[Vnbiz] Intel Vietnam refuses to pay bribes

Tue Aug 14 23:37:38 PDT 2007

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Copyright 2007 Toan Viet Ltd, Source: The Financial Times Limited
Vietnam News Briefs

August 14, 2007 Tuesday

ACC-NO: A200708143A-15A67-GNW

LENGTH: 243 words

HEADLINE: CULTURE & SOCIETY INTEL, VIETNAM JOIN HANDS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION

BODY:

from the VIETNAM NEWS BRIEFS, August 14, 2007 Intel Products Vietnam, an
affiliate of the US-based chip giant and the Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP) in
Ho Chi Minh City expect to sign today [August 14] a memorandum of
understanding to jointly fight red tape and corruption, Thanh Nien
newspaper reported

Under the agreement, the two sides would have to comply with business
ethnics and other rules of conduct focusing on honesty and
straightforwardness, head of the SHTP Nguyen Dinh Mai told Thanh Nien
journalist, saying that Intel and SHTP will also cooperate closely to
detect and deal with bribery and other wrongdoings

This is the first time Intel has signed this kind of MoU, Rick Howarth,
CEO of Intel Vietnam said, hoping that the signature will help Vietnamese
government better its fight against corruption, which is considered a
serious threat to the Southeast Asian nation's economic development. In
upcoming time, Howarth noted, Intel would collaborate with agencies at
higher levels, even the government to combat the evil. Anti-corruption
will also be a good way to contribute to projects' success and convince
more foreign investors to Vietnam, the CEO said

In March Intel began construction of a $1 billion computer component
facility in SHTP which is scheduled to begin production in mid 2009. It
will be Intel's largest global chip manufacturing facility.
(Thanhnienonline Aug 13, VnMedia Aug 14, Vietnam Panorama) Copyright 2007
Vietnam News Briefs

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On 8/15/07, Tran Dinh Hoanh <tdhoanh at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
>
>
> Dear Sister Bich Lien & CACC,
>
> You pose a wonderful question, sister.  Lucky for the students who have
> you as their teacher, Bich :Lien they will learn well!
>
> "There must be something else, a part from legislation and individual
> citizens, that make the system the way it did.  An open-ended question, to
> which I have no answer."  That is so true!  Bich Lien, I had that question
> when I was 17, and it followed me for several decades, and during that
> times, I searched for the answer in every thing under the sun; you name it,
> I have searched in it.
>
> I have such a strong urge to share with you my long journey, but to save
> everyone's time, let me just share the final observation: The missing thing
> that sis. Bich Lien is looking for is "*the standard of conduct that the
> majority of the people demand. *"
>
> If the *majority* of people demand the *standard *that their leaders have
> to be honest, that bribery is bad, then the country will have honest leaders
> and will have less corruption.  If the majority of people think that their
> leaders just have to be "effective" (whatever effective means)but don't have
> to be honest, and that corruption/bribery is an OK way to live and to do
> business, then the country will be marred with lying/cheating leaders and
> corruption will fill the scene.
>
> Please note, I say "*majority of people*." Sister Bich Lien said there are
> MANY good officials.  But many is not enough if that many is still the
> minority.
>
> And I say "*standard of conduct*," meaning, the character traits that
> people look up to and whoever achieves such characters will be admired by
> most people, the character traits that people want their leaders to possess
> . Standard is usually a bit idealistic, because standard is for "the
> best scenario."  Say, the standard score for good student is the perfect
> 10/10.  But few students ever achieve this.  Most good students would get
> 9/10 or 8/10 only.  However, everything being equal, the school that has
> the 10/10 standard will produce much better students than the school that
> sets 8/10 as its standard.
>
> Most people in Vietnam think that paying and receiving bribes is OK, it is
> just a way to do things.  The majority of the people will not stand up and
> say that it is bad and that it must be stopped.  (Since 18 years old in
> college in Saigon, I have fought against most of my friends who would
> convinced me that corruption and bribery is the way to live and that I am
> just naive.  Imagine you hear this from 18 years old kids (who were my
> friends)!  Sad but true.  And today many people still tell me that I am too
> idealistic, that they don't need honest leaders, that they believe
> corruption is an OK or acceptable way to do business, or corruption is just
> a matter of semantic.
>
> We will always disagree in many specific circumstances whether a sentence
> spoken is honest or not, or a specific gift or payment is indeed a bribe.
> Application of a rule to a specific case may raise disagreement among
> friends.  That is OK.  But at least, the majority of the people have to
> believe in the rule of honesty and the rule of clean business and clean
> government.  If we don't have the majority, the minority of good people
> won't be enough.
>
> How to get that majority?  Simple, keep talking, keep preaching, keep
> teaching, and keep practicing honesty and cleanliness.  It is hard, because
> we all are human, and we all, including me, and especially me, fail often
> for our weaknesses, and we need to eat and pay bills and feed our children
> too.  I know.  But if we have faith in the ultimate victory of goodness,
> will stand up after each fall, and continue talking about honesty and clean
> governance again and again and again, time after time after time, regardless
> of what the negative people may say, then eventually that majority will be
> achieved.
>
> Trust me.  Have faith!
>
> Have a great day, sis. Bich Lien and all.
>
> Hoanh
>
>
>
> On 8/15/07, Bui Bich Lien <lien.bb at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
> >
> >
> >
> >  Anh Hoanh and CACC,
> >
> >
> >
> >    1. The OECD member countries adopted a Convention on Combating
> >    Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions
> >    in 1997.
> >
> >
> >
> >    1. Corruption in Vietnam, as elsewhere, is often systematic.  So I
> >    guess that an institutional approach to corruption may help enlighten the
> >    problem.  Having said this, I do not mean to underestimate the fact that
> >    ethical individuals/citizens are jewels in every society.  But as Nam Cao
> >    stated [almost hundred years ago] in the famous Chi Pheo "tao muon lam nguoi
> >    tu te, nhung ai cho tao lam nguoi tu te" (I want to be a good person, but
> >    who allows me to do that???).  Within my limited circle of
> >    friends/acquaintances, I already know MANY public officials in Vietnam who
> >    have relatively high ethical standards and want to be good citizens.  But
> >    it's the fact that they are operating in a system that is known for high
> >    level of corruption.  The system has not been mature enough to facilitate
> >    them to do what they want -- life is a matter of choice, and I can well
> >    understand one's choice of survival before ethical.  If the US has FCPA,
> >    Vietnam has an Anti-corruption Law too.  And I just mentioned, Vietnam seems
> >    not lack ethical officials/professionals either.  There must be something
> >    else, apart from legislation, and individual citizens, that makes the system
> >    the way it is.  An open-ended question, to which I have no answer.
> >
> >
> >
> > Rgs,
> >
> >
> >
> > Lien
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Tran Dinh Hoanh, Esq., LLB, JD
> > Washington DC
> >
>
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