ACTING CONSUL GENERAL'S MEETING WITH NEW HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRWOMAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 001042 SIPDIS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HO CHI 01042 01 OF 02 060053Z DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD/MSPEER DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR OPIC, TDA, AND EXIMBANK DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR INR/EAP/SEA AND INR/IL/B CINCPAC FOR FPA SECDEF FOR ISA/EA/LSTERN DEPTTREAS FOR OASIA USDOC FOR 4431/MAC/AP/OKSA/HPPHO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON PINR SOCI VM SUBJECT: ACTING CONSUL GENERAL'S MEETING WITH NEW HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRWOMAN ¶1. SUMMARY: DEPUTY PRINCIPAL OFFICER AND ACTING CONSUL GENERAL SHARON WHITE MET AUGUST 27 WITH HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRWOMAN HUYNH THI NHAN. MS. NHAN IS ONE OF THREE NEW VICE-CHAIRPERSONS APPOINTED TO THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE IN MAY. (THERE ARE A TOTAL OF FIVE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRPERSONS.) IN HER FIRST OFFICIAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE CONSULATE GENERAL, MS. NHAN APPEARED KNOWLEDGEABLE AND AT EASE WITH THE VARIETY OF ISSUES HCMC (THE CITY) FACES IN ITS CURRENT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT. END SUMMARY. URBAN DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES -------------- ¶2. ACG WHITE NOTED THAT MANY PEOPLE VIEW HCMC AS A MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT FOR THE REST OF VIETNAM. ACG ALSO INQUIRED ABOUT THE SRV CENTRAL GOVERNMENT GRANTING HCMC LATITUDE TO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT MECHANISMS IN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HO CHI 01042 01 OF 02 060053Z ADDRESSING DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS. MS. NHAN SAID THAT HANOI AND HCMC ARE REFERRED TO AS CITIES WITH A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE STATUS, BUT IN FACT, THEY OPERATE AS PROVINCES. THE SRV CENTRAL GOVERNMENT, IN FACT, HAS RECENTLY GRANTED HCMC MORE DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY IN MATTERS DEALING WITH ITS OWN ECONOMY. THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON A DRAFT DECREE THAT WOULD GIVE THE CITY MORE INDEPENDENCE IN PREPARING ITS OWN BUDGET. ¶3. MS. NHAN SAID THE CITY'S GREATEST CHALLENGE IS TO IMPROVE ITS INFRASTRUCTURE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF ITS BURGEONING POPULATION. AS A MANUFACTURING AND COMMERCIAL CENTER, THE CITY DRAWS ECONOMIC MIGRANTS FROM THE RURAL COUNTRYSIDE. NEWCOMERS TO THE CITY NOTICE TRAFFIC CONGESTION AS ONE OBVIOUS RESULT OF OVERCROWDING. THE LARGE INFLUX OF MIGRANTS, HOWEVER, ALSO CREATES A DEMAND FOR EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, POWER, WATER SUPPLY, EDUCATION, AND HEALTHCARE THAT THE CITY IS STRUGGLING TO MEET. ¶4. MS. NHAN POINTED OUT THAT HCMC'S SUCCESSFUL CANAL CLEAN-UP PROJECT ADDRESSED BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL AND HOUSING PROBLEMS. OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, HCMC HAS DREDGED, CLEANED, AND BEAUTIFIED THE THI NGHE-NHIEU LOC CANAL AND RELOCATED 6,000 HOUSEHOLDS FROM "SHABBY HOUSES AND SLUMS" BUILT OUT OVER THE CANAL TO MORE SUITABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT SITES. OVER THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS, THE CITY PLANS TO CLEAN UP ITS OTHER CANALS AND RELOCATE 10,000 MORE HOUSEHOLDS FROM CANAL SLUMS TO BETTER HOUSING. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HO CHI 01042 01 OF 02 060053Z ¶5. ACG WHITE NOTED THE VISITS TO HCMC IN THE PREVIOUS THREE WEEKS OF AMERICAN DELEGATIONS INTERESTED IN MASS TRANSIT, AGRICULTURE, AND AIR QUALITY. SHE SUGGESTED THAT THE CONSULATE GENERAL COULD HELP ARRANGE FOR EXPERTS OR STUDY GROUPS ON ONE OR MORE TOPICS RELATED TO URBAN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. SHE ALSO NOTED THAT THE USG WAS PREPARED TO HELP WITH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT. ¶6. MS. NHAN WELCOMED US DELEGATIONS THAT COULD BRING TECHNICAL EXPERTISE ON ADDRESSING URBAN DEVELOPMENT ISSUES. SHE SAID THE CITY ALSO WELCOMED TRADE MISSIONS AND BUSINESS DELEGATIONS. ACG ADDED THAT THE INCREASING NUMBER OF VISITING US DELEGATIONS, WHETHER GOVERNMENT OR PRIVATE, WOULD CONSTITUTE A POOL OF US INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS WHO SUPPORT HCMC'S, AND VIETNAM'S, EFFORTS TO DEVELOP. BIO-INFORMATION -------------- ¶7. MS. HUYNH THI NHAN (VIETNAMESE NAME ORDER: LAST NAME, MIDDLE NAME, FIRST NAME) WAS BORN IN 1951 IN SAIGON. SHE HAS A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN LAW AND A MASTER'S DEGREE IN ECONOMICS. IN MAY 2001, SHE WAS APPOINTED HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRWOMAN IN CHARGE OF BUDGET AND FINANCE. PREVIOUSLY, SHE WAS DIRECTOR OF THE HCMC DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND PRICING. PRIOR TO THAT, SHE WAS CHAIRWOMAN OF THE HOC MON DISTRICT (HCMC) PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE. TANNENBAUM UNCLASSIFIED