October 14, 2007
On Sunday, October 14, 2007, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak visited Little Saigon just after two months on the job. Before attending a community town hall meeting organized by Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Ambassador Michalak met with community leaders at a private reception hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Nguyen Trong Viet and Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Suzie Matsuda.
Dr. Nguyen Trong Viet welcomed the 60 guests to his home, among them Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Thomas J. Bohigian from Senator Barbara Boxer’s office and many community and religious leaders from throughout California. In attendance were young Vietnamese Americans representing the Union of Vietnamese Students Association of Southern California, Doan Thanh Nien Phan Boi Chau Youth for Democracy, Len Duong Youth Network, Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Viet Tan. In addition, local Vietnamese American media were present.
Ambassador Michalak expressed his appreciation for the reception and was eager to hear everyone’s view on current issues in Vietnam. Before engaging in a discussion with the community leaders, Ambassador Michalak shared his three priorities: to push for human rights, to build and strengthen the economic relationship between the two countries, and to increase the number of students in Vietnam studying in the U.S. by 100 percent.
The discussion with Ambassador Michalak took place in the intimate setting of Dr. Nguyen Trong Viet’s living room. The community leaders expressed their concerns with the current human rights situation in Vietnam, including the land protests, trafficking of women and children, imprisonment of democracy activists Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, Father Nguyen Van Ly, Attorney Le Thi Cong Nhan and many more. Mr. Lac Nguyen, president of the Vietnamese Community of Southern California, presented to the Ambassador a letter detailing the concerns. Ms. Van Le, representing VietAct, also presented a letter highlighting views of Vietnamese American youth on the social injustices and lack of human rights. Mr. Quoc Phan, representing Len Duong Youth Network, asked about the safety of Vietnamese American who are interested in doing NGO work in Vietnam and whether they would be treated as local Vietnamese.
Although time was limited, Ambassador Michalak responded to the questions in detail and was genuinely interested in what everyone had to say. He said that this would not be the last time he would be meeting with the Vietnamese American community and that he looks forward to future visits to report on the progress on promoting human rights.