Obama to Asian youth: U.S. 'going to be OK' after election

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, May 25 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama assured a group of young Vietnamese that America will "end up doing OK" despite the tumultuous campaign to elect his replacement.

Obama spoke to a group of about 800 people at the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative on his final day in Vietnam, and referenced the presidential campaign back home.

"I think sometimes other countries look at our election system and we think, people think, 'Wow, what a mess' -- but usually we end up doing OK because the American people are good people," Obama said. "The American people are generous, and they're decent, and they're hardworking, and you know, sometimes our politics doesn't express all the goodness of the people, but usually, eventually, the voters make good decisions and democracy works, so I'm optimistic we'll get through this period."

Obama said the political process has produced mistakes before, but Americans have always been "able to adjust and recognize our mistakes and then we correct course and, you know, take different steps. So things are going to be OK."

Obama paused, and offered one more reassurance, saying, "I promise" -- drawing laughter from the crowd.

The president left Vietnam for Japan on Wednesday, where he will attend a Group of Seven summit and is scheduled to visit the memorial to the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Obama will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit the memorial.