VIETNAM’S Ambassador to the Philippines Ly Quoc Tuan was only three years old when the war between his country and America erupted.
Ly was 14 when the conflict ended, leaving behind a nation devastated, with the countryside and rice fields strewn with land mines. The once-verdant forests were stripped of their green cover—no thanks to the notorious “Agent Orange.”
According to its embassy in the Philippines’s web site, Vietnam has since undergone a period of “renovation and international integration.” To encapsulate its positive message:
“The material and spiritual life of the people constantly are improving; social safety and order are preserved. Vietnam has set up cooperative relations with most countries and regions in the world, is actively implementing the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, diversification, multilateral relations, active and positive international integration.”
One of Vietnam’s many spectacular achievements is its role of being a net exporter of Asia’s staple, rice. The expanses that once were witnesses to battlefields have now yielded life-sustaining crops that are not only enjoyed by its populace, but by tho se within the Asean region.
‘Rice’ of Vietnam
ASKED how its people were able to achieve this feat of feeding themselves despite the many obstacles along the way—like the blockade imposed by the Americans after the war—Ly has a simple explanation.
“You asked me a common narrative. Vietnam and the Philippines have a similarity: two countries that have wet rice plantation. We have sent experts to the International Rice Research Institute to study rice plantation.”
He said Vietnamese farmers have since learned scientific ways of rice farming, techniques and technologies from the said institution and others.
“Now, we are a net rice exporter. We often export about 4 million tons a year. In 2016 we exported 4.8 million tons to the world, in 2017 we did 5.5 million and, in 2018, did 6 million tons, including to the Philippines,” confirmed the Vietnamese emissary.
According to Ly, rice fields in Vietnam can churn out about 5 tons of palay per hectare, the land area tilled by an ordinary Vietnamese farmhand. He said the arable tract is almost the same as those given to Filipinos.
However, the envoy pointed out a stark contrast between his country and its neighbor to the east: the northern part is being supplied by water from the Red River Delta, while that of the south is from the Mekong River Delta. But, to some extent, he said Vietnamese farmers are able to adapt to a four-crop rotation for a given hectare per year, while Filipinos do only three.
He proudly stated: “For a long time, my government has built our irrigation systems for the peasants. They enjoy it for free.”
“And…” the envoy emphasized, “we do not charge farmers for the use of water.”
Ly was, however, quick to point out that Vietnam experiences only about 12 to 13 typhoons per year, while the Philippines is subject to the range of 24 and 25 howlers annually. His country is also a continuous landmass, with plenty of flat areas ideal for rice propagation, and a copious supply of water from the two great river systems.
The list of differences between the two Asean countries only starts from there.
Vietnam’s highest representative to the Philippines said natural calamities are also a factor to the crops our local farmers plant.
In his talks with Sens. Aquilino L. Pimentel III and Cynthia A. Villar, as well as former agriculture secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, Ly was told that in the future, the Philippines could be self-sufficient in rice production.
“The rice tariffication law could improve the Filipino farmers’ yield,” he surmised.
(Israel’s Ambassador Rafael Harpaz told him Tel Aviv is helping the local tillers gain more production per hectare by providing them with high-yield rice seeds.)
Aside from rice, Vietnam also exports about 1.42 millions tons of coffee bean in 2017, and 1.88 million tons of Arabica coffee in 2018, earning the country $3.2 billion and $3.54 billion, respectively.
It has also emerged as an important electronics exporter, with electrical and electronic products overtaking coffee, textiles and rice to become the country’s top export items. Electronics giant Samsung is Vietnam’s largest exporter, and has helped the country achieve a trade surplus for the first time in many years.
‘Doi moi’
VIETNAM’S upward trajectory is a given, knowing that its people are determined to chart their own futures through consistent application of know-how and ability to rely on their own.
Itstop envoy to the Philippines volunteered their secret of not solely relying on rice imports since 1975: “My people have gone through the worst, were very poor, and experienced poverty, [Their] burning wish is to make ends meet. We have tried very hard to become a strong nation and a wealthy people.
“Our policy is nothing but to ‘bring food to the people, [and] bring clothes to the people.’ That’s a policy we’ve been doing since we started our independence in 1945, and since the unification in 1975.’”
Ly opined of our countrymen: “They are very hardworking; [maybe it just has to do with] the proper application of technology for better yields.”
On top of Vietnam’s nationwide movement to enable the populace to get the country on its feet and make it on a par with developed countries following the war, he shared Vietnam’s “mantra” that embodies its unified efforts at reform, termed as doi moi.
“Our reform is very fundamental, which was introduced in 1986. Since then, it has helped transform the Vietnamese into lower middle-income citizens.”
