Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	CPV HALL TAY, HANOI, VIETNAM 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	20/04/92 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE RETURN DINNER FOR THE MR VO VAN 
			KIET AT CPV HALL HO TAY 




 Your Excellency Mr. Vo Van Kiet,
Chairman of the Council of Ministers
of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;
Madame Cam,
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen.
    I  have  now  spent more than one day in this beautiful
city of Hanoi, experiencing your hospitality.   I feel  most
at  home as not only is the climate approximately similar to
that in Malaysia but your hospitality and friendliness makes
me and my wife very welcome and comfortable.
2.   Both Vietnam and Malaysia once suffered  the  indignity
of  being under european rule.  We had no chance to develop.
We had to act at the supplier of raw materials  and  markets
of all that they produced.
3.   Our  education was retarded and our skills were limited
by them so that we may not prosper and become independent.
4.   But through the efforts and bravery of our independance
fighters we managed to release ourselves from  our  European
colonial  masters.  The Vietnamese people fought bloody bat-
tles in order to receive independence.
5.   Today we are free.  We are masters of our own  destiny.
We  are responsible for our own well being.  We cannot blame
anyone if we fail to develop and give our  people  a  better
life.
6.   We  are not anti-European. Just hating others, will not
get us anywhere.  But on the other hand we must  have  pride
in ourselves, in our abilities, in our achievements.  No one
should look down on us.
7.   Malaysians  and Vietnamese are asians.  Asian civiliza-
tion is older than any other civilization in the world.
8.   But we must recognise that to achieve  greater  heights
we  must know the human character, the systems and the poli-
cies and the skills in administration, in trade and in tech-
nology.   Other Asian countries have  shown  that  they  can
master all these skill.
9.   Malaysia believes we can do the same, and Vietnam, I am
sure   believes  in  the  Vietnamese  capacity  to  rise  to
greatness.
10.  We cannot achieve this overnight.  The mere adoption of
democracy and the free market system will not make  us  suc-
cessful  and  prosperous.   The adjustments must be gradual.
Our people must understand the  workings  of  these  systems
step by step making progress as they go along.
11.  But we can follow those Asian countries which have suc-
cessfully  developed.  I am quite sure given the enlightened
leadership of Vietnamse leaders and the willingness to coop-
erate with East Asian  countries,  Vietnam  can  develop  as
Malaysia has developed.
12.  Malaysia  pledges to work together with Vietnam for the
mutual development of both countries.  Together we can  make
our countries and this region stable and dynamic.
13.  Once  again  I  thank  the government of Vietnam and in
particular H.E. Mr. Vo Van Kiet for the kind hospitality and
friendship extended to us.
Thank you.