Remarks by President Obama at YSEALI Town Hall

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Remarks by President Obama at YSEALI Town Hall

GEM Convention Center
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you! Thank you so
much. Everybody, please have a seat. Thank you
very much. Xin cho. Thank you, Tu, for the
excellent introduction and your outstanding work to
help more young people in Vietnam get an
education. Give Tu a big round of applause. Its
not that easy introducing the President of the
United States. Also because the podium was a little
higher than her.
Tng thng Obama: Cm n bn! Cm n bn rt nhiu.

Xin mi ngi. Cm n rt nhiu. Xin cho. Cm n T v
li gii thiu tuyt vi v v nhng cng vic xut sc bn
lm gip nhiu ngi tr c c hc tp Vit
Nam. Chng ta hy dnh cho T mt chng pho tay tht
ln no. Vic ni li gii thiu cho Tng thng Hoa K
khng phi l mt cng vic d dng. M cng bi v ci
bc pht biu cn cao hn c y mt cht.
I want to thank everybody at the GEM Convention

Center for hosting us. I want to thank the
government and the people of Vietnam for the
wonderful hospitality that youve extended to me
over the past three days. Ive been deeply
touched.
Ti mun cm n tt c mi ngi ti Trung tm Hi ngh

GEM t chc s kin ny cho chng ti. Ti mun
cm n chnh ph v nhn dn Vit Nam v s hiu
khch tuyt vi m cc bn dnh cho ti trong ba
ngy qua. Ti cm thy xc ng su sc.
Wherever I travel around the world, obviously one

of my jobs is to meet with government leaders. And
these meetings are important. But it means that I
spend a lot of time with older people like me.
Theres a lot of gray hair in the room. So one of
my favorite parts of the trips I take overseas is to
get out of the government offices and to spend time
with young people like you. Its fun. It gives me
incredible optimism about the future, because all of
you embody the energy and the drive that is
helping to propel this region to new heights. You
make me hopeful about the future of ASEAN,
hopeful about the future of the world.
Cho d ti i ti bt c ni u trn th gii th mt phn

cng vic ca ti d nhin l vic gp g cc lnh o
chnh ph. V nhng cuc gp ny l rt quan trng.
Nhng iu c ngha l ti s dnh rt nhiu thi gian
vi nhng ngi ln tui nh ti, rt nhiu mi u bc
trong cn phng. V vy, mt trong nhng phn yu thch
nht ca ti trong nhng chuyn i nc ngoi l vic c
th c bc ra khi cc vn phng chnh ph v dnh
thi gian vi nhng ngi tr nh cc bn. iu tht
th v. N mang li cho ti s lc quan tuyt vi v tng
lai, v tt c cc bn u mang nhng nng lng v
ng lc m s gip thc y khu vc ny ln mt tm
cao mi. Bn lm cho ti hy vng v tng lai ca
ASEAN, hy vng v tng lai ca th gii.
And so thats what I want to briefly talk about V l nhng g ti mun ni mt cch ngn gn trc
before I start taking your questions.
khi ti bt u tr li cc cu hi ca cc bn.
As I think all of you know, I have a strong personal
connection to this part of the world, to the Asia
Pacific and to Southeast Asia. I was born in
Hawaii, spent most of my childhood in Hawaii. But
I also spent time in Indonesia as a young boy. My
sister was born in Jakarta. So this region helped to
shape me. It is also why I really like the food. And I
have to say that the food I've had since I've been
here I've been really happy with.
Ti ngh tt c cc bn bit, ti c mt s lin h c

nhn mnh m i vi khu vc ny ca th gii - khu vc
chu Thi Bnh Dng v ng Nam . Ti sinh ra
Hawaii, dnh hu ht thi th u ca mnh Hawaii.
Nhng ti cng Indonesia khi cn l mt cu b. Em
gi ti c sinh ra ti Jakarta. V vy, khu vc ny
gip nh hnh bn thn ti. cng l l do ti sao ti rt
thch n y. Phi ni l nhng n m ti n
k t khi ti y khin ti rt hi lng v thch th.
Now, as President, a key part of my foreign policy
Gi y, vi cng v Tng thng, mt phn quan trng
Dch sang ting Vit: Gio vin ting Anh Smartcom Vit Nam

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is to deepen our ties with countries and that
peoples of Southeast Asia. And weve done that.
We've deepened the ties with our allies and our
partners. Weve engaged more with institutions
like ASEAN. Were pursuing the Trans-Pacific
Partnership to grow our economies and to support
jobs in our countries. Together, were promoting
peace and encouraging sustainable development.
We're protecting our environment, and trying to
meet shared challenges like climate change.
trong chnh sch i ngoi ca ti l vic lm su sc

thm mi quan h ca chng ti vi cc nc v cc dn
tc ng Nam . V chng ti lm iu . Chng ti
lm su sc thm mi quan h vi cc ng minh v
cc i tc ca chng ti. Chng ti gn kt nhiu hn
vi cc t chc nh ASEAN. Chng ti ang theo ui
Hip nh i tc xuyn Thi Bnh Dng pht trin
kinh t v thc y vic lm cc nc chng ta. Chng
ta ang cng nhau thc y ha bnh v pht trin bn
vng. Chng ta cng bo v mi trng, v c gng
vt qua nhng thch thc chung nh bin i kh hu.
But government and businesses are only part of

the equation. If were going to meet all of these
challenges, we also have to build strong
relationships between our people, and especially
between young people like you and young people
in other ASEAN countries.
Nhng chnh ph v cc doanh nghip ch l mt phn

trong bi ton ny. Nu chng ta mun vt qua tt c
nhng thch thc , chng ta cng s phi xy dng
nhng mi quan h bn cht gia ngi dn cc nc,
c bit l gia nhng ngi tr nh cc bn v nhng
ngi tr tui cc nc ASEAN khc.
Keep in mind that here in Vietnam, two-thirds of

you were born after 1975. As I often say to young
Americans back home, your generation can look at
the world with fresh eyes, without some of the old
notions, the old habits of a previous generation.
And that gives you the perspective and the power
not just to help to grow Vietnam, but also to help
shape the world.
Hy nh rng Vit Nam 2/3 trong s cc bn c sinh

ra sau nm 1975. Nh ti vn thng ni vi nhng
ngi tr M, th h ca bn c th nhn th gii vi
i mt ti mi, khng c nh kin hay thi quen ca
ca th h trc . V iu mang li cho bn tm
nhn v sc mnh m s khng ch gip pht trin Vit
Nam, m cn gip nh hnh th gii.
Thanks to technology and social media, youre the

most connected generation in history. I see it in
my daughters, who are always on the phone, and
they have to teach me how to use the phone. More
than 30 million people in Vietnam -- one-third of the
population -- are on Facebook -- just on Facebook.
Youre posting selfies -- I know. I was in the gym
this morning, people were trying to take selfies.
You're streaming the latest Son Tung MTP hit. But
you're also exchanging ideas and learning from
each other.
Nh c cng ngh v cc phng tin truyn thng x

hi, cc bn l th h c tnh kt ni cao nht trong lch
s. Ti nhn thy iu nhng a con gi ti, nhng
ngi sut ngy s dng in thoi, v chng cn phi
dy ti cch s dng in thoi na. Hn 30 triu ngi
Vit Nam - mt phn ba dn s - s dng Facebook,
l mi ch tnh ring Facebook thi nh. Cc bn ng
nh selfie - ti bit. Sng nay khi ti ang trong phng
tp th dc, ti thy nhiu ngi chp selfie lm. Cc
bn cn nghe bi nh m mi nht ca Sn Tng MTP.
Song cc bn cng dng mng x hi trao i kin
v hc hi ln nhau.
And so this gives you tremendous power. And we

need your passion and energy and talents to tackle
some of our biggest global challenges -- whether
it's reducing poverty, to advancing equality for
women and girls, to fighting climate change.
Nh vy, iu ny s mang li cho cc bn sc mnh to

ln. V chng ta cn nim am m, nng lng v ti
nng ca bn chin thng nhng thch thc ton cu
ln nht ca chng ta d l gim ngho, thc y
bnh ng gii, hay chng bin i kh hu.
Now, even in this digital age, as Tu pointed out,

change doesnt happen overnight. It requires that
you stay active and involved over the long term.
And it requires you to develop some practical tools.
By gi, d l trong thi i s, nh T ch ra, s thay

i ny khng xy ra trong mt sm mt chiu. N i
hi bn phi lun hnh ng v theo ui trong thi gian
di. V n i hi bn phi pht trin mt s cng c thit

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And thats why, three years ago, I launched the
Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative -- or
YSEALI. And the goal is to empower young people
like you with the skills and the resources, and the
networks that you need to turn your ideas into
action.
thc. V l l do ti sao, 3 nm trc, ti a ra Sng

kin Th lnh tr ng Nam cn gi l YSEALI. V
mc tiu l trang b cho nhng ngi tr nh cc bn
nhng k nng, ngun lc, v nhng mng li m cc
bn cn bin nhng tng ca mnh thnh hnh
ng.
Since we started this, the YSEALI Network has

grown to more than 67,000 members across all 10
ASEAN countries -- including over 13,000 here in
Vietnam alone. And weve welcomed more than
350 YSEALI Fellows to the United States including some of you - with more than 200 coming
in the next six months.
K t khi sng lp, mng li YSEALI pht trin ln

ti hn 67.000 thnh vin trn khp 10 nc ASEAN trong ch ring Vit Nam l hn 13.000 ngi. V
chng ti cng n hn 350 thnh vin YSEALI n
M, gm vi ngi y, v s c hn 200 thnh vin
s ti M trong thi gian 6 thng ti y.
So a lot of what we do in YSEALI is rooted in the

power and importance of education. Thats why
nearly 19,000 Vietnamese students studying in the
United States right now are helping to bring back
the kinds of skills and talents that Vietnam will
need to continue to grow and develop. Its why, on
this visit, we announced a new partnership
between American universities like Arizona State
and Vietnamese universities to boost training in
science, technology, engineering, mathematics and
medicine. Its why we announced that, for the first
time, the Peace Corps will be coming to Vietnam,
with a focus on teaching English.
Rt nhiu trong s nhng g chng ta lm YSEALI bt

ngun t sc mnh v tm quan trng ca gio dc.
l l do ti sao gn 19.000 sinh vin Vit Nam du hc ti
Hoa K hin nay ang gip mang li nhng k nng v tr
tu m Vit Nam s cn tip tc tng trng v pht
trin. l l do ti sao, trong chuyn thm ny, chng
ti cng b mt s hp tc mi gia cc trng i
hc ca M nh i hc Bang Arizona v cc trng i
hc Vit Nam tng cng o to khoa hc, cng
ngh, k thut, ton hc v y hc. l l do ti sao
chng ti cng b rng, ln u tin, on Ha bnh
s n vi Vit Nam, vi nhim v tp trung vo vic
ging dy ting Anh.
And its why we announced that were moving

ahead this fall with Fulbright University Vietnam,
right here in Ho Chi Minh City -- the countrys first
nonprofit, independent university. And the goal is
to make sure that Vietnamese students, no matter
what their background, has access to a world-class
education thats rooted in Vietnams rich culture
and fueled by the free exchange of ideas.
V l l do ti sao chng ti cng b s thnh lp i

hc Fulbright Vit Nam vo ma thu nm nay, ngay ti
thnh ph H Ch Minh ny - trng i hc c lp phi
li nhun u tin ca c nc. V mc tiu l lm cho
sinh vin Vit Nam, khng k xut pht im, u c th
tip cn c vi mt nn gio dc ng cp th gii,
ny mm trong nn vn ha giu bn sc ca Vit Nam
v c thc y bi s t do trao i cc tng.
And I want to thank former Senator Bob Kerrey, V ti mun cm n cu Thng ngh s Bob Kerrey,
who is here, whos been one of the key people to ngi cng ang c mt y, mt trong nhng ngi
help lead this effort. Thank you very much, Bob. quan trng nht trong vic thc hin n lc ny. Cm n
anh rt nhiu, Bob.
So all these efforts reflect our belief in you -- in
your ability to keep moving Vietnam forward. And
there are some incredible young people who are
here who are great examples of the incredible
talent and drive of young people in Vietnam today.
For example, I see Vietnams promise in Ngan
Dang. Wheres Ngan? Somewhere. There you are
right there.
V vy, tt c nhng n lc ny phn nh nim tin ca

chng ti i vi cc bn, i vi kh nng ca cc bn
trong vic thc y t nc Vit Nam i ln. Hm nay
y c mt s ngi Vit tr phi thng l nhng v d
tuyt vi ca ti nng v ng lc phi thng ca gii tr
Vit Nam ngy nay. Chng hn nh, ti nhn thy trin
vng ca t nc cc bn Ngn ng. Ngn ang
u y nh? Kia ri!