He said when the war was over in 1975, Vietnam was a country in shambles, their economy shattered and “our country was in a very difficult position.”
“We had poverty issues. And if you remember, we also battled a blockade. We had no other way, but to stand up for ourselves.”
Faced with difficulties, Ly said his nation was very determined at that time to change. “We had to save our lives. In short, we cannot have other foreign assistance. So for over 40 years, I think that reform is one fundamental reason that made Vietnam very well-developed.”
Accompanying these was Vietnam’s foreign policy: “That we are a friend to the international community, and also a trusted member.”
The purpose of this policy, according to the ambassador, was to lure much-needed foreign investments, as his countrymen tried to establish a friendly environment to attract foreign investors.
“Foreign direct investments [FDI] have helped us develop our economy,” Ly revealed.
He added his country increased its international integration by joining the economic mechanisms, such as: the World Trade Organization, the Asean, “and now we are working with 10 other nations about the ratification of all original signatories of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, aligning with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed free-trade agreement between the 10 Asean member-states, with its six FTA partners.”
Ly stated that last year, Vietnam’s gross domestic product growth rate was about 6.9 percent, “and we are able to maintain at 6.8 percent from 1986 to 2006, and at 6.1 percent between 2008 and 2018.”
Multifaceted relations
OUR conversation touched on the aspect of trade. Ly admitted that the Department of Trade and Industry and its Vietnamese counterpart, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), listed many commodities that flow between the two countries.
These include computer spare parts, fertilizers, garments, food and foodstuff, as well as electronic spare parts from the Philippines, while they export rice, cement, steel, construction tiles, and, likewise, food items.
“Filipinos like freshwater fish from Vietnam,” the ambassador said, which contribute to the strong trade activity between the two countries.
“When I arrived [in the Philippines], the trade volume [being exchanged] was $3.2 billion in 2016; $4.5 billion in 2017; $4.72 billion in 2018; and for the first six months of 2019, $1.8 billion,” he volunteered.
These days, Ambassador Ly is focused on promoting Vietnam in other fields, as he recently accompanied a delegation from the MTI, while organizing trade promotions and business matching every six months. In those confabulations, he invited Filipino businessmen to visit Vietnam.
Following the exposure of their economy to FDI, Ly said Filipino tycoon Ramon S. Ang introduced the Philippines’s beloved beer brand to his country in 1993.
“San Miguel has been very famous since 1993. Everyone, after working hours, sits in a local bar with a bottle in hand.”
He added that the Ayala Corp. have also inaugurated a $263-million solar-battery factory in Ninh Thuan province, Vietnam, last April, while Gokongwei-owned JG Summit Holdings Inc. has invested factories to produce tea drink and to cooperate in a tea plantation there.
There are at least seven Filipino companies placing monies in Vietnam, the diplomat revealed. For one, Aboitiz Corp. is looking at hydropower investments.
Ly then added that both governments’ relations are steadily growing. “There are high level exchanges and meetings between the two countries’ leaders, ministers and secretaries.”
The envoy said their Prime Minister, H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, met President Duterte twice in 2017, while their president, H.E. Tran Dai Quang, talked with his Philippine counterpart during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Da Nang in November 2017. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with Duterte again in Singapore last year, and this year, in Bangkok.
He said there are regular meetings between Hanoi and Manila’s secretaries and ministers, which included the ninth meeting in March 2019 for the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperaion.
In defense relations, Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana visited Vietnam in March 2019, while their four-star Army General and Defense Minister Ngo Xuan visited Manila in October 2017.
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh
“ASIDE from education, we also engage in tourism. People-to-people connections have been developing very well,” Ly shared.
A few weeks back, he invited a group of Vietnamese performers and brought them to New Era University and introduced them to about 500 students to learn more about Vietnam’s traditional music and culture.
Vietnam has been aggressively promoting, since 2017 in Manila and Cebu, its cultural attractions with various performances, where Filipinos were also invited to display their talents.
Ly noted the brisk tourist exchanges since last year, as 148,000 Filipinos visited his country, while 40,000 Vietnamese came over to the Philippines. He said a number of his countrymen have enrolled in Philippine schools to learn the English language.
“In fact, I brought my seven-year-old grandson here to attend classes so he can pick up English. He’s a natural…he speaks well.”
For a Filipino tourist prospecting to visit Vietnam for the first time, the diplomat recommends a four-day trip by train from North to South, (from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City).
“Along the way, you will see the world famous Ha Long Bay. Move down south to Hue, Vietnam’s former imperial capital, which is similar to China’s Forbidden City and is now a Unesco Heritage Site.”
