REMARKS BY SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN ON THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NORMALIZATION OF
RELATIONS WITH VIETNAM
July 14, 2010
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) made the following remarks at
the U.S.-Vietnam 15th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Reception in Washington,
D.C.:
“Thank you for that very kind welcome. And let me thank Ambassador Kurt Campbell
and Ambassador Le Cong Phung for inviting me to be here this evening. I see a lot of
friends in the audience, and I am pleased to share the stage with some of my old partners
in the effort to normalize the U.S. relationship with Vietnam.
“I was honored to join President Bill Clinton at the White House ceremony when he
announced the decision15 years ago. And when I was asked about it later, I said that this
would have been an extremely difficult decision for any American president, and that
President Clinton showed courage and honor in his resolve to do so. I meant every word
of it then, and I stand by every word of it today.
“Senator John Kerry was another essential partner in this effort, and thanks in large part
to his patient leadership, the United States made considerable progress in determining the
fates of our missing servicemen. Indeed, no nation in history has ever done more to
account for its missing. And while more remains to be done, we can be proud of the
commitment made so far, and proud of the work that Senator Kerry and many others have
done to keep faith with those who kept faith with us.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you had told me in 1995, to say nothing of 1975, that after 15
years of official ties, relations between our nations would not just be normal, but strong,
deep, growing, and good – indeed, that Vietnam would be one of America’s most
important and most promising emerging partners in the Asia-Pacific region – well, it just
goes to show: If you live long enough, almost anything is possible.
“The normalization of our relationship is a tribute to the profound strength and
magnanimity of the Vietnamese people. It is a testament to the fundamental decency and
confidence of the American public. It is a credit to the practicality and forbearance of
leaders in both our governments. And ultimately, it is a story of countless individuals,
both Vietnamese and Americans, coming to terms with a painful past, refusing to look
back in anger, and doing what is right for their countries. This is a deeply personal
process, and it’s been difficult for all of us.
“I remember one cold Christmas night that I spent as a prisoner of war, and the prison
commander, a man we called the Cat, paid a visit to my cell. He wore a dapper suit with a
diamond tiepin that his father had given him, and he regaled me with stories of his
privileged upbringing. His father, he said, was a friend of Ho Chi Minh, and on occasion
he had even been invited to stay with Ho at his villa in Ha Long Bay – a breathtaking
place, crowded with jagged volcanic islands, where Ho used to vacation. This friendly
exchange captured my imagination, and I promised myself then and there that, one day, I
would spend a night in Ho’s villa.
“Many years later, I mentioned this story to an associate in the Vietnamese government,
and to my surprise, on one of my earliest return trips to the country, my hosts had
arranged a night’s rest for me at Ho’s villa, in the exotic Ha Long Bay. A warm breeze
carried off the water and blew through the open windows, and as I drifted off to sleep in
the villa where Ho Chi Minh once found rest, I knew I would not likely get greater
recompense than this for the many nights I had spent in Vietnam in less comfortable
circumstances. Nothing more would be gained from revisiting the past. Better to enjoy
the evening and, come morning, begin the more promising pursuit of building a better
relationship between our countries.
“My support for improved relations with Vietnam has always stemmed from my deep
conviction that it would best serve the national interest and values of the United States.
Fortunately, many Vietnamese patriots, including my dear departed friend Nguyen Co
Thach, felt the same for their country. Fifteen years later, it is fitting that we spend some
time celebrating all that we have achieved together. But not too much time. The strength
of our relationship has always been our relentless pursuit of the opportunities that lie
ahead of us. We have finished the hardest work of normalizing our relationship; now we
must turn to modernizing our relationship. Our focus must not simply be how we get
along with each other, but how we use our emerging partnership to advance great
common purposes together.
“Our greatest purpose is the vision we increasingly share for the Asia-Pacific in this
century. It is a vision in which no one power dominates the region, and a favorable
balance of power is secured through conditions of strength. It is a vision in which
growing wealth and prosperity comes to the benefit of all nations and at the expense of
none. And it is a vision in which freedom of navigation and commerce is protected, and
the hard-won independence of all states is guaranteed.
“It is my hope that, as Vietnam deepens its reforms, and as the United States once again
embraces its long-standing support for free trade, our economic ties will strengthen. Our
bilateral trade is 30 times greater today than it was 15 years ago. We’ve created
thousands and thousands of jobs, to the benefit of both our peoples. And I am confident
that this is only the beginning of what we can achieve together.
“It is also my hope that our defense cooperation, officer exchanges, and joint exercises
will expand dramatically in the years to come. And on a personal note, I look forward to
the day when the U.S. Navy ship that bears the name of my grandfather, my father, and
myself – the John S. McCain – could make a port call into Vietnam. I would very much
like to be there if and when it does.
“But perhaps my greatest hope for the U.S.-Vietnam relationship is this – that our current
partnership of common interests will ultimately become a partnership of common values
as well. The tolerance of peaceful dissent, the protection of freedom and human rights,
and rule by the consent of the governed – these are not causes of weakness; they are the
most enduring sources of strength for states and societies in the modern world. And if the
Vietnamese people have demonstrated one virtue over their long history, it is their
abiding strength.
“My friends, of all the efforts that I have been privileged to be a part of in my many years
in the Congress, the transformation of America’s relationship with Vietnam holds special
value for me – not for reasons of sentiment or vague notions of closure, but because of
what it says about the character of our country.
“America has no permanent enemies. Wherever there are decent leaders, leaders of good
faith, leaders who seek peace for their countries and better lives for their people – no
matter how divided we may be by the gulfs of history, and no matter how much we may
differ over the constitution of our governments – these men and women, and the
countries they lead, will always find an extended hand and a willing partner in
America. They will find in us a partner that will work to identify those areas where we
can stand together, no matter how small that space may initially be, and having found
some common ground, will do our level best to build a relationship that is better than
whatever history may have bequeathed us.
“That is our legacy with Vietnam. It is our hope with current adversaries. And it is why I
am so optimistic about all that our two nations will accomplish together.
“Thank you.”