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So I had a chance to meet Ngan when I welcomed

our YSEALI Fellows to the White House. She
started as a volunteer -- she started a volunteer
group to work with street children and orphans, and
people with physical disabilities right here in Ho Chi
Minh City. So far, theyve recruited some 450
volunteers, delivered over 7,000 hours of
mentoring, built five libraries in two cities. And
that's just one example of the incredible work that's
being done by young people right here in Vietnam.
We're very proud of you. Thank you.
Ti c dp gp Ngn khi ti cho n cc thnh vin

YSEALI ca chng ti ti Nh Trng. C bt u vi vai
tr l mt tnh nguyn vin - c khi xng mt nhm
tnh nguyn vin lm vic vi tr em ng ph v tr
em m ci v ngi khuyt tt ngay ti thnh ph H Ch
Minh. Cho n nay, h tuyn c khong 450 tnh
nguyn vin, thc hin hn 7.000 gi h tr, xy dng 5
th vin 2 thnh ph. V ch l mt v d v nhng
cng vic tuyt vi ang c thc hin bi nhng
ngi tr tui ngay ti y ti Vit Nam. Chng ti rt t
ho v bn. Cm n.
A couple other people I want to point out. We've

got Loc Le Xuan. Wheres Loc? There he is right
there. So Loc teaches at Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
National University. Hes a researcher at the
Pasteur Institute. His dream is to go back to his
hometown and open a medical center so he can
deliver quality, affordable health care. He also
helped start Give2Give, which works with YSEALI
members across ASEAN to improve their skills and
build stronger networks. So we're very excited
about the work that you're doing, Loc. Thank you
so much.
C mt vi ngi khc na m ti mun cp. Chng

ta c bn L Xun Lc. Lc u y nh? Kia, anh y kia
ri. Lc ang ging dy ti i hc Quc gia TP HCM.
Anh cng l mt nh nghin cu ti Vin Pasteur. c
m ca anh l tr li qu nh v m mt trung tm y t
c th cung cp dch v chm sc sc khe cht
lng cao gi c phi chng. Anh y cng gip thnh
lp chng trnh Give2Give chng trnh lm vic vi
cc thnh vin YSEALI trong ASEAN nng cao k
nng ca h v xy dng cc mng li ln mnh hn.
Chng ti rt vui mng v nhng vic cc bn ang lm,
Lc . Cm n bn rt nhiu.
I'm going to close with one more story just to give

you an example of the incredible work that's being
done by young people. Elizabeth Phu is here, I
think, and was born here. In the aftermath of the
war, Liz and her family became refugees -- Liz was
barely four years old. They packed themselves
into a boat; they began a dangerous journey.
Pirates ransacked their boat. But they made it to a
refugee camp in Malaysia and, eventually, in 1979,
to America. With just $20 in their pocket, Lizs
parents started to build a new life in California.
They taught their children about the importance of
education. And after years of studying and hard
work, Liz -- a proud Vietnamese-American -- ended
up becoming one of my top advisors on Asia in the
White House. And we've relied on her for all kinds
of incredible policy work that we've done over the
last several years.
Ti s cht li vi mt cu chuyn na cho bn thy

mt v d v nhng vic phi thng ang c thc hin
bi nhng ngi tr tui. Hm nay y c c Elizabeth
Ph, ngi c sinh ra y. Do hu qu ca chin
tranh, Liz v gia nh c tr thnh nhng ngi t nn
lc Liz mi ch gn bn tui. H phi chen chc
trn mt chic thuyn v bt u mt cuc hnh trnh
nguy him. Nhng tn cp bin lc sot thuyn ca
h. Nhng h gng n c mt tri t nn
Malaysia v cui cng, vo nm 1979, n n c
nc M. Ch vi 20 -la trong ti, cha m ca Liz bt
u xy dng mt cuc sng mi California. H dy
con ci mnh v tm quan trng ca gio dc. V sau
nhiu nm hc tp v lm vic chm ch, Liz - mt ngi
M gc Vit y t ho - cui cng tr thnh mt
trong cc c vn hng u ca ti v chu trong Nh
Trng. V chng ti trng cy vo c y i vi tt c cc
cng vic chnh sch tuyt vi m chng ti thc hin
trong vi nm qua.
So Tu, Ngan, Loc, Liz, so many of you -- you're

already showing that you can change the world to
reflect our best values. Youre showing that with
determination and commitment, and optimism and
hard work, anything is possible. And that's why I'm
V vy, T, Ngn, Lc, Liz, v rt nhiu ngi trong s

cc bn ang cho thy bn c th thay i th gii
th hin nhng gi tr tt nht ca chng ta. Cc bn
ang cho thy rng vi lng quyt tm, s cam kt, cng
s lc quan v lao ng chm ch, khng c iu g l

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so hopeful about the future between the United
States and Vietnam, that our relationship will
continue to grow deeper and stronger. But I'm also
optimistic that you're going to be able to change
the region and the world in so many positive ways.
khng th. V l l do ti sao ti rt hy vng v tng

lai gia Hoa K v Vit Nam, rng quan h ca chng ta
s tip tc pht trin su hn v mnh m hn. V ti
cng lc quan rng cc bn s c th mang n nhng
thay i tch cc trong khu vc v trn th gii.
So as the great Trn Lp sang, the path to glory

days is getting closer. So cam on.
Nh Trn Lp mt ngh s tuyt vi ht, "ng n

ngy vinh quang khng cn xa." V vy, xin cm n.
So with that, now is the time for me to start taking

some questions. I don't know if youve been
briefed, but we have microphones in the audience.
I'm going to just call on people and I'm going to go
boy, girl, boy, girl, so it's fair. If you can keep your
questions relatively short, so that we can get as
many questions as possible. And introduce
yourself before you ask the question so we know
who you are. Okay? I'm going to start right here.
We've got a microphone coming.
Vi , by gi ti s bt u tr li mt s cu hi ca
cc bn. Khng bit cc bn bit cha, nhng chng ta
c cc micro cho khn gi y. Ti s gi nhng ngi
c cu hi v m bo cng bng ti s gi theo th
t nam n - nam n. Nu c th cc bn nn trnh
by cc cu hi mt cch ngn gn chng ta c th c
c cng nhiu cu hi cng tt. V hy gii thiu v
mnh trc khi bn t cu hi chng ti bit bn l ai.
c ch? Ti s bt u vi bn tr ngay ti y. Mic
ang c mang n ri.
Q Good morning, Mr. President. I'm from Ho Chi

Minh City. And we are 100 percent Vietnameseowned company that produce high-end plastic
products and components in the supporting
industries. And today it is our honor to meet with
the President, and we have an ambition to request
for your help -- and that is we would like to be
given opportunities to approach the leading
enterprises in the United States, especially in the
sector of consumer electronics, automotive, and
airline industries, and other plastic-related products
for supporting industries. And so, under your help,
we could be able to join and be the supplier in the
direct supply chain. And we are committed to
share the values of integrity and accountability.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Q: Cho bui sng, tha ngi Tng thng. Ti n t

thnh ph H Ch Minh. Chng ti l mt cng ty 100%
thuc s hu ca ngi Vit sn xut cc sn phm v
ph tng nha cao cp trong cc ngnh cng nghip ph
tr. V ngy hm nay chng ti rt vinh d c gp
ngi Tng thng, v chng ti mnh dn c yu cu
s gip t ngi. l chng ti mun c to c hi
tip cn cc doanh nghip hng u ti Hoa K, c
bit l trong lnh vc in t tiu dng, t, v cc ngnh
cng nghip hng khng, cc sn phm lin quan n
sn phm nha dnh cho cc ngnh cng nghip ph
tr. V nh vy, vi s gip ca ngi, chng ti s c
th tham gia v l nh cung cp trong chui cung ng
trc tip. V chng ti cam kt chia s cc gi tr ca s
ton vn v trch nhim. Xin cm n ngi Tng thng.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, thank you so much.

As you know, one of the things that we're really
emphasizing is entrepreneurship -- the idea of
people starting their own businesses, selling goods
across borders, creating jobs, creating great
products and services. And yesterday I had a
chance to meet with a number of young
Vietnamese entrepreneurs who are already starting
to create digital platforms to sell goods not just in
Vietnam but also overseas.
Tng thng Obama: Vng, cm n bn rt nhiu. Nh

bn bit, mt trong nhng iu chng ti thc s
nhn mnh l tinh thn doanh nhn - tng ca nhng
ngi m ra cc cng ty ring ca h, bn hng xuyn
bin gii quc gia, to cng n vic lm, to ra cc sn
phm v dch v tuyt vi. V ngy hm qua ti c c
hi gp g vi mt s nh doanh nghip tr Vit Nam,
nhng ngi ang bt u to ra nn tng k thut s
phc v vic bn hng khng ch Vit Nam m c
nc ngoi.
This is one of the reasons why we're pushing very y l mt trong nhng l do chng ti ang rt tch cc
hard for the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- TPP. y mnh hip nh i tc xuyn Thi Bnh Dng Because what that does is it reduces the barriers TPP. Bi v nhng g m n mang li l gim cc ro cn

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between countries for selling their goods and
services. It gives opportunities not just to big
companies but also to small companies to enter
into the global supply chain. It raises labor
standards and environmental standards so that all
countries are working on a level playing field. And
if we can get that done -- and the goal is, I think, to
try to complete TPP before the end of this year -then that will open up a lot of opportunities, and
create great confidence among investors here in
Vietnam and U.S. companies who are interested in
working with young people like you who may have
a great idea.
gia cc quc gia trao i hng ha v dch v. N

to c hi khng ch cho cc cng ty ln m cn cho cc
cng ty nh tham gia vo chui cung ng ton cu.
N nng cao cc tiu chun lao ng v tiu chun mi
trng tt c cc nc lm vic trn mt sn chi
bnh ng. V nu chng ta c th lm c iu ny v mc tiu l, ti cho rng, s l c gng hon thnh
TPP trc khi kt thc nm nay - sau s m ra rt
nhiu c hi, v to s t tin rt ln gia cc nh u t
Vit Nam v cc cng ty M, trong c nhng cng ty
quan tm n vic hp tc vi nhng ngi tr nh bn,
nhng ngi c th c mt tng kinh doanh tuyt vi.
Now, my general rule in all this is not to actually

broker deals and sign contracts. That's somebody
else's job. My job is to make sure that we have the
kinds of rules in place that make it easier for
businesses to get to know each other, to meet. And
one of the things that we're doing with the
Vietnamese government is constantly looking for
opportunities for trade missions, for businesses to
come and learn about what's going on.
Qui tc chung ca ti trong tt c iu ny l mc ch

thc s khng phi l mi gii v k kt cc hp
ng. l cng vic ca ngi khc. Cng vic ca ti
l m bo rng chng ta c y cc qui nh d
dng hn cho cc doanh nghip c th gp g v tm
hiu nhau. V mt trong nhng iu m chng ti ang
hp tc vi chnh ph Vit Nam l khng ngng tm kim
c hi cho nhng s mnh thng mi, cc doanh
nghip c th n v tm hiu v nhng g ang din ra.
And so what we'll do is we'll make sure that,

through the consulate or through the embassy, if
and when we have U.S. businesses who are
coming here to Vietnam and are interested in
meeting young entrepreneurs, that you'll have an
opportunity potentially to present your ideas and
see if you can make a deal.
V vy, nhng g chng ti s lm l m bo rng, thng

qua lnh s qun hoc qua i s qun, nu v khi c
cc doanh nghip M n Vit Nam, quan tm ti vic
gp g cc doanh nghip tr, bn s c c hi trnh by
tng ca mnh, v xem liu mnh c k kt c ci g
khng.
All right? Good luck.
c ch? Chc may mn.
All right, it's a gentleman's turn. All right, this guy.