(From 1802 to 1945, Vietnam was ruled by the Nguyen Dynasty, a powerful family who had its capital in Hue [pronounced as “hwhey“] for more than 100 years. They would become the last ruling family of this sort in Vietnam, since the emperor abdicated in 1945 in favor of the new communist government being set up in Hanoi under their leader, Ho Chi Minh.)
Ly also suggests traveling further down to Da Nang, once the large military base that has been converted into a commercial hub.
“We renovated [that coastal city]. It is now a civilian airport near a 30-kilometer long beautiful beach. It is very romantic there, with Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese cultures mixing together,” he recalled wistfully.
“There are also lots of Europeans and Americans enjoying the quiet place with friendly people. You can pedal your bike slowly through the old street and view the 300-year-old houses.”
At the end of the train journey, the ambassador said one would reach Ho Chi Minh City, now a financial center of the country. Further down will be the famous Mekong Delta provinces. “There, you will see the rice plantations and the Mekong River that feeds the fields. When the rainy season comes, farmers start sowing the seeds. After three months, they come back to harvest the golden grains of palay.”
Hanoi is being served via Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia. The first two have direct flights to Hanoi capital and Ho Chi Minh City.
Here in the Philippines, Ly had visited some provinces, such as Pangasinan, Batangas and Cavite, and the cities like Puerto Princesa, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Iligan, since his arrival two years ago.
He dropped by Marawi City shortly after the civil war there had ceased.
“I visited ground zero shortly after battle stopped, and went back again after five months. Vietnam donated rice to the locals through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.”
About the Philippines, he had this to say: “It is an interesting country; Filipinos are hardworking and friendly people,” and admitted developing a liking for local food fare, such as lechon and turon.
The diplomat and some delegates from Vietnam were also wowed by inasal (barbecued chicken on a stick): “I was escorting my friends then to one of the heritage restaurants in Intramuros, where I introduced them to famous Filipino food. We enjoyed the cultural performances there too, such as the Filipino dances,” he added.
Barack and ‘bún chà’
THE freshness of Vietnamese food is well known. Ly attributes such as his compatriots’ ability to have their own backyard garden for a continuous supply of vegetables and herbs.
The ambassador highly recommends their spring rolls, sticky rice and rice noodle soup. He also hopes that tourists will try their hands on bún chà, a Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and noodles, served with grilled fatty pork (chà) over a plate of white rice noodles (bún) and herbs, with a side dish of dipping sauce.
He happily recalled former US President Barack Obama’s enjoyment of the delicacy with a bottle of beer in his hand during his visit to Hanoi.
“Since then, that restaurant became very famous and crowded.”
Ly was referring to the instance when the ex-US leader dined with celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain at a family-run restaurant, Bun Cha Huong Lien. (Hordes of tourists have since tried out the now-famous “Obama Combo,” which is basically a bowl of traditional bún chà, paired with some deep-fried Hanoi-style spring rolls and a bottle of Hanoi beer.)
The Vietnam vision
THE Asian nation’s strategic plan to proceed to producing higher value products and services, Vietnam, likewise, has its vision set for 2030 and 2045.
“That’s the mega national plan in electricity, water, organization, city development…everything. That’s the way we do it,” Ambassador Ly revealed. This long-range plan, he noted, aims to decentralize the Vietnamese government to give more liberty to the provinces to have their own future vision, “based on the government’s, and their own.”
He noted that the trade war between China and the US might benefit Vietnam, as well as the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, in anticipation of some businesses moving their manufacturing from these global giants to the smaller nations.
“Yes, there are many factories that will relocate in Vietnam, but I think that, looking at that phenomenon, there will be businesses from China which will go to [us], the Philippines, and other countries.”
The diplomat continued, “I see this as a very good opportunity for [our] economy, since we have more foreigners coming to do business in Vietnam. But in the long run, we also have to keep an eye on this,” he added, alluding to the probable ill effects of the trade rift.
“For instance,” he warned, “the relocation of business away from China could be a way for them to avoid taxes or levies in [the mainland]. They could choose to relocate to Vietnam due to lower tariffs”
Ly said Vietnamese authorities are aware of these tax-dodging schemes. As such, their authorities will try to visit every factory that relocates from China, to make ensure “every product originates from Vietnam, and not China. That’s the way we are trying to do now.”
“Overall,” the Vietnamese ambassador concluded, “[the state of] our bilateral relations is growing very well,” as he then reminded its official establishment on July 12, 1976.
Ly joined his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs 35 years ago. His various postings included Hong Kong, the US and the Czech Republic before his current one in the Philippines, which commenced in 2017.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano