Embassy Hanoi and Consulate General Ho Chi Minh - OIG - US ...

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
The support provided by the entry-level officer is essential to the continued
effectiveness of the section. The FY 2006 and 2007 MPPs include requests for
making the position permanent along with strong justifications. Excellent coordination
with Embassy Hanoi’s public affairs section exists with contacts on a daily
basis. In addition, the consul general is supportive of public diplomacy activities.
Space
Inadequate space is a problem for the section. It is difficult for the public to
find on an upper floor in a rented building. A complicating factor is that only one
elevator reaches public affairs and the guards watch who is waiting for it. No
programming area is available for public affairs, which adversely affects section
activities. Although in some countries it is possible to rent easily or even obtain
complimentary use of outside venues, that is not the case in Vietnam. Three
different host government offices must provide approval to hold a program at an
outside venue. Obtaining permission from each of these offices is difficult and not
always forthcoming. The consul general has suggested constructing a stand-alone
facility on the present grounds of the consulate general. If feasible, this is one
solution that deserves consideration.
The section shares its limited space with the Institute for International Education,
a grantee of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It has a staff of
two who provide student counseling. This situation occurred because the host
government had restrictions on nongovernmental organizations, requiring them to
have their offices in Hanoi. They were unable to establish an independent office
outside the capital. Except for space pressures, the collocation is working well.
Students coming for advice often stay and visit the IRC.
Recommendation 4: Embassy Hanoi, in coordination with the Bureau of
Overseas Buildings Operations, should relocate the public affairs section at
Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City to a site with sufficient space for programming
activities and more readily accessible to the public. (Action:
Embassy Hanoi, in coordination with OBO)
American Corners/Mobile Libraries
As discussed earlier in the Embassy Hanoi public affairs part of this report, the
public affairs section at the consulate general established the mobile library concept
and the first American Corner in Vietnam in Danang. The section received two
OIG Report No. ISP-I-05-28A, Inspection of Embassy Hanoi and CG Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 2005
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
25 .