He looks very happy -- right here.
c ri, n lt mt qu ng no. c ri, mi anh

chng ny. Anh ta trng rt hnh phc - y.
Q Hello, sir. I'm a student in Vietnam National

University. I have two questions for you. The first
one is that you are a very great leader, and we are
young leaders. Do you have any advice that how
can we be great like you?
Xin cho ngi. Ti l mt sinh vin ca trng i hc

Quc gia Vit Nam. Ti c hai cu hi cho ngi. u tin
l ngi l mt nh lnh o tuyt vi, v chng ti l nh
nhng lnh o tr. Ngi c li khuyn no cho chng ti
c th tr nn tuyt vi nh ngi khng?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Oh, wow. Now, what's the Tng thng Obama: . Th cn cu hi th hai?
second question?
Q
And the second question is, we are young
leaders. Do you have any suggestion that how can
we have to strengthen the relationship between
Vietnam and America?
Q: V cu hi th hai l, chng ti l cc nh lnh o

tr. Ngi c gi no chng ta c th tng cng mi
quan h gia Vit Nam v M khng?

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PRESIDENT OBAMA: First of all, let me tell you,
that when I was your age, I was not as wellorganized and well-educated and sophisticated as
all of you. When I was young, I fooled around a lot.
I didnt always take my studies very seriously. And
I was more interested in basketball -- and girls. And
I wasnt always that serious. So you're already
way ahead of me. You're doing good.
Tng thng Obama: Trc ht, hy ti ni vi bn

rng khi ti bng tui cc bn, ti khng c chnh t,
c hc thc v snh iu nh tt c cc bn u. Khi ti
cn tr, ti cng ham chi lm. Khng phi lc no ti
cng hc tp nghim tc. Ti quan tm nhiu hn ti
bng r - v cc bn gi. V khng phi lc no ti cng
nghim tc. V vy, bn ang i trc ti ri. Bn
ang lm rt tt.
Whenever I meet with young people and they ask

me this question, my most important advice is to
find something that you care deeply about, find
something that excites you, and put all your energy
and effort into it -- because the path for everybody
is different. Some people are very passionate
about education. Some people are very passionate
about medicine. Some people are passionate
about business.
Bt c khi no ti gp g nhng ngi tr tui v h hi

ti cu hi ny, li khuyn quan trng nht ca ti l tm
mt ci g m bn thc s quan tm, tm ci g lm
bn phn khch, v dnh tt c nng lng v n lc ca
bn cho n - bi v con ng ca mi ngi l khc
nhau. C ngi rt am m gio dc. Ngi khc li rt
am m v y hc. Mt s ngi c am m kinh doanh.
And so there's no one path to ending up being a

leader. People sometimes think that to be a leader
you have to be a great -- you have to make great
speeches, or you have to be in politics. But there
are a lot of ways to lead. Some of the greatest
leaders are people who are behind the scenes. So,
for example, in the United States, during the Civil
Rights Movement that helped to create
opportunities for people like me -- because at the
time, African Americans couldnt fully participate in
society -- everybody here has heard of Martin
Luther King, but there were all these young
organizers, your age -- people like Bob Moses and
John Lewis, and others who were helping go into
poor communities and registering voters, and
getting them active and getting them involved. And
they were enormous leaders, amazing leaders -even though they never made big speeches in front
of big crowds.
Do , khng ch c duy nht mt con ng tr

thnh mt nh lnh o. i khi ngi ta ngh rng tr
thnh mt nh lnh o, bn phi l mt ngi v i bn phi c nhng bi pht biu tuyt vi, hoc bn phi
lm chnh tr. Nhng c rt nhiu cch lnh o. Mt
s cc nh lnh o v i nht l nhng ngi ng
ng sau hu trng. V d, ti Hoa K, trong Phong tro
Dn quyn phong tro gip to ra c hi cho nhng
ngi nh ti bi v ti thi im , ngi M gc Phi
khng c quyn tham gia y trong x hi - tt c
mi ngi y nghe ni v Martin Luther King,
nhng cn c nhng nh t chc tr tui nh tm tui
ca cc bn - nhng ngi nh Bob Moses v John
Lewis, v nhng ngi khc, gip i vo nhng cng
ng ngho v gip c tri ng k, vn ng h tch cc
tham gia bu c. V h l nhng nh lnh o ln,
nhng nh lnh o tuyt vi, ngay c khi h khng bao
gi thc hin nhng bi pht biu ln trc nhng m
ng ln.
But you have to feel passionate about something.

And one of the things that I always tell young
people is, dont worry so much about what you
want to be; worry more about what you want to do.
And what I mean by that is, if you are passionate
about your work, then naturally over time you are
going to rise and people will admire and respect
what you've done. But if all you're thinking about
is, I want to be a member of the National
Assembly, or I want to be very rich, or I want to be
this or I want to be that, then you pay less attention
to the actual work in front of you.
Nhng bn phi cm thy am m mt ci g . V mt

trong nhng iu m ti lun ni vi nhng ngi tr tui
l, ng lo lng qu nhiu v nhng g bn mun tr
thnh; hy quan tm nhiu hn v nhng g bn mun
lm. ti l, nu bn am m vi cng vic ca mnh, th
dn dn theo thi gian bn s vt ln, mi ngi s
ngng m v tn trng nhng g bn lm. Nhng
nu tt c cc bn suy ngh l, ti mun tr thnh mt i
biu Quc hi, hay ti mun tr nn giu c, hoc ti
mun tr thnh ci ny ci n, th bn s t hn n
cng vic thc t trc mt ca mnh.

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And most of the people I meet who are very

successful, in any field, are people who just love
their work. So Bill Gates, who started Microsoft, he
didnt start off thinking, I want to be a multibillionaire. He started off thinking, I really like
computers and I want to find out how I can create
really neat software.
V hu ht nhng ngi rt thnh cng m ti gp, trong

bt k lnh vc no u l nhng con ngi n gin l
h yu cng vic ca mnh. V d nh, Bill Gates, ngi
sng lp Microsoft, ng khng khi nghip vi suy
ngh: ti mun tr thnh mt t ph. ng khi nghip
vi suy ngh l: ti thc s thch my tnh v ti mun tm
hiu lm th no ti c th to ra phn mm thc s hiu
qu.
I didnt start off thinking I wanted to be President of

the United States. When I finally stopped fooling
around and I wanted to get serious, what I decided
was that I wanted to help people in low-income
communities, poor people, have opportunity. And
so I went to work in poor neighborhoods in
Chicago. And because I was interested in the
work, I started asking questions: Okay, how can I
get more education dollars for these communities?
How can I get better housing built in these
communities? And that's when I became more
aware of how politics worked. And I started asking
questions about how could I have more influence
and how could I build organizations that could
potentially deliver the things that I was interested
in. And that's what led me into politics. But I didnt
start off saying -- I want to be President. I started
off saying I wanted to help these people.
Ti khng bt u vi suy ngh ti mun tr thnh

Tng thng Hoa K. Thi im khi ti cui cng cng
quyt nh thi khng chi bi na m bt u lm vic
nghim tc, iu ti quyt nh l ti mun gip nhng
ngi trong cng ng c thu nhp thp, nhng ngi
ngho c c c hi. V v vy ti i lm vic trong
cc cng ng ngho Chicago. V bi v ti quan tm
n cng vic , ti bt u t cu hi: c ri, lm
th no ti c th to thm tin cho gio dc cho cc
cng ng ny? Lm th no c c nh ca tt
hn c xy dng trong cc cng ng ny? V l
khi ti nhn thc r hn v cch thc hot ng ca
chnh tr. V ti bt u t ra cc hi lm th no ti c
th c c nh hng nhiu hn v lm th no ti c th
xy dng nhng t chc c tim nng thc hin nhng
iu m ti mun. V l nhng g a ti n vi
chnh tr. Nhng ti khng bt u bng suy ngh, ti
mun tr thnh tng thng, ti ch ngh l, ti mun gip
nhng con ngi ny.
So that's my most important advice. Decide what it

is that you care about deeply, and then put
everything you have into doing that. If you're
interested in social media and you want to start a
company, then focus on that. And if you're
interested in health care for people in villages
around Vietnam, focus on that. And if you get good
at that, naturally youll end up being a leader and
youll have opportunities to do great things in the
future.
Vy l li khuyn quan trng nht ca ti. Quyt nh

xem vn g bn thc s quan tm, v sau t tt
c mi th bn c vo iu . Nu bn quan tm n
truyn thng x hi v bn mun m mt cng ty th hy
tp trung vo iu . Nu bn quan tm n chm sc
sc khe cho ngi dn cc ngi lng trn khp Vit
Nam, hy tp trung vo iu . V nu bn lm tt, cui
cng bn s tr thnh mt nh lnh o v bn s c c
hi lm nhng iu tuyt vi trong tng lai.
All right? Good. Okay, it's a young ladys turn.

There you go, since you got such a -- when youve
got the paddy hat with the Thank you, Obama -That was good organizing. So go ahead. She
came prepared.
c ch? Tt. c ri, n lt mt qu c no. y

ri, bn ang i chic nn vi dng ch "Cm n ngi,
Obama". Chun b tt y. Bn hy hi i. C y chun b
k y.
Q I am. So thank you very much, President, for

your very inspiring speeches.
I'm from an
organization called Save Son Doong. So yesterday
I literally burst into tears when you mentioned
Cm n ng rt nhiu, ngi Tng thng, v nhng bi

pht biu rt nhiu cm hng ca ngi. Ti n t mt t
chc tn l Gn gi Sn ong. V hm qua ti bt
khc khi ng cp n vic bo tn cc hang ng cho

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preserving the cave for our children, our
grandchildren. That is something that we have
been trying to do for the past few years. So my
question for you is that, because Son Doong does
not just belong to Vietnam, it is a world heritage,
how would you, an American leader, a global
citizen, preserve it? And you also mentioned that
you would like to get back to Vietnam. If you have
a chance to visit Son Doong, would you like to do it
on foot by trekking, or would you take a cable car?
Fortunately, theres one. And also I have a gift.
th h con chu chng ta. l iu m chng ti v

ang c gng thc hin trong nhng nm va qua. V
vy, cu hi ca ti l, bi v Sn ong khng ch thuc
v Vit Nam, n l mt di sn th gii, lm th no
ngi, mt nh lnh o M, mt cng dn ton cu, bo
v n? V ngi cng ni rng ngi mun c tr li Vit
Nam. Nu ngi c c hi n thm Sn ong, ngi c
mun thm him bng chnh i chn ca mnh hay s i
cp treo? May l c cp treo . V ti cng c mt mn
qu.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, youve got a shirt for Tng thng Obama: , bn c mt chic o cho ti .
me.
Q
It would be my honor if you accept this gift. Q:Ti s rt vinh d nu ngi nhn mn qu ny.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, that's a beautiful shirt.

