THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
___________________________________________________________________________
______For Immediate Release November 19,
2000
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO U.S.-VIETNAMESE BUSINESS FORUM RECEPTION
City Hall
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
5:53 P.M. (L)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. First, thank you for your warm
welcome, Mr. Chairman. And let me thank all the members of the Vietnamese
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council,
U.S.-ASEAN Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce for
bringing us all together today.
I am honored to be here with distinguished members of the United
States Congress and my Cabinet and administration; and American business
leaders who are interested in Vietnam.
I hope this trip has helped the American people to see Vietnam in a
new way, and has encouraged the people of Vietnam to see America in a new
way, so that we will have a partnership for the future.
One important element of that partnership is our bilateral trade
agreement, and I want to thank all of you here for your efforts to bring it
about. There are so many Americans who want to play a positive role in
Vietnam's future, including 1 million Americans of Vietnamese heritage.
There are also a lot of American business people who came here many
years ago, during the conflict -- people like Jim Kimsey, who is on my trip
here -- who have done very well in the high tech economy and other areas,
who would like to give back to Vietnam and do something positive to build a
better future.
I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the work that you have done
here in Ho Chi Minh City to promote private economic growth and to
encourage others to be partners with you in the future. And I hope that
all of us will be able to celebrate that kind of future because of your
leadership and the policies of the government of Vietnam and the
willingness of the people of Vietnam to support this new direction.
Again, let me thank all of you for making my family and my delegation
feel so welcome in Vietnam. I thank you for your vision for this young and
dynamic country; and I am going home determined to continue the partnership
we have for a better future for the people of Vietnam, the people of the
United States and all those whom we can reach together.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 6:00 P.M. (L)
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