links.

"The potential to boost economic cooperation between the two countries is huge, and we hope the U.S. will become the top foreign investor in Vietnam in the near future," he said.

U.S. officials are keen to keep promoting commercial ties between the two countries, to create new opportunities for American companies abroad and to help shore up relations with Hanoi as Washington seeks to contain China's influence in the region.

Although Vietnam has been a major destination for U.S. investment in recent years, it has become somewhat less attractive more recently because of macroeconomic instability, marked by high rates of inflation and a series of currency devaluations. Analysts have argued Vietnam needs to pursue more economic overhauls, including steps to privatize state companies, to give its economy a new boost.

At an American Chamber of Commerce event in Hanoi Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton said she was encouraging Vietnamese officials to keep reforming the economy, especially by opening markets further to private investment. She said the U.S. was also doing its part by joining with local companies and nongovernmental organizations to boost skills training and build a better-educated workforce—long a concern for major multinational companies operating in Vietnam such as Intel Corp..

Write to Patrick Barta at patrick.barta@wsj.com

Clinton supports Vietnam on South China Sea but concerned about lack of online freedom

(Brendan Smialowski, Pool/ Associated Press ) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks during a meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh at the Government Guest House Tuesday, July 10, 2012 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

By Associated Press,

HANOI, Vietnam — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she supports Vietnam’s work to help resolve issues in the disputed South China Sea but believes the communist country needs to do more to protect human rights.

Following a meeting with Vietnam Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Tuesday, Clinton said she remains particularly concerned about the lack of online freedom, along with the jailing of journalists, bloggers, lawyers and dissidents for peaceful expression.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Vietnam to pursue democracy while announcing details of a a new trans-Pacific trade agreement focused on south Asia, during a visit to Hanoi on Tuesday.

Vietnam maintains only lawbreakers are imprisoned.

Clinton also said she hopes progress is made this week at a regional meeting in Cambodia toward establishing a code of conduct to help resolve disputes peacefully in the South China Sea where tensions have recently flared.

China, Vietnam, the Philippines and other neighbors have overlapping claims in the sea, including islands that straddle important shipping lanes and are believed rich in oil and natural gas reserves. The U.S. has said maintaining peace and freedom of navigation is in its national interest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/clinton-supports-vietnam-on-south-china-sea-but-concerned-about-lack-of-online-freedom/2012/07/10/gJQAlJQ7ZW_story.html

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+ CSVN danh My la cho Trung Cong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LbtYAYvRKA
+ Ho Chi Minh va phu nu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK7-vLxcONE
+ Dai Su VC Nguyen Xuan Viet noi nang nhu trum du dang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu6DXnkAHBY&feature=related
+ Su that ve Con Dau:
http://www.youtube.com/v/B2D0hhgHIu0&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=F9FF45&color2=F9FF45&border=1&autoplay=1&rel=0
+ http://victimsofcommunism.org/
+ Dat Nuoc Toi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blg5Uhlv9NQ
+ Nhan chung Mau Than 1968: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Nc7-1J_slDk&vq=medium
**
+ Co Tong thong VNCH Nguyen Van Thieu: " Dung nghe nhung gi CS noi, ma hay nhin ky nhung gi CS lam."
+ Nha van Nga Alexandre Soljenitsym: " Khi thay thang CS noi lao, ta phai dung len noi no noi lao. Neu ta khong co can dam noi no noi lao, ta phai dung len ra di, khong o lai nghe no noi lao. Neu ta khong can dam bo di, ma phai ngoi lai nghe, ta se khong noi lai, nhung loi no da noi lao voi nguoi khac."
+ Co Tong thong Nga Boris Yeltsin: " CS khong the nao sua chua, ma can phai dao thai no."
+ Cuu Tong bi thu dang CS Lien Xo Mr. Gorbachev: " Toi da bo mot nua cuoc doi cho ly uong CS. Ngay hom nay toi phai dau buon ma noi rang: Dang CS chi biet tuyen truyen va doi tra."
+ Co Tong thong My Ronald Reagan: " Cham dut chien tranh VN, khong don thuan la chi rut quan ve nha la xong. Vi le cai gia phai tra, cho loai Hoa binh do, la ngan nam tam toi, cho the he sinh ra tai VN ve sau."
+ Tuong William C. Westmoreland tuyen bo: " Chung ta khong thua tai Viet Nam, nhung chung ta da khong giu dung loi cam ket doi voi Quan Luc Viet Nam Cong Hoa. Thay mat cho quan doi Hoa Ky, toi xin loi cac ban cuu quan nhan cua Quan Luc Mien Nam VietNam vi chung toi da bo roi cac ban."
(On behalf of the United States Armed Forces, I would like to apologize to the veterans of the South Vietnamese Armed For abandoning you guys.)