Well, first of all, I definitely want to go visit the next
time I come. And I'm a pretty healthy guy, so I can
go on foot. How long is it?
Tng thng Obama: Vng, l mt chic o p. Vng,

trc ht, chc chn ti mun i thm khi ln sau ti n.
V ti cng kh khe mnh, v vy ti c th i b.
Chuyn i ny ko di bao lu?
Q: By ngy.
Seven days.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Seven days. Okay, I'm Tng thng Obama: By ngy. c ri. Ti c th lm
good. I can do that. Are there places to get c. C qun n ti n dc ng khng, hay ti
something to eat along the way, or do I have to phi t mang theo n? khng, ti t mang.
carry my own food? Well, no, I'll carry it myself.
Well, look, I think the possible designation of a
world heritage site is a complex process. It would
involve I think working with the government of
Vietnam, with existing organizations that designate
world heritage sites. We'll be happy to work with
your organization, with the Vietnamese government
and others about the possibilities of doing that.
Vng, ti ngh rng vic cng nhn mt di sn th gii l

mt qu trnh phc tp. Ti ngh rng n s lin quan n
vic lm vic vi chnh ph Vit Nam, vi cc t chc
hin ti c chc nng cng nhn cc di sn th gii.
Chng ti s rt vui khi lm vic vi cc t chc ca bn,
vi chnh ph Vit Nam v cc bn lin quan khc v kh
nng lm iu .
But I do think that one of the great things about

your generation is, is that you're already much
more conscious about the environment than my
generation was or previous generations were. And
that's really important not only to preserve beautiful
sites in our countries, but also because economic
development and the well-being and the health of
your people and everyone around the world is
going to depend on how we deal with some of
these environmental issues.
Nhng ti thc s ngh rng mt trong nhng iu tuyt

vi v th h ca cc bn l vic bn c thc hn
rt nhiu v mi trng so vi th h chng ti hoc cc
th h trc na. V iu thc s quan trng khng
ch bo tn cc a danh p ca t nc chng ta,
m cn v s pht trin kinh t v s thnh vng,v sc
khe ca chnh chng ta v tt c mi ngi trn th gii
s ph thuc vo cch chng ta gii quyt mt s nhng
vn mi trng ny.
Now, to some degree, this is not fair, I think it's mt mc no , iu ny l khng cng bng, ti
important to note, because if you think about ngh rng iu ny kh quan trng, bi v nu nhn li s

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Western industrial development, before we knew
anything about climate change, they used
enormous amounts of carbon energy, and we in
the United States have a huge carbon footprint and
for 100 years, or 150 years, were helping to warm
the planet. So it's not entirely fair, then, to say to
countries that are developing now, well, you have
to stop because of climate change.
pht trin cng nghip phng Ty, trc khi chng ta

bit n bin i kh hu, h s dng mt lng ln
nng lng carbon, v chng ti Hoa K li hu
qu l mt lng carbon khng l, v trong khong thi
gian 100 nm, 150 nm, gp phn lm tri t nng
ln. V vy, s l khng hon ton cng bng khi ni vi
cc nc ang pht trin hin nay rng cc bn phi
dng li v l do bin i kh hu.
But the problem is, is that if a country like Vietnam,

or China, or India took the same development path
that the West did, we're all going to be under water,
because the climate is going to warm up so quickly
and the climate patterns are going to change, that,
in fact, the terrible consequences could actually
impede development rather than advance
development.
Nhng vn l, nu mt quc gia nh Vit Nam, hoc

Trung Quc, hay n i theo con ng pht trin
tng t nh cc nc phng Ty lm, th tt c
chng ta s chm di nc, v kh hu ang m ln
nhanh chng v cc kiu kh hu s thay i, v thc t
l nhng hu qu khng khip c th cn tr s pht
trin thay v thc y qu trnh pht trin.
Thats why we had this agreement in Paris to have

all countries join together to deal with climate
change. And what it says is, is that each country at
different stages of development have different
obligations. The United States, we have to do
more. Countries like China that are large have to
do more. But everybody has to do something. And
we all have an obligation then also to help
developing countries find new paths for energy and
development that are environmentally friendly,
developing clean energy strategies that can
leapfrog over the old, dirty industries and
immediately go to the clean industries.
l l do ti sao chng ta t c tha thun ny

ti Paris vi tt c cc nc tham gia i ph vi bin i
kh hu. Ni dung ca tha thun ny l mi nc tng
giai on pht trin khc nhau c cc ngha v khc
nhau. Nc M chng ti phi lm nhiu hn. Cc quc
gia ln nh Trung Quc phi lm nhiu hn. Nhng tt
c mi quc gia u phi lm mt iu g . V tt c
chng ta u c ngha v ca mnh khi gip cc nc
ang pht trin tm nhng gii php mi v vn nng
lng v pht trin m thn thin vi mi trng, pht
trin cc chin lc nng lng sch c th nhy cc
qua cc ngnh cng nghip c, nhim v ngay lp tc
tip cn vi cc ngnh cng nghip sch.
Now, the good news is I think that can happen.

Because if you think about -- everybody here has a
cellphone, right? Everybody has a smartphone?
Yes, you do. Of course, you do. Well, in many
countries like Vietnam, you didnt start off with a lot
of phone towers and digging and laying telephone
lines under the ground. You leapfrogged the old
technologies and immediately went to a cellular
technology and a wireless technology. Well, the
same thing that we're doing with communications,
that's what we need to do with energy.
Tin vui l ti ngh rng iu ny c th tr thnh hin

thc. Bi v, nu cc bn ngh v vic - tt c mi ngi
y u c in thoi di ng, phi khng? Mi ngi
u c in thoi thng minh ng khng? C, tt nhin
ri. rt nhiu quc gia nh Vit Nam, cc bn
khng bt u vi rt nhiu nhng thp in thoi v vic
o v lp t ng dy in thoi di mt t. Cc
bn nhy vt qua cc cng ngh c v ngay lp tc
i n cng ngh di ng v cng ngh khng dy.
Tng t nh nhng g chng ta ang lm vi ngnh
thng tin lin lc, l nhng g chng ta cn phi lm
vi ngnh nng lng.
And so, instead of going through the same energy

usage in developing and providing electricity and
power, we need to start immediately finding cleaner
energy sources, which can create jobs and
businesses and opportunities all throughout this
region. And I'm very excited about the possibilities
V nh vy, thay v phi tri qua qu trnh tng t trong

vic s dng nng lng trong pht trin v cung cp
in v nng lng, chng ta cn phi bt u tm kim
ngay cc ngun nng lng sch hn, iu ny c th
to ra cng n vic lm, c hi cho doanh nghip v c
hi cho ton b khu vc ny. V ti rt phn khch v kh

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of doing that.
nng thc hin c iu .
So we have to think about beautiful areas that need

to be preserved. But we also have to recognize
that no matter how well we preserve one or two
areas in each country, if the overall climate
patterns change radically, then we're all going to be
in a really difficult situation. And you're already
starting to see the effects of climate change here in
Vietnam. I think this country is going to be one of
the most affected. And in someplace like the
Mekong Delta, you have drought on the one hand,
but you also have saline intrusion on the other
hand. And that could have a huge impact on
Vietnams ability to feed its people, on fishermen,
on farmers. And it could be a really, really big
problem if we don't do something about it. So it's
going to be up to you to start, and I'm going to want
to partner with you to make that happen.
V vy, chng ta phi suy ngh v nhng khu vc thin

nhin ti p cn c bo tn. Nhng chng ta cng
phi nhn ra rng,cho d chng ta c th gn gi tt nh
th no i na mt hoc hai khu vc mi quc gia, m
nu cc kiu kh hu c s bin chuyn ln, th tt chng
ta s b t vo mt tnh hung thc s kh khn. Cc
bn bt u nhn thy nhng tc ng ca bin i
kh hu ti Vit Nam. Ti ngh rng t nc ny s l
mt trong nhng nc chu nh hng nng n nht.
Chng hn nh mt s ni nh ng bng sng Cu
Long, mt mt ang b hn hn, mt khc cn ang phi
hng chu hin tng xm nhp mn. iu ny c th c
nhng tc ng rt ln ln kh nng cung cp lng
thc ca Vit Nam cho chnh ngi dn ca mnh, tc
ng ln ng dn, v nng dn. V n c th l mt vn
rt rt ln nu chng ta khng lm g i ph
vi n. V vy, vic ny s ph thuc vo chnh cc bn
bt u, v ti mun hp tc vi cc bn bin iu
ny thnh hin thc.
Thanks for the tee-shirt also.
Cng xin cm n bn v chic o nh.
All right, so lets see. You got flags and everything. c ri, xem no. Cc bn c c c v cc th ny. Xin
Gentleman right here.
mi bn nam ang ngi ngay y.
Q
Good morning, President Obama. I'm from
Study Abroad, which brings American students to
come to Vietnam to learn. My question is that, as
you said earlier, YSEALI initiative -- and I know that
you want to leave the White House very soon, but
I'm wondering, when you leave do you come up
any plans to handle for the next President to
maintain this very good idea? Thanks.
Q: Xin cho Tng thng Obama. Ti n t chng trnh

Study Abroad -chng trnh c nhim v a nhng sinh
vin M n Vit Nam tm hiu. Cu hi ca ti l,
nh ng ni trc , sng kin YSEALI - v ti bit
rng ng mun ri khi Nh Trng rt sm, nhng ti
bn khon rng, khi nhim k kt thc, ng c bt k k
hoch no cho Tng thng tip theo duy tr tng
rt tt ny khng? Xin cm n.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, it's a great question.

This is something that we're already planning. Our
expectation is, is that the next President will want
to continue the incredible work that we've done
with the YSEALI. It's not just, by the way, young
people in Southeast Asia that we're doing this with.
We have a Young Africa Leaders program that
involves young people from 50 countries in SubSaharan Africa. We have a Latin American version
that brings young people together. And at some
point, we're going to bring key leaders from each of
these areas so that they can start learning from
each other.
Vng, l mt cu hi rt hay. y l iu m chng ti

ang ln k hoch. K vng ca chng ti l Tng thng
tip theo s mun tip tc cng vic tuyt vi m chng
ti thc hin vi YSEALI. Tin y ni cc bn bit
rng chng ta khng ch c nhng ngi tr tui ng
Nam m chng ti ang lm vic cng. Chng ti c
mt chng trnh lnh o tr chu Phi vi s tham gia
ca nhng ngi tr tui t 50 quc gia khu vc tiu
vng Sahara chu Phi. Chng ti c mt phin bn
tng t M Latinh ang tp hp nhng ngi tr li
vi nhau. V n mt lc no , chng ti s tp hp
cc nh lnh o tr ch cht mi khu vc h c th
bt u hc hi ln nhau.
And our hope is, is that the State Department will Hy vng ca chng ti l, B Ngoi giao M s tip tc

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continue this program. But one of the things -people always ask me, what am I going to do after I
leave the presidency. Because I'm so relatively
young -- not compared to you, but compared to
other Presidents, I'm pretty young. And I don't
know everything that I'm going to do, but the one
thing I do know I will continue to work on is
developing young leaders in the United States and
around the world. So, in addition to my hope that
the next President continues the program through
the State Department, I'll make sure that through
my philanthropy and my own work that we're
continuing to bring young people together so that
we can start building the kind of talent that knows
each other and is networked and is connected, and
is learning from each other. Because that's what
it's going to take for countries in the future to be
able to solve these big problems.
chng trnh ny. Nhng mt trong nhng iu m mi

ngi lun hi ti l ti s lm g sau khi ti ri cng v
tng thng. Bi v ti cn tng i tr - khng phi l so
vi cc bn m l so vi cc Tng thng khc, ti kh
tr. V ti khng bit tt c mi th m ti s lm l g,
nhng ti bit mt trong nhng iu ti s tip tc lm l
tip tc pht trin cc nh lnh o tr M cng nh
trn ton th gii. V vy, ngoi hy vng rng v Tng
thng tip theo s tip tc cc chng trnh ngy thng
qua B Ngoi giao M, ti s m bo rng thng qua
cc hot ng t thin v cng vic c nhn ca mnh,
chng ti s tip tc a nhng ngi tr gp g nhau
chng ta c th bt u kin to nn nhng nhn ti
nhng ngi quen bit ln nhau, kt ni ln nhau v hc
hi ln nhau. Bi v l nhng g cc quc gia cn
trong tng lai c th gii quyt nhng vn ln.
If you ask me what I'm most excited about in terms

of my legacy 20 years from now, I would feel really
good if I see 10,000 or 20,000, or 50,000 young
leaders who are now taking over governments and
businesses and nonprofit organizations, and they
now know each other from different countries and
theyve worked together, and theyve built trust and
theyve built relationships. And if I can help
facilitate that, that would be something that I'd be
very proud of. So you can guarantee that I'll
continue to work on this.
Nu bn hi ti iu g lm ti phn khch nht khi ngh

v di sn mnh li sau khong 20 nm na, th ti s
cm thy thc s hnh phc nu ti thy 10.000 hay
20.000, hoc 50.000 nhng nh lnh o tr hin nay
ang ng u cc chnh ph, cc doanh nghip v cc
t chc phi li nhun, h n t cc quc gia khc nhau
nhng quen bit nhau, tng lm vic cng nhau v h
xy dng c nim tin tng v nhng mi quan h
vi nhau. V nu ti c th gip to iu kin cho vic
ny, s l mt ci g m ti s rt t ho v. V vy,
cc bn c th tin chc rng ti s tip tc lm vic ny.
All right, yes, right here. Oops. Is it working? You y, bn ny. Ngay y. , Mic vn dng c ch? C
might need to use mine. (Applause.) Okay, there th phi dng mic ca ti ny. c ri. Va kp.
you go. Just in time.
Q
Good morning, President Obama. I'm a Q: Xin choTng thng Obama. Ti l mt thnh vin ca
YSEALI Academy fellow, presently at the hc vin YSEALI, hin ang hc ti i hc Montana.
University of Montana.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Excellent. How do you like Tng thng Obama: Tuyt vi. Bn thy Montana th
Montana?
no?
Q
It's not cold, it is hot.
Q: N khng lnh, n cn nng na.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Oh, it's very cold. You just

haven't -- have you gone through January yet?
Tng thng Obama: , n rt lnh y. Bn tri qua

thng 1 Montana cha?
Q: Mi ma h thi .
Summer.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: When did you get there?
Tng thng Obama: Bn n khi no?

