Vietnam Vet Kerry Returns to Mekong Delta as Top U.S. Diplomat
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rides a boat through the Mekong River Delta in... Read More
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rides a boat through the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam, on Dec. 15, 2013. Close
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Photographer: Brian Snyder/Pool via AP Photo
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rides a boat through the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam, on Dec. 15, 2013.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry returned to the Mekong Delta for the first time since serving in the Vietnam War, saying he’s focused now on the future of the two nations, not the past.
Kerry today used a boat trip through the same waters he patrolled during the war to highlight threats to the Mekong Delta from climate change, dams and erosion, stressing cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S. on environmental protection.
“Decades ago on these waters, I was one of many who witnessed the most difficult period in our shared history,” Kerry said at a riverside village in southern Ca Mau province. “Today on these waters, I’m bearing witness to how far our nations have come together.”
Kerry, who was wounded and earned decorations for valor as a naval officer, later rose to prominence as an anti-war activist.
The U.S. normalized relations with Vietnam in 1995, and since then trade has increased 50-fold, according to U.S. figures.
Kerry visited riverside hamlets, talked to people who make their living from shrimp and rice farming, and announced a $17 million grant for a project to protect the delta and forests and to promote clean energy.
“As our shared journey continues, our eyes are on the future, not the past,” Kerry said. “And, my friends, nothing threatens the future of this region, of the entire planet, more seriously than climate change.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Indira A.R. Lakshmanan in Ca Mau, Vietnam at ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stanley James at sjames8@bloomberg.net
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