(CPV) – Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, Dr Franz Jessen, has ended his 4-year-working term in Vietnam on August 29th.
The Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper would like to introduce a farewell letter from this Denmark-original professional diplomat.
“Came as an Ambassador
Leave as a friend”
I arrived in Hanoi four years ago together with my wife and our son, who celebrated his 7 year birthday in the airplane. In Hanoi, I took up the post as an Ambassador of the European Union, heading the EU Delegation, with a staff of about 50 colleagues.
It is now time to move on, and time to look back, to reflect and to thank the many friends and colleagues in Vietnam, who have made the past years such a wonderful experience.
At the personal level, living in Hanoi has been a fantastic experience. The EU residence in the middle of the old quarter, a century-old French villa with a wonderful small garden is truly an oasis in a bustling city. Every morning we are woken up the neighbors’ rooster and by the street public announcement speaker, informing us about the day’s local events in the neighborhood and how to behave properly. At night the various sellers of tea and fruits ride their bikes while peddling their goods and announcing their arrival in loud voices or through battery-driven speakers. Despite its huge size, Hanoi has the feel of a provincial city, with its discreet charm, and Hanoians, who are traditional with very strong family bonds. In the mornings, sidewalks and parks are used for exercise, in the evenings for badminton and dancing. One of my family’s favorite activities was to go for a walk around Hoan Kiem lake after dinner, seeing the evening life in the city. We have come to love Hanoi.
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Ambassador Dr Franz Jessen and his family posed during the farewell party in Hanoi. (Photo: ATP) |
I grew up in Denmark, and in the northern part of Canada, so my earliest memories are of frost and snow, lots of snow, and very few people. In Denmark, summers are cool; this year when I went back it was 13 degrees, so the change to hot and humid, vibrant Hanoi from the countries of my childhood is very big.
Outside Hanoi, I saw the beautiful scenery of the country, from the mountains to the incredible long coast line, to the economic dynamo in the Mekong delta and Ho Chi Minh City. The EU supports a number of local initiatives in remote areas, something that gave me great opportunities to see places and minorities of incredible variety. Most EU companies are located in the south, in Ho Chi Minh city, a city with a different feel to that that of Hanoi, slightly larger, more like a Metropolis, more international, and without the provincial charm of Hanoi, but with the feel of a modern international city.
Vietnam is a country of strong colors, strong impressions. It is also a country of stunning beauty. A country of wonderful foods, we greatly enjoyed the Vietnamese cuisine, varied, fresh and healthy and such an integral part of Vietnam’s identity.
I love reading, as a kid I often felt that I literally grew up in a library. The first book I read about Vietnam, I think I must have been around 15, was of course: “The Quiet American” by Graham Greene. I have since reread it, and still today after having lived here, I find that the writer captured extremely well many aspects of Vietnam, the people and the climate.
I have spent many evenings looking for and reading Vietnamese books. When new diplomats first arrive in Hanoi and ask me to share ideas, I usually suggest that they read three books written by different authors.
The first and oldest is “Dumb Luck” by Vu Trong Phung, a book written in 1936. It is a great book, giving a colorful description of life at that time, where the writer at one point complains that life in Hanoi is becoming too organized and thus too boring. I also loved the description of the streets in the old quarter. The second book was recommended to me by a Vietnamese official, “A Time Far Past” by Le Luu, it gives a description of a family during 30 years, the village life, the city and the family life, and the turmoil at all levels created by the Indo China Wars.
Finally, the third book is “The Sorrow of War” by Bao Ninh, about, what here is called the American war written from the perspective of a Vietnamese man; it is also a very sad and deeply felt story about love in war time. There are many other great books from Vietnam translated into English or French, and they give special angles to understand the country a bit better.
The work of an EU Ambassador is in many ways similar to that of an ambassador of a sovereign nation, and in some ways it is quite different. Similar elements are the daily diplomatic activities, report writing, development cooperation and public diplomacy activities. But the main difference is that the EU is composed of twenty-eight European Member States, each with their own foreign service and most have embassies in Hanoi. When it works well, and the EU is united, it is a very powerful economic and political entity. On issues where the shared understanding is not dominant, the story is different. Coherence can be created in many different ways, one way that I used extensively in Hanoi was to share briefings, reports and ideas; working step by step to forge a common outlook and approach.
On the business and economic side, I have worked closely with Eurocham which represents more than 850 European companies in Vietnam. Eurocham plays an important role in creating common European positions on various trade issues, and is also a very valuable source of information to better understand the economic life in Vietnam.
I have also worked very closely with the central ministries, as well as the party structure and the national assembly. It is a different set up than what we are used to in Europe, but I was encouraged by the professionalism and outlook that many of my close contacts had. Also their frankness was at times very impressive, as on one occasion when we discussed human rights, my counterpart said: “Yes, I agree that this aspect is a problem and we should change our policy.” Such frankness and openness is rare in many other countries, and is part of the special charm in Vietnam.
Hanoi has a lively diplomatic scene, which my family and I enjoyed being part of. Frequent receptions, dinners, lunches and cultural events are part of the diplomatic life and a way to exchange ideas with many fascinating personalities.
I spent, of course, time also in the EU Delegation working with a group of European colleagues. EU officials often differ a bit from national official. We rarely work in our mother tongue, and most EU officials speak several languages and work for greater European integration. I also find that working with many different nationalities also creates a high tolerance for different ideas and behaviors. My Vietnamese colleagues, many of whom have worked for the EU for many years, gave me a deeper understanding of Vietnam; I have been impressed by their devotion and commitment to the EU Vietnam relations.
Looking back, time passed incredibly fast, but important progress has been made. At the top-level we have had a string of important visits in both directions, Ambassadors like high level visits as they give the country they work in (and themselves) a higher profile, and because the visits also help to push issues forward and to find solutions to outstanding problems. During the preparations I worked hand-in-hand with the Vietnamese Ambassador in Brussels, and I think we both felt that working (informally) together made things happen faster.
I was extremely pleased to announce that the EU-VN FTA had been agreed in principle early August as the agreement will bring the EU and Vietnam closer together, as well as our economies closer together and stimulate economic growth. Trade is of course an issue where the EU speaks with a strong united voice. It is also an area where we have seen strong growth during the past years, and where the EU is Vietnam’s second biggest trading partner and biggest export market.
Foreign policy and security issues are newer areas for the EU. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement that we signed in 2012 marked an important step forward in our relationship. Our Human Rights Dialogue is now conducted in a more constructive way that has brought better results. We work together with Vietnam on global and regional security issues.
What I sometimes call the third leg of our relationship is the EU’s development cooperation with Vietnam. The EU’s assistance is grant money, and last year the EU decided to not only to maintain its development assistance to Vietnam, but to increase the assistance by 33 percent, to EUR400 million over the current 7 year period (2014-2010).
We know that there are issues that need to be resolved in Vietnam. Through our cooperation, we try to address some of these together with the Vietnamese government. We know many of the issues are complicated and will require more time and money. However, if I had a magic wand for economic reform, I would use it to create better economic transparency. It would secure a better alignment between the interests of the country and that of its people. It would also create a better foundation for medium and long term policies.
The life of a diplomat is sometimes seen as nomadic; traveling from place to place, always ready to move. My own experience has been a bit different; I have lived in seven countries, and always lived in each place for four years or longer long enough to grow roots, and to feel a sense of belonging to a country and its people. In Vietnam this sense of belonging is strong for me, maybe because of the unexpected cultural affinity between Vietnam and the EU, maybe because of the amazing charm of the Vietnamese people.
Thanks to the people of Vietnam for the privilege of working and living here.
Hanoi, August 2015./.