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Q
June through August.
Q: T thng Su n thng Tm.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes, it's not cold in June Tng thng Obama: , thng 6 n thng 8 th khng
and August. You just went there at the right time. lnh ri. Bn n vo ng thi im ri. Nhng l
But it's a beautiful state, isn't it?
mt tiu bang xinh p, phi khng?
Q
Yes. I love it.
Q:Vng, ti yu n.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes, it's lovely. You have Tng thng Obama: Vng, n tht tuyt. c nhng
gorgeous mountains. Have you learned how to ngn ni tuyt p. Bn hc cu c cha?
fish?
Q
Q: Ri .
Yes.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Fly fishing?
Tng thng Obama: Cu bng cn cu ch?
Q: Vng, ti cn i cho thuyn vt thc na.
Yes. I went rafting as well.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: And rafting also. That's

great.
Tng thng Obama: C cho thuyn . Tht tuyt.
Q
So my topic is about global environmental
issues. So I'm going to make my professor in
Montana happy by asking a question related to
climate change and environment. So in Mekong
region, there are a lot of hydropower dams being
are being built on the mainstream of the Mekong.
And this problem is not easy because we have big
countries and small countries related to the
hydropower building in the area. So do you have
any suggestions for all the governments of the
Mekong region to get together and suspend in the
interests, for the economic and environmental
interests?
Q: Ch ca ti l v cc vn mi trng ton cu.

V vy, ti s khin cho gio s ca ti Montana rt
hnh phc bng cch hi mt cu hi lin quan n bin
i kh hu v mi trng. Trong khu vc sng Mekong,
c rt nhiu cc p thu in ang c xy dng trn
dng chnh ca sng Mekong. V vn ny l khng d
dng bi v c c cc nc ln v cc nc nh lin
quan n vic xy dng cc cng trnh thy in khu
vc ny. V vy, ngi c bt c gi no cho tt c cc
chnh ph trong khu vc sng Mekong cng nhau tm
gc li ch c nhn sang mt bn v cc li ch kinh t v
mi trng hay khng?
And just one more question. This is like a very

tactical job interview. Where do you find yourself in
five years? Because I think it is a very interesting
period when Malia probably graduates from
Harvard University and you still holding the
computer or iPhone 10. And also that's when
probably maybe Mr. Sanders or Mrs. Hillary or
maybe Mr. Trump finish their president term. So
where do you find yourself and the world in five
years? Thank you.
V ch mt cu hi na thi. y ging nh mt cuc

phng vn xin vic y tnh chin thut vy. Ngi ngh
mnh s ang u, lm g trong 5 nm ti? Bi v ti
ngh rng s l mt khong thi gian rt th v khi
Malia lc chc s tt nghip i hc Harvard cn ngi
th ang dng my tnh hoc iPhone 10. V cng c th
l khi ng Sanders hay b Hillary hoc c th ng
Trump kt thc nhim k Tng thng ca h. Ngi thy
bn thn mnh v th gii s nh th no trong 5 nm
na? Xin cm n ngi.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, first of all, on the

Mekong Delta, we actually, through ASEAN and
the East Asia Summit, created a Mekong Delta
working group with all the countries that are
impacted. And through our State Department and
Tng thng Obama: Vng, trc ht, v khu vc ng

bng sng Cu Long, thng qua ASEAN v Hi ngh
Thng nh ng , chng ti lp mt nhm lm
vic v vn ng bng sng Cu Long vi tt c cc
nc chu nh hng. V thng qua cc chng trnh

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various programs, we're working to help them plan
and create sustainable development across
countries.
ca B Ngoi giao v cc chng trnh khc ca chng

ti, chng ti ang lm vic gip h lp k hoch v
to s pht trin bn vng tt c cc nc.
Now, you're right that one of the big challenges is

how do you deal with water resources and the
building of dams and hydropower. And that's not a
problem that's unique to the Mekong Delta. You
see this in a lot of parts of the world where big
projects get built with unintended consequences,
and it has severe effects downstream. And the
results in some cases have been not great. And
they have significant environmental degradation
because of lack of planning.
Bn ng khi ni rng mt trong nhng thch thc ln

t ra l lm th no i ph vi ngun ti nguyn
nc v vic xy dng cc p v cng trnh thy in.
khng phi l vn ca ring ng bng sng Cu
Long. Bn thy iu ny rt nhiu ni trn th gii, ni
cc d n ln c xy dng vi nhng hu qu ngoi
mun, v n c tc ng nghim trng khu vc h lu.
V kt qu l khng c tt trong mt s trng hp.
Chng gy ra suy thoi mi trng nghim trngdo s
thiu quy hoch.
So what we're going to try to do is to continue to

work with the affected countries and to provide
them with the technical assistance and the
evaluations of what needs to happen, what they
need to watch out for. And hopefully that
information is power. That information then can be
used to negotiate on an international level to try to
prevent some projects that might have very bad
effects.
V vy, nhng g chng ta ang c gng lm l tip tc

lm vic vi cc nc b nh hng v cung cp cho h
s h tr k thut v nh gi thng xuyn v nhng g
cn lm, nhng g h cn phi ch . V hy vng rng
thng tin l sc mnh. Nhng thng tin c th
c s dng m phn cp quc t c gng
ngn chn mt s d nm c th s c nhng tc ng
rt xu.
But one of the things that we've seen in ASEAN is

when small countries band together as a unit, then
their power is magnified. That's true on economic
issues; that's true on environmental issues; that's
true on security issues. And we've seen, since I
became President, I think a greater willingness of
the ASEAN countries to do more substantive work.
It used to be I think ASEAN would meet and
everybody was very polite, but you didnt always
have I think as many specific, concrete plans of
action. And now you're starting to see I think
ASEAN being used as a much more effective tool
for policymaking, and the environmental area is a
critical place where that can happen.
Nhng mt trong nhng iu chng ti thy trong

ASEAN l khi cc nc nh lin kt vi nhau thnh mt
khi th quyn lc ca h c khuch i. iu ng
trong cc vn kinh t, ng trong cc vn mi
trng; ng trong cc vn an ninh. V chng ti
thy, k t khi ti tr thnh Tng thng, l vic cc
quc gia ASEAN th hin s sn sng ln hn trong
vic thc hin cc cng vic c tm quan trng hn.
Ngy xa ti tng ngh ASEAN l t chc m cc
quan chc cc nc s gp nhau, ai cng rt lch s,
nhng khng phi lc no cc bn cng t c nhng
k hoch hnh ng c th. Gi y cc bn ang bt
u thy rng ASEAN ang c s dng nh mt cng
c hiu qu hn nhiu cho vic hoch nh chnh sch,
v mi trng l mt lnh vc quan trng iu c
th xy ra.
In terms of where I see the world in five years,

some of you are going to be doing great things,
and I'll be very excited to find out what you're
doing. I suspect that I'm going to be doing the
kinds of work that I've been doing all my life. I'll be
doing organizing work and involved in public policy
issues. But I just won't be doing it in a formal way
through elected office. I'll be like a community
organizer, except a little more famous than I used
V vic ti nhn nhn nh th no v th gii trong 5 nm

ti, mt s bn y s ang lm nhng iu tuyt vi,
v ti s rt vui mng tm hiu xem cc bn s ang lm
nhng g. Ti ngh rng ti s lm kiu cng vic m ti
vn ang lm c i mnh. Ti s lm cng tc t chc
v tham gia vo cc vn chnh sch cng. Ch l ti s
khng lm vic mt cch chnh thc thng qua cc c
quan dn c m thi. Ti s lm cng vic ging nh ca
mt ngi t chc cng ng, ngoi tr vic ti s ni

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to be.
ting hn mt cht so vi khi ti tng lm vic

trc y.
In terms of American politics, I tend to be positive

and optimistic about American politics. I think
sometimes other countries look at our election
system and people think, wow, what a mess. But
usually we end up doing okay because the
American people are good people, and they -- as I
hope you've gotten to know people in Montana -the American people are generous, and they're
decent and they're hardworking. And sometimes
our politics doesnt express all the goodness of the
people. But usually, eventually, the voters make
good decisions, and democracy works.
V nn chnh tr M, ti c xu hng tch cc v lc quan

v nn chnh tr M. Ti ngh rng i khi cc nc khc
nhn vo h thng bu c ca chng ti v mi ngi
ngh, , tht l mt m hn n. Nhng thng th cui
cng chng ti vn n bi v ngi dn M l nhng
ngi tt, v nh ti hy vng bn thy mi ngi
Montana - ngi dn M rt ho phng, h l ngi tt
v h lm vic chm ch. i khi chnh tr ca chng ti
khng th hin tt c s tt p ca ngi dn M,
nhng thng th, cui cng, nhng c tri vn a ra
nhng quyt nh ng n, v nn dn ch vn hot
ng tt.
So I'm optimistic that we'll get through this period.

And one of the great things about the United
States is that even when it makes mistakes, I think
it's able to adjust and recognize our mistakes, and
then we correct course and take different steps. So
things are going to be okay, I promise.
V vy, ti lc quan rng chng ta s vt qua giai on

ny. V mt trong nhng iu tuyt vi v nc M l
thm ch khi chng ti mc sai lm, ti ngh rng chng
ti c th iu chnh v nhn ra sai lm ca mnh, v sau
chng ti sa cha v thc hin cc bc i khc. V
vy, mi th s n thi, ti ha l nh vy.
This guy, he has two hands up and a symbol. I

dont know what that means. I dont know, it was
interesting, so we'll call on him. Maybe he'll
explain it.
Anh chng ny ang gi 2 bn tay lm hiu. Ti khng

bit iu c ngha l g. Ti khng bit, nhng hay
y, v vy chng ta s gi anh ta. C l anh s gii thch
n.
Q Hello, Mr. President. I want to say that you're

so handsome.
Cu hi: Xin cho, ngi Tng thng. Ti mun ni rng

ng rt p trai.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Oh, okay! Well, you can Tng thng Obama: Oh, c ri! Vng, bn c th dng
just stop there if you want.
li nu bn mun.
Q Okay. I have two questions of me -- now turn
a little bit into business.
Cu hi: Vng, ti c hai cu hi - gi chng ta ni v

kinh doanh mt cht nh.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Business.
Tng thng Obama: Kinh doanh .
Q
Yes. You told us just find something you
deeply care about, and my biggest care about is
human
resource
management
or
talent
management. And now
Q: Vng. Ngi ni vi chng ti rng c c gngtm mt

ci g bn thc s quan tm su sc, v mi quan tm
ln nht ca ti l v qun l ngun nhn lc hay qun tr
nhn ti. V by gi -
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Hotel management, did you Tng thng Obama: Bn ni l qun l khch sn ?
say?
Q
Talent management.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Talent management. Got it.
Q: Qun tr nhn ti .
Tng thng Obama: Qun tr nhn ti . Hiu ri.

