VietNamNet - "To transform and improve Vietnamese universities would take a more ambitous set of reforms and new types of cooperation", Dr David from Harvard said in an interview with VietNamNet at the very time Prime Minister Phan Van Khai paid a visit to the university.

Dr David has spent 17 years in researching about Vietnam. He was one of the founding members of Fulbright Economics Program. He is seen as one of the leading specialists in Vietnam's economic policies. He used to train many Vietnamese civil servants during the time they studied in Harvard University.

As a result, VietNamNet had an open talk to him, hoping to get objective opinion about affects of PM's visit to US to Vietnam's social and economic transformation.

You may have seen that some business contracts were signed, some investment licenses (for insurance companies) were issued. Do you think that all had been agreed and prepared before the visit? Can you talk about the immediate impacts of the visit?

It is very likely that the business deals were agreed to prior to the visit and the visit was a good time to announce them. The visit will help move Vietnam from a “special” to a “normal” country in the minds of many Americans and, more importantly, many business people that might have been reluctant to engage in business previously. It is also important for Vietnam to establish itself not only with a centrist Democrat President (Clinton) but also a conservative Republican (Bush). This should make future foreign policy more bipartisan and less contentious, at least from the US side.

The Prime Minister, in the interview with Washington Post, said that he would request the President Bush to recognize Vietnam as "market economy". We did not see the response for that in the joint statement of the two leaders. How long it may take until the US Government do that? What are the constraints for the US Government to do that?

The “market economy” designation is one determined by the Commerce Department through a formal process rather than through an instruction from the President. Joining the WTO and improving the legal and financial systems should help the Commerce Department to rule that Vietnam is now a “market economy.” It is difficult to know how soon that would be, but it is likely to happen before President Bush leaves office.

Vietnam and US have the BTA. What is the incentive for US Government to support Vietnam's bid for WTO membership? Because after that, it would be more difficult for the US to have unfair cases against Vietnam, such as the case of basa catfish.

Joining the WTO imposes a multilateral obligation on a nation to follow certain rules and procedures. These obligations are often stronger than than those from a bilateral agreement. While the US would have a reduced ability to be protectionist without legal retribution (Vietnam could raise tariffs in an equal and offsetting manner on US goods under WTO rules), it would also be in a better position on issues of banking, other services, intellectual copyright and so on. Overall, the US is in favor of a multilateral system in which legal obligations bind all parties, as it tends to create more of a global market in which its companies can more easily compete.

Do you foresee any immediate impact on education of Vietnam after the visit? Regarding the education reform in Vietnam, or the education cooperation between the two countries.

The immediate impact on education of this trip will depend on follow-up measures that may or may not be adopted in Hanoi. Certainly, if the conditions are favorable, it should be possible to get US universities involved in exchange and perhaps other types of cooperation to help improve the university system in Vietnam. The main issue is creating better operating rules so merit is promoted and different ideas can be explored.

We already have good cooperation models of the Fulbright School in Ho Chi Minh City, the Fulbright Fellowship at the US Embassy to Vietnam, and the VEF. Do you think we still need to look for a better model?

There are limited forms of US-Vietnamese educational cooperation, but with over one million university students in Vietnam, the US impact is still very small – perhaps 200 students a year are educated. To transform and improve Vietnamese universities would take a more ambitous set of reforms and new types of cooperation. This is possible but not certain.

If the Prime Minister invite the Presidents of Harvard and MIT to visit Vietnam, do you think what Vietnam should prepare right now in order to have productive visits?

An invitation from a Prime Minister to a foreign university president is unusual and normally requires some formal set of activities. Before such a visit is justified there should probably be lower level work to define and initiate concrete programs of cooperation. This activity could begin at any time, but it requires changes in operating rules as much as money to attract the interest of highly regarded institutions. Fortunately, Vietnam has the size and intellectual talent to be able to do this if it chooses to.

Luong Bich Ngoc - Huyen Trang