VN News 01/08/97 /Bao Dai dda~ che^'t o+? Pha'p

[Dam Son <son@u.washington.edu>]

Vietnamese teenagers in the dark on condom use 
Eight slain in Vietnam as border guards go on killing spree 
Two Pakistanis given prison terms in Vietnam for cheque fraud 
Vietnam's sea rescue centre says it can not do its job 
Vietnam Reports New Aids Toll 
Vietnam's Playboy Emperor Dies in Exile at 83 
Vietnam: In Search of Leadership: Plus: a talk with the top

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Vietnamese teenagers in the dark on condom use 

Hanoi, Aug 1 (AFP) - Vietnamese teenagers are still in the dark when
it comes to condom use because they lack sex education, an
international health worker said Friday.

"School teachers are too shy and parents say the school should do it.
It's a vicious circle," an international health worker in Hanoi told
AFP.

His comments came in response to a report in the official English
language Vietnam News that most teenagers between ages 16 and 18 do
not use contraception for pre-marital sex.

The finding was based on a joint study done in Kien Giang province in
the Mekong Delta and northern coastal province of Quang Ninh by the
National AIDS Committee and UNICEF.

The conclusion that Vietnamese teenagers are receiving inadequate or
no information on sexual health was drawn at a conference held last
week by the Ministry of Education and Training and UNICEF.

International workers have bemoaned the lack of sex education in
Vietnam privately for years, but Friday's article was a rare public
admission by the official press of the problem.

Vietnam News on Friday gave the official number of those tested
positive for the virus that causes AIDS as 6,469.

But UNICEF estimates there are more than 84,000 people infected with
HIV in Vietnam.

Vietnam has, however, taken a novel approach to educate youth about
sex by opening "Condom Cafes" where waiters and waitresses dispense
free advice on safe sex.

Although condom use among teenagers is low, countrywide this method of
contraception has skyrocketed in recent years.

Official estimates say the number of condoms sold last year exceeded
100 million, compared with 35 million in 1991.

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Eight slain in Vietnam as border guards go on killing spree 

Hanoi (dpa) - Eight people have been killed and at least four wounded
by two Vietnamese border guards who went on an unprecedented shooting
spree in the country, officials said Friday.

Police and military officials launched a massive manhunt for the two
who fled into the jungles near the Lao border in the central province
of Thua Thien Hue after the incident Tuesday evening.

The killing appeared to have been sparked by a face-losing incident
involving the son of one local official whose entire family was killed
later the same night just before midnight.

After spraying bullets into the four-member family of tax official Ho
Giang Thanh, the guards appeared to have gone amok, shooting anyone
they came across, including several fellow guards.

"We considered them normal because before we never had any problems
with them," said Pham Song, chief of border gate number 629, where
the two guards served.

"We are not sure why they went crazy but now we are trying our best
to find them before they kill again," he said in a telephone
interview, adding they are armed with AK47 submachines and several
dozen bullets.

The two guards, who are both aged 28 and from the northern province of
Quang Ninh, were beaten up by local toughs after getting into a
dispute with the tax official's son.

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Two Pakistanis given prison terms in Vietnam for cheque fraud 

Hanoi (dpa) - Two Pakistani step-brothers were given jail terms of
three and four years by a Vietnamese court this week for cashing
31,600 dollars' worth of fake travelers cheques, reports said Friday.

The two were caught red-handed by police in the capital last September
and were convicted last Wednesday by the Hanoi People's Court, said
state media reports.

Adnan Jaleessiddiqui, 29, received a three-year prison term while his
half brother Kamvan, 33, was given four years.

The father of the two traveled to Vietnam last September and repaid
the money, which was in turn given back to a number of defrauded banks
in Hanoi and Haiphong, a nearby port city.

The two were reported to have used false Sri Lankan and Indian
passports, the reports said, which could not be confirmed with
Pakistiani officials.