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Q Okay, now we are joining AEC and TPP. This
may not -- beside opportunities, we have many
challenges. The more challenge that -- they have
many overseas companies, they want to attract
Vietnamese talent.
And can you give a
suggestion? We cannot just base on the patriotism
of them to force them to stay in Vietnam. They
have a chance to seek for their own development.
So how can Vietnamese firms and Vietnam
government can have them stay and contribute to
Vietnam?
And one more question about
entrepreneurship. There is more -- like some
company will have lack of human resource
because they move from other countries. And how
can the young entrepreneurs can deal with it? Can
you give any suggestion? Thank you.
Q: Vng, gi y chng ta ang tham gia AEC v TPP.

Bn cnh nhng c hi, chng ta s c rt nhiu thch
thc. Thch thc l s nhiu cng ty nc ngoi mun
thu ht ti nng Vit. V ngi c th a ra mt gi
khng? Chng ta khng th ch da vo tinh thn yu
nc ca h buc h phi li Vit Nam. H c c
hi tm kim s pht trin ring ca mnh. Vy lm th
no cc cng ty v Chnh ph Vit Nam c th gi h
li v ng gp cho Vit Nam? V thm mt cu hi v
tinh thn doanh nhn. C nhiu cng ty s thiu ngun
nhn lc do h chuyn ti t cc nc khc. V lm th
no c th cc doanh nhn tr c th i ph vi n?
Ngi c gi no khng? Cm n.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Okay. Look, if I understood

your question -- so TPP, you've got these new
opportunities. Companies are going to be
interested in coming into Vietnam as investors or
as business partners with existing Vietnamese
companies. And I think that any good foreign
company is going to want to partner with a
Vietnamese partner who understands the culture,
understands the system. They're going to be
looking for young talent. And if you start a
company that helps to identify talent and is then
helping those who are doing business here to
recruit, I'm sure that that will go very well.
Tng thng Obama: c ri. Nu ti hiu ng cu hi

ca bn, th vi TPP cc bn s c nhng c hi mi.
Cc cng ty s quan tm n vic ti lm n ti Vit Nam
u t hoc hp tc kinh doanh vi cc cng ty Vit
Nam hin c. V ti ngh rng bt c cng ty nc ngoi
tt no cng s mun hp tc vi mt i tc Vit Nam
m c s am hiu v nn vn ha v hiu r h thng
ny. H s tm kim cc ti nng tr. V nu bn m mt
cng ty gip tm kim ti nng th l bn ang gip
nhng cng ty m ang kinh doanh y trong vic
tuyn dng, ti tin rng nh vy s rt tt.
This is not an area that I'm an expert on, but one of

the things that we're seeing is, through
organizations like -- or companies like LinkedIn -- I
dont
know
if
you've
heard
of
that
-- based out of Silicon Valley. But they've been
able to build these digital platforms where people
are continually updating their rsums and
providing their information. And that becomes a
powerful tool then for human resource people who
are recruiting. And it's conceivable that you could
do something equivalent to that in Vietnam in
preparation for the ongoing growth and
development of businesses here in Vietnam. So
that's a great idea. Good luck.
Ti th khng phi l chuyn gia v lnh vc ny, nhng

mt trong nhng iu chng ta ang thy l, thng qua
cc t chc hoc cng ty nh LinkedIn - ti khng bit
liu bn nghe ni v n cha mt cng ty c tr s
ngoi Thung lng Silicon. Nhng h c th xy dng
cc nn tng k thut s, ni mi ngi ang lin tc cp
nht h s xin vic v cung cp thng tin ca mnh. N
tr thnh mt cng c hu hiu cho cc chuyn gia
nhn s. Bn cng c th lm mt ci g tng t
Vit Nam chun b cho s tng trng v pht trin
ang din ra lin tc ca cc doanh nghip ti Vit Nam.
Vy th, l mt tng tuyt vi. Chc may mn.
In terms of the question on entrepreneurship, I

wasnt clear exactly what your question was. Was
it that you think talented Vietnamese are going
someplace else instead of staying here? Is that
right?
V cu hi v tinh thn doanh nhn, ti khng hiu r lm

v cu hi ca bn. C phi bn l nhng nhn ti Vit
Nam ang i n mt s ni no khc thay v li y?
C ng khng?

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Q
How can Vietnamese firms and government Q: Lm th no cc doanh nghip v chnh ph Vit
have places to keep, to retain the talent?
Nam c nhng ni lm vic c th gi li nhng nhn
ti?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: To retain talent.
Tng thng Obama: gi nhn ti.
Q: Vng.
Yes.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: So you're worried about a Tng thng Obama: Bn ang lo lng v vn chy
brain-drain where
mu cht xm, ni
Q
Yes, brain-drain, yes.
Q: Vng, chnh l vn chy mu cht xm.
PRESIDENT
OBAMA:
-where
young
Vietnamese, they get an education and suddenly
they're being recruited to go to Australia, or to go to
Singapore, or to go the United States, or China,
and then you dont have enough entrepreneurs
here.
Tng thng Obama: ni m ngi Vit tr, khi

c gio dc y li t nhin c tuyn dng
i lm c, hoc Singapore, hoc Hoa K, hay Trung
Quc, v sau bn khng c doanh nhn y.
Well, look, I think the best way to retain talent in

any country is to make sure that talent is rewarded.
And the way to reward talent is to have strong rule
of law; to have a good education system; to have
the ability to start a business relatively easily; to
make sure that government policies when it comes
to taxation or when it comes to building
infrastructure, that those policies are good ones,
and so that people feel as if, by staying here, this is
the best place for them to make it.
Vng, nghe ny, ti ngh rng cch tt nht gi nhn

ti bt c nc no l m bo rng h c i ng
xng ng. V cch i ng ti nng l phi c cc
quy tc php lut mnh m; c mt h thng gio dc
tt; c th m mt cng ty mt cch tng i d
dng; m bo rng cc chnh sch ca chnh ph
nh cc chnh sch lin quan ti thu,hoc xy dng h
tng, phi l nhng chnh sch tt, mi ngi c th
cm thy ni y l ni tt nht lm n kinh doanh.
People usually dont want to leave their home

countries if they feel like they've got opportunity in
their home countries. Usually, they end up leaving
if they feel as if they're stuck in their home
countries. And so one of the benefits of the TransPacific Partnership is it's going to lead to the
government taking a series of legal reforms that I
actually think will create a better business
environment. And it means for young talented
people like you, there's no reason to leave because
you're going to be in a position to do great things
here in Vietnam.
Mi ngi thng khng mun ri b qu hng ca h

nu h cm thyh c c hi ti t nc ca mnh.
Thng thng, h ri i nu h cm thy b tc ti t
nc mnh. V v vy mt trong nhng li ch ca Hip
nh i tc xuyn Thi Bnh Dng l n s khin cc
chnh ph thc hin mt lot cc ci cch php l m ti
tin rng s thc s to ra mt mi trng kinh doanh tt
hn. V i vi nhng ngi tr tui ti nng nh bn,
n c ngha rng chng c l do g ri i c bi v bn
c iu kin lm nhng iu tuyt vi y ngay ti
Vit Nam.
The places that I think lose talent where theres a

lot of corruption -- so no matter how hard you work,
you always have to pay a bribe or you've got to hire
somebody's cousin to get a license to do
something -- that ends up frustrating people. I
think people feel frustrated if there's not a good
Nhng ni m ti suy ang lm tht thot nhn ti l

nhng ni m tnh trng tham , tham nhng din ra ph
bin cho d bn c lm vic chm ch th no, bn vn
lun phi tr mt khon hi l, hoc bn phi thu ngi
em h ca ai c c mt giy php lm mt
ci g iu c cui cng s khin mi ngi bc bi.

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education system, because the truth is, is that not
only do you need a good education, but then if you
want to start a business, you've got to be able to
hire people who also have a good education. And
so you've got to count on the schools training
people properly. You want to have good
infrastructure -- proper roads. And you want to
have proper wireless service in order for you to do
business in the 21st century.
Ti ngh rng mi ngi cm thy bc bi nu khng c

mt h thng gio dc tt, bi v s tht l, khng ch bn
cn c hng mt mt nn gio dc tt, m sau
nu bn mun m mt doanh nghip, bn phi thu
ngi m cng c gio dc tt. V nh vy bn phi
trng cy vo vic nh trng s to o c nhng
con ngi tt. Bn mun c c s h tng tt - ng x
tt. Bn mun c dch v Internet khng dy thch hp
cc bn lm kinh doanh trong th k 21.
Environmental issues are increasingly important. I

mean, there are some countries where it's actually
hard to recruit people because it's hard to breathe
in some of the big cities. You dont want to raise
your kids -- no job is so important that it's okay if
your children have asthma and they can't breathe.
And so, interestingly enough, if you want the best
talent today, you have to pay attention to quality-oflife issues and making sure that people can have
clean air and clean water, and they're not being
exposed to pollution that may cause cancer, and
things like that.
Vn mi trng ang ngy cng quan trng. ti l,

c mt s cc quc gia m thc s rt kh tuyn
ngi bi v ch ht th thi cng l mt vic kh mt
s thnh ph ln. Bn khng mun nui con mnh mt
mi trng nh vy chng c vic lm no l quan
trng nu con ci bn b hen suyn v chng khng th
th c. V nh vy, iu th v l, nu bn mun c
c nhng nhn ti tt nht hin nay, bn phi ch
n cc vn v cht lng cuc sng v m bo
rng mi ngi c khng kh sch v nc sch, v
khng b tip xc vi s nhim m c th gy ung th,
v nhng bnh tng t nh th.
So those are all policies that end up making a Nh vy l tt c cc chnh sch m s to ra s khc
difference in retaining talent in any country, in any bit trong vic gi chn nhn ti bt c t nc no,
city, in any community.
bt c thnh ph no, bt c cng ng no.
Good. All right. Okay, well, we got these young
ladies. They got a flag. So since you brought a
flag, that's -- I'm very impressed with your planning.
Those of you with the hat, with the flag -- it's good
organizing.
c ri. Chng ta c mt s qu c y. H ang

cm mt l c. V v cc bn mang n mt l c
Ti rt n tng vi k hoch ca cc bn nhng
ngi ang i nhng chic m, vi l c. Cc bn t
chc tt y.
Q
Hi, my name is Christina, and I'm with my
colleague and some of our other colleagues here.
And we work for an American anti-human
trafficking NGO called Pacific Links Foundation.
So we fight against human trafficking here in
Vietnam. With Vietnam emerging as an important
player in the TPP, many companies will start to
shift their production in factories to Vietnam, which
will create a new mobile workforce. With that
comes the unfortunate opportunity for human
traffickers and labor brokers to take advantage of
these workers, such as creating false promises or
tricking them or even coercing them into moving
across borders, and therefore forcing them into a
situation of being trafficked. What is the United
States federal government doing to prevent human
trafficking in the global supply chain?
Q: Xin cho, ti tn l Christina, v ti i cng ng

nghip ca ti v mt s ng nghip khc ca chng ti
y. Chng ti lm vic cho mt t chc phi chnh ph
(NGO) M chng bun ngi c tn l Pacific Links
Foundation. Chng ti u tranh chng li nn bun
ngi y ti Vit Nam. Vi vic Vit Nam ang ni ln
nh mt yu t quan trng trong TPP, nhiu cng ty s
bt u chuyn dch sn xut ca h sang cc nh my
ti Vit Nam, iu ny s to ra mt lc lng lao ng
di ng mi. Cng vi s l nhng c hi cho nhng
k bun ngi v mi gii lao ng li dng nhng
ngi lao ng ny, chng hn nh vic a ra nhng
li ha gi di hoc la h hoc thm ch p buc h
phi chuyn qua bin gii, v do y h vo tnh trng
b bun bn. Chnh ph lin bang Hoa K ang lm g
ngn chn nn bun ngi trong chui cung ng ton
cu?

