HCMC CELEBRATES THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000451

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SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR SOCI VM
SUBJECT: HCMC CELEBRATES THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE
WAR



1. (U) Ho Chi Minh City threw an elaborate celebration to mark the
30th anniversary of the end of the war and the reunification of
the country. The cornerstone of the April 30th event was a three-
hour parade followed by speeches from Communist Party national and
city leaders. In the reviewing stand was a virtual who's who of
the Communist Party of Vietnam: General Secretary Nong Duc Manh,
former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu, President Tran Duc Luong,
former President Le Duc Anh, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, retired
General Vo Nguyen Giap, Speaker of Parliament Nguyen Van An and
former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. Cuban Defense Minister Raul
Castro was among the handful of senior foreign dignitaries to
attend. There was no anti-U.S. animus evident at the parade.


2. (SBU) In their keynote speeches, President Luong and HCMC Party
Secretary Nguyen Minh Triet broke little new ground. They focused

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on the central role of HCMC in Vietnam's economy and lauded the
role of the Party in guiding the city's transformation into a
"modern socialist city." Both emphasized the need for HCMC and
Vietnam to overcome "shortcomings" and to take the "necessary
steps to sustain economic development." Although the speeches
focused on national reconciliation, Luong and Triet still used
phrases such as "servant government" to characterize the Republic
of South Vietnam. A public concert the previous evening portrayed
the Viet Cong and Vietnamese villagers suffering under B-52 carpet
bombing and Agent ORANGE defoliant spraying in the South during
the war, but the tens of thousands of spectators -- the vast
majority born after the war ended -- were far more interested in
the dancing, singing and fireworks that followed the war-time
retrospective. True to HCMC's spirit, by Sunday, many of the
decorations had been removed and it was back to business as usual.


3. (SBU) There was a staged, potemkinesque feel to the entire
official event. For the parade, the police closed downtown HCMC
and even local Vietnamese residents were "encouraged" to stay at
home. The marchers paraded through empty streets, although
Vietnamese television made sure the parade looked good.
Similarly, HCMC police went door-to-door in many neighborhoods to
ensure that storeowners and residents displayed Vietnamese flags.
If not, the police sold and mounted the flags at a nominal cost.


4. (SBU) We understand that there was friction behind the scenes
over the content of the speeches given at the event. A reliable
contact close to former PM Kiet told us that HCMC Party Secretary
Triet had asked Kiet to comment on a draft of his speech. Kiet
reportedly told Triet that he found his speech bland and
disappointing. He urged the HCMC Party Leader -- and Politburo
member -- to use the event to challenge hardliners and to make a
bold call for internal party reform and faster international
integration. Triet demurred, according to our contact.

WINNICK