Transcript: Interview with Phan Van Khai

To ensure that the market economy develops, we also are trying our best to improve the legal framework. As a result of the need to improve the legal system, the role of the National Assembly has changed significantly. The National Assembly on the one hand is the legislation-making body, on the other hand, they also play a role as the oversight body. For the National Assembly elections, democracy and freedoms have been enhanced substantially.

In the past, the conditions were different. I'd like to emphasize that freedom and democracy are the ultimate goal of our revolutionary course and are stated in our constitution. If you meet the people in Vietnam, you can see that they are now more satisfied with improvements in their material and spiritual lives.

TWP: You mentioned human rights, which brings to mind something you once told President Clinton: that the concept of human rights in Vietnam is different than in the United States. What did you mean by that?

Khai: I think that the end goal of both countries is the same. Human rights is also mentioned in our President Ho Chi Minh's independence declaration. In that declaration, President Ho Chi Minh also quoted the 1776 Declaration of Independence of the United States: All men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The two countries, the U.S. and Vietnam, have different historical backgrounds. Our political regimes are also different. The economic conditions are also different. I think the end goals concerning human rights are the same, but we may have different steps toward the end goals. In Vietnam, the people have the highest power to determine the destiny of their country.

The National Assembly is the representative institution for that highest power of the people. And therefore, all the laws passed by the National Assembly need to be based on the opinion of the people. The government also issued a decree on grass-roots democracy. All the decisions of the local government, commune or village, require the participation of the people.

Some people may argue that Vietnam does not have freedom and democracy and only has a one-party system. But you know, our ultimate goal is to maintain political stability and serve the interest of the people. During the last 70 years, the party has devoted all efforts to bring about the benefit for the people, which has been recognized by the entire population of the country. In Vietnam, there is no need for more than one party because the Vietnamese people still have strong confidence in the party. However, we understand that it is the party's goal to bring about benefits for the people or else it will not be recognized by the people.

TWP: Recently, Vietnam released several prisoners of conscience and issued an ordinance that allows house-based churches to open, and you in March issued a special instruction banning forced renunciations of faith. The United States has welcomed these steps but says there needs to be more follow through. What further reforms are you planning in this area? Will you have any progress to report when you go to Washington?

Khai: The history of Vietnam for thousands of years has shown that there has never been a religious conflict in this nation. We have six major religions with about 20 million followers. We also have pursued the policy of national unity, including unity among religions. It is the religions themselves that have made great contributions to national liberation and national reconstruction. And religious people are equal with all other people. We do not have any discrimination between religious and non-religious people. We do not agree with arguments from the outside that there are prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. We do not have any prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. For those who break the law, they will be handled in accordance with very strict legal proceedings. In Vietnam, we have penal and civil codes. Those who break the law will be handled in accordance with the law.

As prime minister, I myself have instructed the competent agencies to have strict punishments for those who violate the law. But we also need to make efforts to avoid any wrong decisions.

For convicted persons, every year, we also have an amnesty for those who have followed the prison regulations and changed their behavior. We also have a system to commute death penalty to life in prison.

The state also has adopted an ordinance on religions. The government also issued a decree on religions and the prime minister has issued the special instruction and these laws and legal documents are to ensure that all people have the right to practice their religious activities. Especially for Protestants, according to the directive, the organizations and the system of churches will be recognized if they meet all the criteria and conditions, including the ordainment and appointment of priests. So once again, let me reiterate that in Vietnam, in our history, there has been no religious conflict and we have no prejudice against any religious group.

We are about to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long, the former name of Hanoi, founded by King Ly, was also a Buddhist. From a monk, he became a king. So there's no discrimination between religious and non-religious in Vietnam.