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Vietnam's sea rescue centre says it can not do its job 

Hanoi (dpa) - Vietnam's newly established sea rescue centre is
woefully ill-equipped to carry out its duties, the state-controlled
media, quoting rescue officials, reported Friday.

Excessive secrecy within the Navy, which is supposed to coordinate
with civilian rescue efforts, further compounds the problem of
offering coverage for the country's one million square kilometres
contintental shelf area, they were quoted as saying.

There is a single small boat at each of three regional rescue centres
that are spread along the country's 3,260-kilometre-long coastline,
officials of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination
Centre reportedly said.

The centre was created after some 500 fishermen and ship crew died
during last year'a annual storm season, which begins in August.

More than 250 fishermen from the poor northern province of Thnah Hoa
died in a single storm last August that hit them while they were
hauling in squid.

The centre is supervised by Deputy Communications and Transport
Minister Bui Van Suong who was quoted as saying his centre needs tens
of millions of dollars in investment before it can really do its job.

He has submitted proposals of 30 million dollars to buy six new boats
and another 35 million dollars for telecommunications equipment to be
spent over the next 15 years, he told state-controlled media.

The boats currently used have a maximum speed of 10 nautical miles
(18.52 kilometres) per hour but Suong says he needs boats with three
times that speed that can also operate in rougher seas.

Suong says there are roughly 150 accidents at sea per year, requiring
emergency assistance.

Vietnam's fishing fleet continues to expand each year with with an
increasing number of fishermen at risk of typhoons and low pressure
storms that regularly batter the country's coastal areas.

Unable to find the cash for big-ticket items, Vietnam is also
confronting other seemingly simpler problems such as trying to
convince fishermen that they need to wear life-jackets.

Officials say many of their fishermen believe it is bad luck to carry
them but it is unclear just how much efforts officials are making to
overcome this superstition.

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Vietnam Reports New Aids Toll 

HANOI, Aug 1 (Reuter) - Vietnam announced new figures on Friday for
the number of people infected with the deadly AIDS virus, but the rate
was far lower than the government's own unofficial estimates.

The official English-language Vietnam News said 6,469 people were
known to be infected, of whom 860 had developed full blown AIDS and
471 had died.

It quoted the National AIDS Committee as saying victims had been
reported in 54 of Vietnam's 61 cities and provinces. The highest rates
were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern coastal province of
Khanh Hoa.

Friday's figures represented an increase in the official AIDS toll for
Vietnam. At the beginning of 1996, the rate was just 3,375 people.

But the number still amounted to only a fraction of that contained in
unofficial Ministry of Health estimates unveiled last month.

Those figures put the current number of cases at more than 84,000 and
said more than a quarter of a million people in Vietnam were expected
to be infected by the year 2000.

A senior official at the National AIDS Committee told Reuters on
Friday the discrepancy was a result of the gap between estimates made
using World Health Organisation criteria, and the actual number of
cases that had been detected.

He said government policy towards AIDS prevention was based on the
higher figure, but added that as an estimate it would be
"meaningless" to publicise it.

The first AIDS case was reported in Vietnam in 1990.

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Vietnam's Playboy Emperor Dies in Exile at 83 

By Lee Yanowitch PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuter) - Vietnam's last Emperor Bao
Dai, a symbolic ruler and puppet of the French colonial regime, has
died in a military hospital in Paris after spending four decades in
exile in France, officials said on Friday.

He died on Thursday at the age of 83. At first seen as a likely
pioneer for Vietnamese independence from the French, Bao Dai indulged
instead in the life of a jet-setter and become known as the Playboy
Emperor.

Born Nguyen Vinh Thuy in 1913, he reached the throne in 1926, taking
the title Bao Dai (Keeper of Greatness) as sovereign.

Because of his youth, Bao Dai soon went to France to complete his
education and the French appointed a royal family member, Ton That
Han, as regent to manage the court's affairs.

