[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 29, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE SERVICE OF HIS EXCELLENCE LE CONG PHUNG, AMBASSADOR 
EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM 
                    TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 29, 2011

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
distinguished service of my good friend, His Excellency Le Cong Phung, 
who in October 2007 was appointed by President Nguyen Minh Triet as 
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic 
of Vietnam to the United States of America.
  Prior to his appointment, the Honorable Le Cong Phung served as the 
First Deputy Foreign Minister, the second-highest ranking official in 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during which time he assisted the 
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister regarding Vietnam's foreign 
policy.
  From 2001-2004, he served as Deputy Foreign Minister and as the 
Assistant Foreign Minister from 1999-2000. During his 39-year career, 
Ambassador Le Cong Phung served in foreign posts in England, China, and 
Indonesia. He was also Vietnam's Ambassador to Thailand.
  While in Washington, Ambassador Phung became a key figure in 
strengthening the U.S.-Vietnam partnership. At the Ambassador's 
request, it was my privilege to join him, former President Bill 
Clinton, Senator John Kerry, Senator John McCain and Assistant 
Secretary of State Kurt Campbell in offering keynote remarks on July 
14, 2010 as Vietnam celebrated 15 years of diplomatic relations with 
the United States.
  With the support of Ambassador Phung and in my capacity as the newly 
elected Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the 
Pacific and the Global Environment, I returned to Vietnam in 2007 for 
the first time in 40 years, having previously served at the height of 
the Tet Offensive in 1967. The visit changed me.
  On May 15, 2008, in close cooperation with Ambassador Phung, I held a 
Subcommittee hearing entitled, ``Our Forgotten Responsibility? What Can 
We Do to Help Victims of Agent Orange?'' This was the first time in the 
history of the U.S. Congress that a hearing had been held on Agent 
Orange which included our Vietnamese counterparts as witnesses. Two 
more hearings followed on June 4, 2009 and July 15, 2010, paving the 
way for renewed commitment on the part of the U.S. to clean up the mess 
it left behind.
  I am proud of Ambassador Phung and what we have accomplished 
together. Ambassador Phung has made an indelible mark on furthering 
U.S.-Vietnam relations and is to be commended for his exemplary service 
for and on behalf of the government of Vietnam. I am also appreciative 
of all he has done to promote religious freedom.
  On a personal note, I will miss Ambassador Phung, and I extend to 
him, his wife, Nguyen Thi Nhan, and their two sons my highest regards 
and well wishes in all their future endeavors.

                          ____________________