Mornings in Hanoi begin early. The quiet streets awaken with the first honk of a motorbike around 5 a.m., the ringing of a cycle driver’s bell and the swoosh and clatter of badminton shuttlecocks being whacked on sidewalk courts. Scores of the old and young take over every inch of open space to do calisthenics, fan dancing or tai chi. Then a few honks grow into thousands, as swarms of morning commuters pack the roads. Three or four people pile onto one motorbike, with an occasional pig or cage of squawking chickens or slithery snakes attached to the back.

In a capital city of more than 4 million people in a country where more than 60 percent of the population is under the age of 30, it seems everyone is on the go all the time. Their motorbikes whiz past red banners invoking the ideology of the Communist Party, while everywhere gleaming office towers and shopping centers under construction reach toward the sky. Cell phones ring on every corner, in every office and restaurant.

Since the government embarked on economic reforms in 1986, Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, averaging around 8 percent annual gross domestic product growth during much of the 1990s and 8.4 percent last year.

There are still noticeable remnants of the French colonial presence: strong coffee, piles of baguettes sold on the street by women wearing conical hats, colonial homes and outdoor cafes, the beautifully constructed Opera House and the unmistakable style of the Metropole Hotel, where Graham Greene slept. Hanoi boasts more than 100 lakes, numerous parks, art galleries, museums and one water puppet theater. It still has no McDonald’s or Starbucks.

GROWING PRESENCE

The U.S. Embassy staff includes 66 direct-hire Americans, a couple dozen personal services contractors and employed family members and 269 local employees. The staff continues to grow, and several annex buildings now supplement the chancery that was built 10 years ago. Construction of a new embassy is targeted for completion by 2010.

Represented at post, besides State, are the Foreign Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, Department of Defense (Defense Attaché Office, Marine Security Guards and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command),Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control, Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam is an active element of the Vietnam Mission, with 45 Americans and 203 local employees.

Since the Bilateral Trade Agreement between the United States and Vietnam went into effect in 2001, two-way trade has quadrupled, totaling more than $7 billion in 2005. The United States is now Vietnam’s largest export market, purchasing one-fifth of all Vietnamese exports. U.S. exports to Vietnam have increased by 250 percent in the past three years. Nike, United Airlines and Ford are among the growing number of American firms that have established offices in the country.

The year 2005 marked the 10th anniversary of normalization of relations between the United States and Vietnam, as well as the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the first visit by a sitting prime minister to the White House. President Bush received Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in June and is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit hosted by Hanoi in November 2006.

Even before relations were normalized, the work of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, engaged in accounting for missing personnel from the Indochina conflict, provided the impetus that enabled relations to move forward. This issue remains a top priority. Since 1992, U.S.-Vietnam joint humanitarian efforts have brought home more than 600 fallen service personnel, and with them answers and closure for their families.

U.S. relations with Vietnam have become deeper and more diverse in the years since political normalization. The two countries have broadened their political exchanges through regular dialogue on human rights and regional security and through a wide range of developmental assistance across many sectors.

In 2003, the two countries signed agreements on counter-narcotics, civil aviation and textiles. U.S. Navy ships regularly visit Vietnamese ports, fostering cross-cultural understanding. The U.S. military coordinates assistance to Vietnam’s land mine removal efforts and engages in other humanitarian activities. Mission officers regularly urge Vietnam to abide by international human rights norms and expand the space for religious believers to practice their faith. Combating corruption, establishing rule of law and promoting democracy, human rights and freedom of the press all rank as key mission goals.

HEALTH INITIATIVES

Two health-related issues are now at the forefront of U.S. efforts in Vietnam: avian influenza and HIV/AIDS. The U.S. government is providing $25 million to the Southeast Asian region, with Vietnam as one of the focus countries, to fight avian influenza. That assistance is directed at improving overall surveillance, launching farmer education programs, assisting the government’s poultry vaccination program and strengthening research and diagnosis capacity.

The embassy is also committed to a strong partnership with Vietnam to help avert the growing threat of HIV/AIDS. In 2004, President Bush named Vietnam one of 15 priority countries to receive assistance from his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The President chose Vietnam as the 15th priority country – and the only one in Asia – because there is a very real chance that the epidemic can be controlled here with prompt action. Last year, the U.S. provided more than $27 million and this year will contribute $33 million.

Working closely with each section at the embassy, the public affairs section coordinates the public diplomacy message in Vietnam. Through the largest Department funded Fulbright program in the world, the International Visitors program, cultural performances, educational outreach and speaker programs, the mission is committed to reaching out to a broad spectrum of the Vietnamese public and to increasing visibility of the U.S. presence here.

The year 2006 will be another important one as Hanoi hosts the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November and Vietnam takes steps in hopes of entering the World Trade Organization. Hanoi remains a city of contrasts: thriving energy and development, meditative poetry and the arts and an ever optimistic view of the road ahead. Vietnam's future seems bright.

PHOTOGRAPHS: JULIE CHUNG; AMANDA MORROW JENSEN; KAREN LANTNER

The author is assistant public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.