It was not until 1932 that Bao Dai assumed his royal duties at Hue,
the Imperial City. Initially he attempted to modernise Vietnam and
adopt reforms but France was unwilling to cooperate.

In the end, he spent most of his time in France -- although it is
unclear whether it was voluntarily or by force -- and when at home he
spent much of his time hunting on central Vietnam's high plains.

During World War Two, when France was under German control, Bao Dai
was forced to collaborate with the Japanese invaders.

When Japan surrendered, the Communist Viet Minh led by Ho Chi Minh
seized the chance to stage a coup d'etat and proclaimed a republic in
an attempt to head off the restoration of French colonial rule.

Realising he could only reign at the beck and call of the French, Bao
Dai abdicated in favour of the Viet Minh in 1945 and was named
"Citizen Prince Nguyen Vinh Thuy" by Ho.

But he soon saw Ho would give him no more than an advisory role and on
the eve of Vietnam's declaration of war against France in 1946, he
fled to Hong Kong to resume a life of leisure.

In the late 1940s, the French granted nominal independence to a
tenuously unified Vietnam but kept a firm hold on national government.

In 1949 Bao Dai returned from exile and became interim premier, and
shortly after, the French reinstalled him as monarch. However, he
continued his hedonistic lifestyle, leaving the task of governing to
his pro-French aides.

Following Ho Chi Minh's victory at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and the
withdrawal of the French from Vietnam, he left for exile in southern
France and played no further political role in his country's affairs.

He converted from Buddhism to Roman Catholicism during his stay in
France, where he lost much of his fortune.

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Vietnam: In Search of Leadership: Plus: a talk with the top
presidential candidate 

AsiaWeek
08/01/97

"I feel weak now and I really want to rest," said the 80-year-old man
in the raw-silk, cream Mao jacket. "But it depends on the assessment
of the people and the party." Do Muoi, general secretary of the
Vietnamese Communist Party, was talking to reporters after voting in
the July 20 ballot for 450 new National Assembly deputies. He could
get his retirement wish later this year. Along with President Le Duc
Anh, 77, and Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, 75, Muoi chose not to run for
re-election to the Assembly, indicating that the ruling troika will be
replaced in the coming months by younger leaders.

Vietnam's Communist government has traditionally been finely balanced,
with the three top posts apportioned to ensure an ideological and
regional equilibrium. Leadership changes had been expected at last
year's National Party Congress, but cadres failed to reach a consensus
on who should be anointed. Political infighting apparently prevented
the party from settling on a threesome to lead the nation into the
next millennium. Muoi, Anh and Kiet agreed to stay on. Their decision
not to run for the legislature is a clear sign a consensus may now be
possible.

The new Assembly will be again dominated by the Communist Party.
Though the public were the voters, all candidates were vetted first,
so the outcome was controlled. Less so is the leadership race. The
Assembly is expected to choose a new president and prime minister when
it convenes in September. The legislators typically ratify party
selections, but with the Assembly increasingly assertive, the proposed
candidates will have to be even more carefully picked than usual if
they are to go through.

Muoi, who is from the north, is expected to keep his position for
several months. He could even stay on until the next Congress in 2001,
though, then again, the party could convene as early as August to name
a successor. Current favorite to replace him: northerner Lt.-Gen. Le
Kha Phieu, 68, the military's political commissar and ranked fifth in
the powerful 19-man Politburo. In line for the premiership is Kiet's
deputy, Phan Van Khai, 64, also a reformer from the south, while
Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam, 68, is considered to have the inside
track for the presidency.

After Kiet, frequent traveler Cam is possibly the senior official most
widely known outside Vietnam. He accompanied Muoi to China, and he
arrived in Kuala Lumpur on July 22 for the ASEAN foreign ministers'
meeting. Ranked eighth in the Politburo, Cam is from central Viet-nam
and has spent his entire career in the Foreign Ministry. His lack of
military experience is regarded as his political weakness. In a recent
interview with Senior Correspondent Alejandro Reyes in Hong Kong, Cam
dismissed suggestions that he will become president as "just rumors."
Other excerpts from their hour-long conversation:

What can we expect from the coming leadership changes?

