'The plowman' in the BTA 'field'
“I was born in Nam Dan. From the age of 10, I started carrying grass and firewood across the Lam River. My father taught me how to plow, and I was very good at it. My father often told me: 'The furrow must be straight; to get a straight furrow, you must look far ahead.'" Carrying that simple philosophy, the "plowman" Nguyen Dinh Luong persevered and relentlessly engaged in a battle of wits for over five years with leading American negotiators.
Le Xuan /Technique:Hong ToaiSeptember 16, 2025
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Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong grew up with a difficult childhood, but one filled with memories of rice mixed with potatoes when he returned home from school and gathering with his family, and of going with his friends to Trang Den to cut firewood. In 1960, after graduating from high school, he applied to the Polytechnic University with the dream of becoming a mechanical engineer. However, a month after enrolling, the head of the department called him in to inform him that he had been selected to study abroad in the Soviet Union. After completing a basic Russian language course at Gia Lam Foreign Language University in Hanoi, the mechanical engineering student was assigned to study foreign trade at the Moscow School of International Relations.
Back then, foreign trade was a relatively new field, and not many people understood it. Curious, Nguyen Dinh Luong inquired about his field of study and received the answer that it was… "skin disease treatment." At that moment, he understood that, being from the countryside, with no one to support him, and simply following orders from the organization, he only had one goal: to rise above his circumstances, study hard, and excel in his studies.
However, upon arriving in Moscow, Nguyen Dinh Luong learned that the school he attended was a training ground for the children of high-ranking diplomatic leaders from Eastern European countries, and that graduates from this school could become international negotiators. This sparked a new dream in the poor young man from Nghe An province.
Upon returning to Vietnam, Nguyen Dinh Luong was assigned to the Foreign Trade University. There, he worked hard and rose to become the Secretary of the University's Youth Union and the Head of the Party Committee's Inspection Board.
In 1978, as Vietnam prepared to negotiate its accession to the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (SEV), Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong, a well-trained individual in foreign trade and fluent in Russian, was offered a position in Department 1 of the Ministry of Trade. From then on, he traveled extensively throughout socialist countries, making friends and forging close relationships. He became the Director of Department 1 and continued his work with capitalist countries such as Singapore, Canada, and several non-EU European countries like Norway and Switzerland.
On November 5, 1996, at a meeting to prepare for economic and trade negotiations with the United States, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Duc Luong, in charge of foreign economic affairs, decided to establish the "Inter-ministerial Working Group on the Economic and Trade Agreement with the United States." At the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister immediately appointed Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong as the group leader, much to Mr. Luong's surprise, leaving him seemingly unable to react.
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Entering the negotiations, the relationship between Vietnam and the United States was still fraught with a deep divide, encapsulated in the two words "former enemies."
Vietnam has endured many wars against foreign invaders, but perhaps none involved such a massive amount of weapons and bombs as the war waged by the United States in Vietnam. Almost no village remained intact, and no family escaped loss and suffering… Even though the war is over, the haunting memories and emotional pain linger.
From the American perspective, as Virginia Foote, President of the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council, stated, "the war in Vietnam was a major political headache for the United States." Historically, the U.S., with its advanced military equipment, had never been defeated by anyone. The defeat in Vietnam became a "deeply painful issue in American politics."
Haunted by the pain of war, an atmosphere of suspicion permeated the negotiating table. Despite the normalization of bilateral diplomatic relations, the idea of doing business with an enemy remained difficult to accept. Former Secretary of State Kissinger's words still lingered in many minds, a source of worry: "If the Americans don't win wars, they'll win in peacetime." All this pressure weighed heavily on the negotiators from both sides.
Therefore, the five years of negotiations were five years during which Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong walked a thin line between merit and demerit. Negotiating with the US was a fierce battle of wits, an effort to surpass his own knowledge and work intensity, but even more difficult was the effort to persuade and find consensus within the country regarding the benefits of the Agreement. During those five years, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong faced many difficulties, at times feeling like giving up, but the powerful light of national interest illuminated his heart with determination: "What needs to be done must be done, and done to the end." "Even if I have to die at the negotiating table, I must sign it." He yearned for the pressure from the agreement to dismantle the "request-and-grant" mechanism, "monopoly," and inefficient, cumbersome business practices, thereby creating a legal framework that conforms to international standards and paving the way for Vietnam's economic integration with the global economy.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong argued that while the Geneva Accords offered Vietnam the glorious victory of Dien Bien Phu, which shook the world, and the Paris Peace Accords offered Vietnam's consecutive victories on various battlefields, forcing the US into a position of wanting to withdraw, the BTA negotiations presented a completely different situation for Vietnam, with nothing to lose. With 20 years of experience negotiating bilateral trade agreements, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong primarily dealt with socialist countries, sharing the same political and economic systems. In these negotiations, the two sides understood almost nothing about each other. For Vietnam, accepting the WTO's rules as the general rules for the Vietnam-US BTA negotiations meant everything was unfamiliar to the negotiators.
