CORRESPONDENCE - 85A COMBINED REPORTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIETNAM 2012

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Appendix Vietnam and the US have been developing friendship and multifaceted co- operations, yielding great benefits for the people of both countries. The two sides are currently striving to forge a strategic partnership. It took Americans almost 30 years to overcome the Vietnam war syndroms so as to normalize its diplomatic relationship with Vietnam in 1995. The two sides have made impressive headways since then: The US has become the most important trading partner and investor of Vietnam; two way trade exceeded $19 billion in 2012, 2/3 of which was through California's ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland and %z of the export from Vietnam is for Californian consumers. Vietnam is considered one of the five emerging markets with great potentials in the US government's export strategy. The US ranks 7`" among foreign investors in Vietnam with $12 billion. A number of businesses in California have taken steps to prepare for investment in Vietnam in the near future. It is estimated that more than half of the 12,000 Vietnamese students in the US are currently studying at high schools, community colleges and universities in California. Great efforts have been made to boost co- operations in education and training, science and technology, culture, and resolution of existing war issues. The Vietnamese and US governments have been coordinating actively and effectively in the humanitarian area: Vietnam has returned to the US side over 1,000 remains of the latter's estimated 3,000 MIAs in Southeast Asia as well as provided essential information relating to other cases and thus helped ease the pain and sufferings of many families of the MIAs. The Vietnamese government has also been assisting veterans and officials of the former regime in South Vietnam, who are now residing in the US, in their efforts to relocate and bring to the US the remains of hundreds of their buddies. On its side, the US government has taken actions to participate in projects to help victims of Agent Orange used by the American troops in the Vietnam war. Today 15 of American cities and counties have established sistership /friendship and cooperative relationship with their Vietnamese partners. Every year hundreds of American delegations visit Vietnam for various purposes including boosting trade and investment. Every year hundreds of thousands of American Vietnamese return to Vietnam to visit their beloved families. Vietnam and the US have so far conducted 15 rounds of negotiations to bridge differences on democracy, human rights, religious freedom. In July 2010 US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton suggested to Mr. Pham Gia Khiem, the then Foreign Minister of Vietnam, that Viet Nam and the US should move their relationship toward a strategic partnership. Since then officials of both sides have been exchanging views on ways and means to put the idea into practice. Once Vietnam and the US indeed become strategic partners, their bilateral co- operations in all fields will have greater opportunities to reach potential depth and height.