[Vnbiz] Intel Vietnam refuses to pay bribes

Wed Aug 15 13:32:37 PDT 2007

Dear Brother Hoanh,

For what it's worth, I do think you are (to quote you) too 
idealistic when it comes to corruption.  And what is wrong with it, 
you might ask??  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!

We need more people like you Brother Hoanh.  Bravo!!

A couple of notable quotes on corruption you might enjoy,

The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is 
that the end justifies the means. - Georges Bernanos

Among a people generally corrupt liberty cannot long exist. - Edmund 
Burke

Thanks for letting me share and have a great day.

-Ho`a

> 
> 
> 
> "Tran Dinh Hoanh" <tdhoanh at ...> 
> Sent by: vnbiz-bounces at ...
> 08/15/2007 01:57 AM
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> Re: [Vnbiz] Intel Vietnam refuses to pay bribes
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> 
> [ 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 ...> 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. 
>  
> 2.      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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