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Q
Before you answer, can I ask you a question?
Q: Trc khi ngi tr li, ti c th hi ngi mt cu c

khng?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I'm sorry, I didnt know
Tng thng Obama: Ti xin li, ti khng bit -
Q: Bi v chng ti c cng mt -
Because we had the same
PRESIDENT OBAMA: You're a tag team -- I got Tng thng Obama: Cc bn l mt nhm - Ti hiu ri.
you.
Q Thank you. Before I came here I asked many - whenever I met someone I also asked what do
you want to ask if you can meet President? And a
lot of questions and a lot of comments. And for
now, I forgot everything, but this remind me about
Kenya friend -- and he said if I see you see if he
would come to Kenya, and he was pretty excited.
And he said if you could ask please Obama about
human trafficking prevents strategy. Thank you.
Q: Cm n. Trc khi n y ti hi nhiu ngi bt c khi no ti gp ai ti cng hi h rng: bn

mun hi g nu bn c th gp Tng thng? C rt
nhiu cu hi v rt nhiu kin. V by gi th ti qun
ht ri, nhng iu ny lm ti nh v mt ngi bn
Kenya - v anh y ni l nu ti gp Tng thng, th hi
xem ng y c n Kenya khng, v anh y thc s rt
ho hc. V anh y bo ti hy hi ngi Obama v chin
lc nhm ngn chn nn bun ngi. Xin cm n.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: All right. Well, let me see.

You lost my train of thought. Look, the issue of
human trafficking is something that we have made
a top priority in our State Department and the
United States government. So we have an entire
set of policies designed specifically to work with
countries to prevent human trafficking. And we've
actually begun making progress in improved
enforcement, in improved law enforcement
coordination. NGOs have been very helpful as
partners with us in identifying what are some of the
paths where people are being exploited.
Tng thng Obama: c ri. ti xem no. Bn lm

ti t mch suy ngh ri. Vn bun ngi l vn
m chng ti coi l mt u tin hng u trong B Ngoi
giao ca chng ti v trong chnh ph Hoa K. V vy,
chng ti c c mt b chnh sch c thit k c bit
lm vic vi cc nc nhm ngn chn nn bun
ngi. V thc t l chng ti bt u t c
nhng tin b trong vic ci thin vic thc thi php lut
v phi hp thc thi php lut. Cc t chc phi chnh ph
l nhng i tc rt hu ch ca chng ti trong vic xc
nh mt s tuyn ng m nhng nhn nhn ang b
bun bn khai thc.
With respect to TPP, it's precisely because we put

such an emphasis on this that we actually have
provisions in TPP designed to prevent human
trafficking. And it's actually given us leverage to
work with some countries to say, if you want to be
part of TPP, you have to have a better system in
place to prevent human trafficking, including some
of these cross-border migrant worker situations.
V vn TPP, chnh v chng ti nhn mnh n iu

ny nn chng ta mi c mt s quy nh trong TPP
c thit k ngn chn nn bun bn ngi. V
thc t l n mang li cho chng ta mt s rng buc
lm vic vi mt s quc gia khi ni rng, nu bn mun
l mt phn ca TPP, bn phi c mt h thng tt hn
ngn chn nn bun ngi, bao gm mt s vn
lin quan ti lao ng di c xuyn bin gii.
So when I was in Malaysia, for example, meeting

with Prime Minister Najib, one of the most
important topics as we were negotiating TPP was
how could we do more work in order to protect
people who are being brought in -- whether it's
working at the palm oil plants or what have you -so that there was better tracking, better
enforcement, better protections for people. And
that's in the actual agreement.
V vy, chng hn nh khi ti ang Malaysia gp g

vi Th tng Najib, mt trong nhng ch quan trng
nht khi chng ti m phn v TPP l lm th no
chng ta c th lm nhiu hn bo v nhng ngi
ang c nhn vo lm vic - cho d l lm vic ti cc
nh my du c hoc ni no khc chng ta c mt
h thng theo di tt hn, vic thc thi php lut tt hn,
v bo v tt hn cho ngi dn. V l mt im
trong tha thun thc t gia chng ti.

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Now, I think that an agreement on paper is never

enough, so there have to be systems in place to
monitor what's taking place. And these human
traffickers are very clever. They're like drug
traffickers. If you cut off one path, then try to take
another path, and they're always looking to exploit
people who are desperate. So this is why this can't
just be a government initiative or a law
enforcement initiative. It has to be something
where we're partnering with NGOs, human rights
organizations. We have to be very nimble in how
we adapt to changing circumstances so that we're
constantly shutting down some of these pathways.
Ti ngh rng mt tha thun trn giy th khng bao gi

l c, v vy phi c cc h thng theo di nhng
g ang din ra. Nhng k bun ngi th rt khn
ngoan. Chng ging nh nhng k bun ma ty vy. Nu
bn ct c mt tuyn ng ca chng, chng s c
gng i con ng khc, v chng lun tm cch kim li
t nhng ngi ang tuyt vng. V vy, y l l do ti
sao iu ny khng th ch l mt sng kin ca chnh
ph hay mt sng kin ca cc c quan thc thi php
lut. N phi l mt sn phm ca s hp tc nh chng
ta c vi cc t chc phi chnh ph, cc t chc nhn
quyn. Chng ta phi rt linh hot trong cch chng ta
thch ng vi nhng hon cnh thay i c th lin
tc loi b mt s nhng tuyn ng ca bn bun
ngi ny.
The last thing I'll say, though, is one of the best

ways for us to reduce human trafficking is to
provide more opportunity for people, particularly in
rural areas through Southeast Asia. And if we can
give young people in villages a chance to make a
living and get an education, and if we particularly
focus on women and girls -- because a lot of
human trafficking results from the fact that girls are
not given the same educational opportunities as
boys, and as a consequence, they find themselves
in very desperate situations -- the more we can
change those dynamics, that will also reduce the
ability of people to exploit people who have no
hope, or think that they have to leave their village,
and are vulnerable then to claims that if you just
come with us you're going to be able to get a great
job and everything is going to be okay. And then,
by the time they get there, they suddenly find
themselves trapped in a very bad situation.
cui cng m ti s ni l mt trong nhng cch tt

nht chng ta lm gim nn bun ngi l
vic mang n nhiu c hi hn cho ngi dn, c bit
l khu vc nng thn trn ton khu vc ng Nam .
V nu chng ta c th mang n cho nhng ngi tr
trong nhng ngi lng mt c hi kim sng v hc
tp, v nu chng ta c bit tp trung vo ph n v tr
em gi - bi v mt trong nhng nguyn nhn ca nn
bun ngi n t vic cc b gi khng c c nhng
c hi hc hnh nh cc b trai, v h qu l h ri vo
nhng tnh hung rt tuyt vng chng ta cng c th
thay i nhng ng c, m iu s lm gim kh
nng ca nhng k bun ngi trong vic li dng, khai
thc nhng ngi ang cm thy tuyt vng hoc ngh
rng h phi ri khi ngi lng ca mnh, nhng ngi
d b tn thng trc nhng cm d kiu nh: c i
theo chng ti bn s c c mt cng vic tuyt vi v
tt c mi th s n thi. V sau , khi h ti ni v
thy rng mnh ang b mc kt trong mt hon cnh rt
ti t.
Congratulations on the good work you're doing. I'm Xin c chc mng v nhng cng vic tuyt vi m
very proud of you. Thank you.
cc bn ang lm. Ti rt t ho v cc bn. Cm n.
All right, how much more time we got? We only got
time for one more question? All right, I'll take two
more questions. But it's a guy's turn first. I'm
going to call on this guy just because I kind of like
the yellow in his hair there. I like the style. There
you
go.
c ri, chng ta cn bao nhiu thi gian na nh?

Chng ta ch cn thi gian cho mt cu hi na thi
sao? c ri, ti s tr li thm hai cu hi na. Nhng
gi n lt ca mt chng trai ri. Ti s gi anh chng
ny bi v ti thch ci mu vng mu tc ca anh y. Ti
thch phong cch ny. Xin mi bn.
Q
Thank you. I'm a filmmaker, so I'm very
interested in personal stories. And you said
before, when you are young you're like fooling
Q: Cm n ngi. Ti l mt nh lm phim, v vy ti rt
quan tm n cc cu chuyn c nhn. Ngi ni, khi
ngi cn tr ngi cng thch chi bi, v ti c c trn

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around. And I read on Internet -- I'm not sure if it's internet l - ti khng chc c ng khng - rng ngi
true or not -- that you also like smoking weed and cng ht c v nhng th kiu nh th.
things like that.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I dont know if that's true.
Tng thng Obama: Ti cng khng bit iu c ng

khng na.
Q
I wonder what makes you from that guy
become a guy who care about the society.
Because a lot of -- I think many young Vietnamese
people, they still love like fooling around and they
dont really care about the society. But there must
be something that makes you become this person.
Thank you.
Q: Ti t hi iu g lm cho ngi t mt anh chng

nh vy tr thnh mt chng trai quan tm n x hi.
Bi v rt nhiu - ti ngh rng rt nhiu ngi tr Vit, h
vn thch chi bi v h khng thc s quan tm v x
hi. Nhng chc hn phi c mt ci g lm cho
ngi tr thnh con ngi nh hm nay. Xin cm n.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, it's a good question. I

wrote a book about this called, "Dreams From My
Father." I think it was translated into Vietnamese,
but I dont know if it's still in bookstores near you.
You know, you never know exactly why something
inside you clicks and you decide to take a different
path.
Tng thng Obama: Vng, l mt cu hi hay. Ti

vit mt cun sch v vic ny vi tn l "Nhng gic m
t cha ti". Ti ngh n c dch sang ting Vit,
nhng ti khng bit liu n c trong cc hiu sch gn
ch bn hay khng. Bn bit y, bn khng bao gi bit
chnh xc ti sao c mt ci g bn trong bn t nhin
thay i v bn quyt nh i mt con ng khc.
I think, for me, when I was young -- because I

didnt know my father, and I didnt grow up with him
in the house -- my grandparents and my mother
raised me. And they were very loving and very
generous. But I think I rebelled in part because I
felt that something was missing. And as I got older
I realized that instead of worrying about the father
who wasnt there I should worry more about what
can I do, and take more responsibility for my own
life.
Ti ngh rng, i vi ti, khi ti cn tr - bi v ti khng

bit cha ti, v ti khng ln ln cng vi ng y trong
ngi nh mnh ti c nui nng bi ng b ti v m
ti. H l nhng ngi trn y lng yu v rt ho
phng. Nhng ti ngh mnh ni lon mt phn v ti
cm thy rng mnh thiu mt ci g . V khi ti ln
ln ti nhn ra rng thay v lo lng v ngi cha
ngi khng bn cnh ti th ti nn lo lng nhiu
hn v nhng g ti c th lm, v c trch nhim hn
i vi cuc sng ca ring ti.
And that led me to start studying more, and it led

me to start thinking about social issues more. I
grew up. And why it took me until I was 19 or 20,
where some other people like many of you have
always been very organized -- like this young lady,
I'll bet shes always been very focused -- you don't
know why.
V iu khin ti bt u hc hnh nhiu hn, v

khin ti bt u suy ngh v cc vn x hi nhiu
hn. Ti trng thnh. V chng hiu ti sao phi n
khi ti 19, 20 tui ti mi n giai on nh rt
nhiu ngi trong s cc bn y cc bn c ln
k hoch r rng ri, nh bn gi tr ny, ti c l c y
lun rt tp trung vo mc tiu cuc i ca mnh.
But I think your point about stories is good. One of

the things that I've learned about being a leader is
sometimes we think people are motivated only by
money, or theyre only motivated by power, or
these very concrete incentives. But people are also
inspired by stories. The stories they tell
themselves about whats important and about their
lives and about their country and about their
communities. And I think if you want to -- in
Nhng ti ngh rng quan im ca bn v cc cu

chuyn l tt. Mt trong nhng iu ti hc c khi
l mt nh lnh o l i khi chng ta ngh rng yu t
duy nht thc y mi ngi l tin bc, hoc quyn lc,
hoc cc phn thng c th khc. Nhng mi ngi
cn c truyn cm hng bi nhng cu chuyn.
Nhng cu chuyn h ni vi bn thn h v nhng g l
quan trng, v cuc i ca h, v t nc ca h, v
v cng ng ca h. V ti ngh rng nu bn mun