From the US side, due to differences in economic systems, they also lacked understanding of Vietnam's trade system and regulations. Therefore, the initial rounds of negotiations were essentially a "struggle to understand each other," raising questions about the trade systems, trade laws, and trade policies of both countries.
With the belief that "you can't succeed without understanding your partner," Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong and the members of his delegation studied the United States and the WTO. He devoured the book "American Culture" and traveled extensively to seek out experts. He went to Ho Chi Minh City to meet Professor Nguyen Xuan Oanh, who had served two terms at the IMF, and met with experts from China, Poland, Russia, and Hungary. During that time, for him, there were almost no Sundays or holidays. He rarely went home. His life revolved around chapters, clauses, and countless documents on international trade law. Once, due to overwork, he fell from his desk onto the tiled floor in his office at the Ministry of Trade headquarters. He was immediately taken to Hospital 108 for a CT scan. The doctor breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Luckily, the fall didn't affect my brain; I just needed to rest and recover..."
In 1997, while still struggling to find a path to the Agreement, the US government allowed the invitation of American consultants, and Virginia Foote, chair of the Vietnam-US Trade Council, appeared. She introduced experts and professors to lecture the negotiating team, and Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong chose lawyer Dan Price, who had previously worked for the US Trade Representative's Office and had negotiated the BTA with the Soviet Union and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement).
With Dan Price's consultation, things gradually became clearer. The Vietnamese negotiating team designed and adjusted the draft agreement in each area—Intellectual Property, Investment, Services, etc.—to best suit Vietnam's conditions. The 350-page submission was finalized and sent to higher authorities, but not everyone supported it. A colleague at the Ministry of Trade told him: the responsibility of negotiators is to design a legal framework that does not conflict with the existing legal framework. But, without amendments, how can Vietnam export to the US market? Society needs benefits to develop. China, Singapore, Japan… have entered the US market, why can't Vietnam?
Therefore, parallel to the negotiation process, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong decided to seek help from Ms. Virginia Foote. Through Ms. Foote, he sought funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and invited American professors to Vietnam to speak with government ministries about the benefits of international economic integration, globalization, and the WTO. This was an important preparatory step: finding consensus domestically before seeking consensus from partners at the negotiating table.
And by May 1998, at the fifth round of negotiations in Washington, the talks had become more substantive. The finalized draft, compared to the version presented by the US eight months earlier, had undergone significant changes. In particular, the Services Trade chapter was completely rewritten. After receiving the draft, Joe Damond, the head of the US BTA negotiating team, exclaimed in surprise: “We are amazed by Vietnam’s progress. Negotiating with a partner like yours is a pleasure.” The US fully accepted Vietnam’s adjustments and thanked Vietnam for providing a roadmap that the US could apply to countries with similar conditions, a model that had previously lacked.
On July 25, 1999, after four years of negotiations, both sides issued a press release confirming that negotiators from both sides had reached an agreement in principle on the terms of the Bilateral Trade Agreement. Both sides hoped and agreed that the signing ceremony would take place in Auckland, New Zealand, in September 1999, during the APEC Summit. However, the signing did not take place. The US side expressed disappointment. Virginia Foote recalled: “Near the end, we missed an opportunity and wasted time for a reason that was insignificant compared to its importance to the Vietnamese economy and to the American business community.”
Joe Damond, on the other hand, stated: "Clearly, Vietnam believed that you needed more time to study and consider the agreement. We wasted several months."
Later, it was Virginia Foote's efforts as a shuttle diplomat that brought the two sides closer together and fostered better understanding. And the long-awaited signing day arrived.
In his memoir "Give Trade a Chance," Joseph Damond recounted: "At 3 p.m. on July 13, 2000, I checked on the preparations for the signing ceremony. The rooms were ready. Rhonda had finished printing. But no one could find Mr. Luong and his team. Nancy Leamond, the White House liaison, became impatient. She said it was time to sign. I relayed the message to Minister Vu Khoan, but he remained motionless. He wanted to wait for Mr. Luong, who had done all the work, and for the printed copy from the Vietnamese delegation. Finally, Charlene (the US Secretary of State) resolved the issue by suggesting to Mr. Vu Khoan that the two ministers would officially sign the agreement the following day. However, a memorandum needed to be signed immediately so the President could declare the signing ceremony complete. The two ministers sat down and signed the document in English. Afterward, Nancy urged us to hurry to the White House."
But Mr. Luong was still missing and risked missing the ceremony at the White House. Mr. Vu Khoan was visibly disappointed, and I felt a pang of pain. We moved slowly toward the White House. Just as we were about to enter, Mr. Luong's car sped down Route 17. Just seconds away, just one red light and he would have missed it…”
Where exactly was Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong during that crucial moment? In reality, before his departure, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had meticulously prepared the Agreement cover for the delegation, including several hundred sheets of bordered paper, the kind used for the Vietnamese Agreement. However, there were no printers for thick paper in the United States. After much deliberation, the Vietnamese negotiating team finally printed the Agreement from a disc onto white American paper, then photocopied it, producing nearly 300 copies for both the Vietnamese and American delegations. The process took almost a full day to complete.