Our policy is to make our leadership younger. But the most important
thing is that the changes in leadership will not lead to any changes
in our policies. Reform, which has achieved many successes, will
continue, as will our independent foreign policy.

The delay in choosing new leaders, some say, indicates that Vietnam
has difficulties finding qualified people and that political
infighting made it tough to settle on who should take over.

That is just talk but it does not reflect reality. In forming our
policy we always try to combine the three generations - the young, the
middle-aged and the old - in the process. Each group has its own
advantages and strong points. (As for ideological differences,) these
are rumors.

Investors have expressed confusion about new investment laws and
concerns about the role of the state in the economy. How do you
respond to this?

We have made some changes in our new law on foreign investment, but
the objective of all the amendments is to provide a more favorable
environment for foreign investment. We are now in the process of
transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, so
there are many objectives and these are difficult to achieve at once.
That's why we need to take things step by step. The new law is better
than the old one. As for state enterprises, we are trying to make them
more efficient through equitization (limited privatization). Recently
we equitized some of the state enterprises as experiments but we are
now trying to broaden the scope of the process. If state companies
work efficiently, they will survive. If not, they will go bankrupt.

The equitization program has been slow.

We need to be cautious. We are in the process of opening our first
stock market and have already established a preparatory committee. The
stock market can open this year or next.

Is there disagreement among Vietnam's leaders over economic reform?

I can say categorically that among the leaders there is no opposition
to the policy of reform. But the pace depends on each branch of the
economy.

What about corruption?

Corruption is not only seen in Vietnam. We consider corruption one of
the most serious negative factors that we need to eliminate. But
because the press makes so much noise, it gives the impression that
corruption is a big problem. I don't deny that corruption is
dangerous, and we must struggle against it. We are making strong
efforts to reduce it so it won't undermine development and growth.
There have been harsh punishments in corruption cases.

What is your assessment of Vietnam's membership in ASEAN?

There have been both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are,
first, bilateral relations with each of the ASEAN countries can be
further developed. Through ASEAN, the relationships between Vietnam
and other countries of the world can be enhanced. Second, Viet-nam has
joined AFTA (the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement). Participating in AFTA
will help improve our competitiveness. Vietnam can get more experience
in participating in broader regional and international organizations
like APEC and the World Trade Organization.

Certainly Vietnam has been faced with some difficulties and challenges
as well. Our level of economic development is still lower than in
other ASEAN countries as well as many other countries. Our legal
system is still in need of improvement. We need to put a lot of effort
into establishing a legal framework which is in conformity with those
of other countries in the region. Frankly speaking, we still lack
qualified government officials who are equipped with the professional
knowledge and English language ability to function effectively in
organizations like ASEAN.

Is Vietnam politically the odd member out in ASEAN?

The basic principle of the treaty establishing ASEAN is that all
members respect each other's choice in terms of political system.
Cooperation to promote the economic development of each member country
is the major purpose. All issues may be sorted out easily among member
countries. What we have witnessed in the past will be the same way in
the future.

What is Hanoi's position on Cambodia?

Vietnam's consistent position is to respect Cambodia's independence
and sovereignty and not to intervene into its internal affairs. I
could not participate personally at the July 10 ASEAN meeting (when)
foreign ministers decided to postpone the admission of Cambodia into
ASEAN. But Vietnam was represented by our deputy foreign minister
instead, and we respect ASEAN's consensus on this issue. Anyway,
Cambodia will sooner or later become a full-fledged member.

There are allegations that Hanoi was aware of Hun Sen's plans against
Prince Ranariddh.

Recently, Mr. Hun Sen took his vacation in Vung Tau, as he normally
did before. He did not have any meeting with Vietnamese leaders. The
speculation that Vietnam was aware beforehand of the recent
developments in Cambodia is absolutely groundless..

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