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whatever field you're in, whether it's business or
politics or nonprofit work, it's worthwhile to listen to
other people and ask them questions about the
stories that are important to them, because
oftentimes youll find their motivations. And when
we come together to do important things, it's
usually because we told a good story about why we
should be working together.
cho d bn ang trong bt c lnh vc g, d l kinh

doanh hay chnh tr hoc lm vic phi li nhun rt
ng lng nghe ngi khc v hi h nhng cu hi
v nhng cu chuyn c ngha quan trng vi h, v
nhiu khi bn s thy ng lc ca h. V khi chng ta
hp li vi nhau lm nhng vic quan trng, l
thng v chng ta k ra mt cu chuyn hay v l do
ti sao chng ta nn lm vic cng nhau.
You think about the United States of America. We

have a really good story called the Declaration of
Independence. We hold these truths to be selfevident that all men are created equal; that we're
endowed with certain unalienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. That's a wonderful story. Theres no - when the Declaration was made, there really was
not United States. It was just a good story that
they were telling about what could be. And then
people were attracted to that story. And it led to
independence, and it led to immigrants from
around the world who wanted that vision for
themselves -- it led Ho Chi Minh to adapt it when
Vietnam was trying to declare independence. It
inspired movements around the world.
Hy ngh v nc M. Chng ti c mt cu chuyn rt

hay c tn l Tuyn ngn c lp. "Chng ti coi l hin
nhin nhng chn l sau: mi con ngi c to ra nh
nhau; To Ha ban cho h nhng Quyn tt yu khng
th chi ci c; trong s c quyn Sng, T Do v
quyn mu cu Hnh Phc." l mt cu chuyn tuyt
vi. Khi Tuyn ngn ny ra i th thc ra cha c Hp
chng quc Hoa K. ch l mt cu chuyn hay m h
k cho nhau v nhng g c th thc hin c. V
sau ngi ta b cun ht bi cu chuyn . V n
dn n nn c lp, v n em n nhng ngi
nhp c t khp ni trn th gii v, nhng ngi
mun c c tm nhn cho bn thn mnh - H Ch
Minh da vo n khi Vit Nam c gng a ra tuyn
ngn c lp ca mnh. N truyn cm hng cho cc
phong tro trn ton th gii.
So, yes, the stories we tell each other are very,

very important. And good luck on making your
movies. Don't believe everything you read on the
Internet, though.
V vy, nhng cu chuyn chng ta ni vi nhau rt, rt

quan trng. V chc bn may mn vi cng vic lm
phim ca mnh. Tuy vy, ng tin tt c nhng g bn
c c trn Internet nh.
Okay, last question. This young lady, she stood up

and shes like -- I couldn't say no to her. She had
her hand up. I thought she was going to hit me if I
didnt call on her. I'm teasing.
c ri, cu hi cui cng no. C gi tr ny no, khi

c ng ln v hnh ng ca c y khin ti khng th
t chi c. C y gi tay ln v ti ngh rng c y
chun b m ti nu ti khng gi c y. a thi!
Q: Xin cho. Ti l mt rapper ti Si Gn, Vit Nam.
Hi. So I am a rapper here in Saigon, Vietnam.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Are you a rapper? Oh, Tng thng Obama: Bn l rapper ? Tht ?
yes?
Q You have spoken a lot about environment and
like politics and economic progress of Vietnam.
But as an artist, we have a lot to say.
Q: Ngi ni rt nhiu v mi trng, chnh tr, v

nhng tin b kinh t ca Vit Nam. Nhng vi t cch
l mt ngh s, chng ti c nhiu iu ni.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Okay.
Tng thng Obama: c thi.
Q We have message to say. I want to know how

important it is for a nation to really help and
promote their art and culture, and to help its nation
in the future.
Q: Chng ti c mt thng ip. Ti mun bit tm quan

trng ca vic gip v thc y ngh thut v vn ha
i vi mt quc gia, v gip t nc ca mnh trong
tng lai.

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Before I answer
your question, why don't you give me a little rap?
Lets see what you got. Come on. Do you need
like a little beat? Badoom, badoom.
Tng thng Obama: c ri. Trc khi tr li cu hi

ca bn, ti sao bn khng ht mt on rap cho ti nghe
nh? Hy xem bn rap th no no. Mnh dn ln.C cn
beat khng? Badoom, badoom.
Q: C y .
Yes, I do, actually.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Go ahead. Come on.
Tng thng Obama: C ln no.
Q: Ting Vit hay ting Anh?
Vietnamese or English?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: In Vietnamese, of course.
Tng thng Obama: Tt nhin l ting Vit ri.
Q: Ting Vit?
In Vietnamese?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I won't know what it means, Tng thng Obama: Ti s khng hiu n ngha l g
but just a short version -- because I got to get u, nhng 1 on ngn thi nh, v ti sp phi i ri.
going.
Q (Raps in Vietnamese.) My name is Sue, by the Q: (ht) Nhn tin, tn ti l Sue .
way.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, that was good. See Tng thng Obama: Hay y. Cc bn thy khng, hay
there, that was pretty good. What were you just y ch. Va ri bn ht v ci g nh? Li ca n c
rapping? What was your verse there?
ngha l g?
Q I was just talking about some people having a
lot of money, having big houses, but actually are
they really happy?
Q: Ti ch ni v vic mt s ngi c rt nhiu tin, c

nh ln, nhng h c thc s hnh phc khng?
Tng thng Obama: c ri.
Q Yeah, a lot of things -- that people look at us

and see like different thing and something they
assume, or a lot of like stereotypes like me, Asian
rapper, looking like a cute girl. People don't know PRESIDENT OBAMA: Is that what they think?
Q: Vng, rt nhiu th. Mi ngi nhn chng ti v c

nhng quan im khc nhau v i khi h nh gi,
ging nh ti y mt rapper chu , trng c v l mt
c gi d thng. Ngi ta khng bit Tng thng Obama: H thc s ngh th ?
Q But for Vietnamese people, it's different. They Q: Nhng i vi ngi Vit th khc. H ngh rng rap
think rapping is not like for women.
khng dnh cho ph n.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Ahh. Well, that's true in the
United States too. No, no, I just mean that theres
always been sort of sexism and gender stereotypes
in the music industry like every other part of life.
Tng thng Obama: Ahh. iu cng ng M.

Khng, khng, ti ch l lun c kiu phn bit gii tnh
v nhng khun mu mang tnh gii tnh trong ngnh
cng nghip m nhc cng nh trong tt c cc lnh vc
khc ca cuc sng.
But to answer your question, look, the arts are

important. Artistic expression is important. It's
Nhng tr li cu hi ca bn th phi ni rng ngh

thut l quan trng. Vic th hin bng ngh thut l

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what I was just saying to the filmmaker about
stories that we tell each other. Music, poetry,
representations of life as it is and how it should be - those are the things that inspire people. Life is a
combination of very practical things, right? You got
to eat, you got to work, you got to build roads and
make sure that some dam isn't ruining a
community. But it's also the spirit that we have
inside of us, and how is that expressed, and what
are our vision and what are our ideals for the
future, and how do we want to live together, and
how do we treat each other.
quan trng. l nhng g ti ni vi anh chng lm

phim ban ny v nhng cu chuyn m chng ta k cho
nhau. m nhc, th ca th hin cuc sng hin ti v
nhng mong mun v cuc sng l nhng iu
truyn cm hng cho mi ngi. Cuc sng l mt s
kt hp ca nhng iu rt thc t, phi khng? Bn
phi n, bn phi lm vic, bn phi xy dng ng x,
v m bo rng mt con p no s khng ph hy
mt cng ng. Nhng n cng l v ci tinh thn m
chng ta c bn trong chng ta, v cch thc m n biu
hin, l tm nhn ca chng ta, l nhng l tng cho
tng lai, l lm th no chng ta mun sng cng
nhau, l vic chng ta nn i x vi nhau nh th no.
And one of the most important things about art is it

teaches you to not just think about yourself, but it
puts you in the head of other people. So you start
realizing somebody elses pain, or somebody elses
hopes. And you start realizing that we have more
in common. So if I read a novel by somebody in
Africa, now, suddenly, I understand more about
how we are similar. And if I listen to a Vietnamese
rap, and it connects to the things that I'm feeling,
now I feel closer to a country on the other side of
the world. And that's how we build understanding.
And that's how we end up being able to work
together and plan together and build a better future
together.
V mt trong nhng iu quan trng nht v ngh thut

l n dy cho bn khng ch ngh v bn thn mnh, m
n t bn trong tm th ca nhng ngi khc. V vy,
bn bt u nhn thy nhng ni au ca ngi khc,
nhng hy vng ca ngi khc. V bn bt u nhn ra
rng chng ta c nhiu im chung vi nhau hn. V vy,
nu ti c mt cun tiu thuyt ca ai chu Phi, t
nhin, ti hiu thm v nhng im tng ng gia
chng ta. V nu ti nghe mt bi rap Vit, v n kt ni
vi nhng iu ti cm thy, ti s cm thy gn gi hn
vi mt t nc pha bn kia ca a cu. V l
cch m chng ta xy dng s hiu bit. l cch
chng ta tin ti c th lm vic cng nhau, ln k hoch
cng nhau v xy dng mt tng lai tt p hn vi
nhau.
So, look, lets be honest. Sometimes art is

dangerous, though. And that's why governments
sometimes get nervous about art. But one of the
things that I truly believe is that if you try to
suppress the arts, then I think you're suppressing
the deepest dreams and aspirations of a people.
Tuy vy, ta hy thng thn nhn nhn rng, i khi ngh

thut l nguy him. V l l do ti sao cc chnh ph
i khi cm thy lo lng v ngh thut. Nhng mt trong
nhng iu ti thc s tin tng l nu bn c gng n
p ngh thut, th ti ngh rng bn ang n p nhng
gic m v kht vng su xa nht ca mt dn tc.
And one of the great things about the United

States, for all of our flaws in a lot of areas, is that
we do give much greater expression to our culture.
And something like rap, which started off as an
expression of poor African Americans, now,
suddenly has become a global phenomenon and is
really the art form of most young people around the
world today in a lot of ways. And imagine if, at the
time when rap was starting off, that our government
had said, no, because some of the things you say
are offensive, or some of the lyrics are rude, or
you're cursing too much -- then that connection that
we've seen now in hip-hop culture around the world
wouldn't exist.
V mt trong nhng iu tuyt vi v nc M, cho d

vn c tt c nhng hn ch trong nhiu lnh vc, l vic
chng ti cho php s biu hin rng ri hn trong vn
ha ca chng ti. V d nh nhc rap loi nhc bt
ngun trong cng ng ngi M gc Phi ngho, gi
y, t nhin tr thnh mt hin tng ton cu v
thc s tr thnh hnh thc ngh thut ca hu ht
nhng ngi tr tui trn khp th gii ngy hm nay
theo rt nhiu cch khc nhau. V hy tng tng vo
thi im rap ra i, nu chnh ph ca chng ti ni
rng: Khng c, v mt s iu cc bn ht c tnh xc
phm, hoc mt s li bi ht l th l, hoc bn ang
chi by qu nhiu, th chc chn s khng c nhng s
pht trin trong vn ha hip-hop trn ton th gii nh

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ngy hm nay.
So you got to let people express themselves.That's
part of what a modern, 21st century culture is all
about.
V vy, ta phi cho php mi ngi th hin bn thn h.

l mt phn ca mt nn vn ha hin i th k
21.
All right, everybody. I've got to go, but this has c ri, tt c mi ngi. Ti phi i ri, tuy nhin phi
been wonderful. Thank you so much. God bless ni rng hm nay y tht tuyt. Cm n cc bn rt
you. Thank you.
nhiu. Cha ph h cho cc bn. Xin cm n.

Remarks by President Obama at YSEALI Town Hall

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HYBRID LEARNING: GII PHP HC TING ANH TI U