Fortunately, at the last minute, he was present, accompanying the Vietnamese negotiating team into the White House, witnessing the historic moment when the US President delivered a speech announcing the signing of the Agreement, opening a new chapter in the history of the two nations.
This agreement is another reminder that former enemies can come together and find common ground in a way that benefits their people, putting the past behind them, embracing the future, forgiving, and reconciling.
Excerpt from President Bill Clinton's speech at the press conference following the Vietnam-US signing ceremony.
After five years and eleven rounds of negotiations, the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement was signed on July 13, 2000. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong and his colleagues marked a momentous historical milestone in Vietnam's integration process. Like a farmer who has finished plowing his field, with a peaceful heart, he lit incense and informed his deceased father: "I have accomplished the most difficult task of my life. I have repaid my debt to life. I have proven myself worthy of you, Father."
The BTA opened the door for Vietnam's genuine integration into the global economy, changing outdated mindsets, shattering the stagnant ice of the centrally planned economy, toppling the pillar supporting the "give-and-take" economy, and dismantling the legal box of monopolies and discrimination... The aspirations of farmer Nguyen Dinh Luong have reached their destination, opening a new path, leading Vietnam forward, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's leading powers.
When Joe Damond was appointed head of the US negotiating team for the BTA, he was very young, only 30-35 years old. His memory wasn't burdened by war stories. On the contrary, with the mindset of a young person, he saw Vietnam as having the potential of an emerging market, and that Vietnam needed the US market to develop; therefore, he placed his faith in the Agreement.
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However, upon learning that Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong, a key figure in the negotiations, had received training in Russia and spoke Russian quite fluently, Joe feared the worst.
But it turned out not to be as Joe feared. Despite his extensive experience at the negotiating table, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong never imposed his will. He knew how to allow the members of the negotiating team to express their own views, voice their concerns, and work together to find solutions. With his straightforward and honest approach, he knew how to "pick up each pebble to fill the gap, or carefully untangle each knot."
Trade negotiations are about building long-term partnerships. To have a partnership, there must be trust. To have trust, there must be frankness and honesty.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong
It was this honesty that built trust through each round of negotiations, leading towards a common goal that would benefit both sides. Later, Joe himself affirmed that one of the most important reasons why Vietnam and the United States were able to sign the BTA Agreement was that negotiators from both sides were able to build trust and mutual understanding.
Twenty years after the successful signing of the agreement, Joe Damond wrote to his friend:To my friend, Nguyen Dinh Luong!
I don't know if the two sides could have understood each other if Vietnam hadn't chosen someone with intelligence, perseverance, and a sense of humor to lead the negotiating team. It was a completely unexpected experience for me; in the end, we didn't become adversaries at the negotiating table, but almost became partners with a shared mission. That mission is to build mutual understanding to jointly draft an agreement that benefits both sides."
Damond wasn't the only one; his American friends also held Nguyen Dinh Luong in high regard and admired his willpower, courage, and profound, sharp intellect. Dan Price wrote a letter expressing his sentiments:I am deeply honored to have worked with you and your brilliant colleagues. You have always been a role model for all of us, dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to the common cause. Your country and all those you have inspired are profoundly grateful to you."
For the past 30 years, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong has maintained close friendships with his American friends, especially Joe Damond. Whenever they have the chance, they sit down and chat, sharing stories about their lives, families, and children. After the signing of the Agreement, Joe Damond left his job in the US government. He is currently the Vice President of Finance at BIO – the largest pharmaceutical alliance in the US. He has returned to Vietnam for numerous projects, driven by a burning desire to contribute to making Vietnam a world leader in the biopharmaceutical industry. And in his conversations, when speaking about his Vietnamese friends and about Vietnam, Joe Damond often places his hand on his left chest as a statement: "Vietnam – my heart has chosen it."
Reflecting on his journey, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong always believes that if he hadn't been born in the sun-drenched, windswept land of Nghe An, and hadn't been forged in resilience and hardship during his childhood, he would surely have found it difficult to overcome the numerous obstacles and reach the end of his path.
In his room on Dang Tien Dong Street (Hanoi), a photograph capturing a historic moment—his meeting with US President Bill Clinton—still hangs on the wall, along with two poems written about him by his friends. The poems are very short, but they are enough to express his noble spirit, unwavering character, and unwavering devotion to his country.
A person who is not a Buddha but is very much a Buddha.
Don't bathe in the Yellow River, bathe in the Lam River instead.
A person who is very Marxist, yet not a Marxist.
Poor as fermented bean paste, sweet as oranges.
A person transforms into a citizen of a country.
With unwavering loyalty to the nation.
Life is ever-changing, yet it remains the same.
A person of integrity, only in Vietnam..Tran Viet Phuong - former Secretary to Prime Minister Pham Van Dong
Presented to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luong
