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2 comments:
James, I hear you, but I think you are judging the present Vietnam with harsher criteria than other countries. Thirty years is not a long time in the scale of country building, especially since VN did not benefit from any Marshall Plan and were stymied in its progress by US antagonism until recently. Look at China, who had a headstart in developping the country; its government is still horribly repressive. If you want to understand the actions of the present VN governement, look no further than their communist/socialist affiliation. These people are notoriously insecure and paranoiac and the «Little Saigon Lobby» is very active abroad in its opposition. A Communist governement will never tolerate a multi-party system and the «ngoai kiêu» who come home to start a political or religious movement aiming at displacing the old politburo members are only asking for trouble. Right now, the Vietnamese population are just happy to be left alone to make and to spend money. Same phenomenon in China. They don't care if they don't have the freedoms that people in developped countries take for granted. May be in another decade, when every family in Vietnam has a colour TV/VCR/DVD reader, a car or a motocycle, when there's no beggars, homeless people and abandoned children in the streets, when anybody can have the leisure and the money to take a vacation, then they will start yearning for more freedom. But right now, it is not realistic and a bit ethnocentric to say: «OK they are not as poor as before but their press is not free!»
I'm sorry that you feel implicated when you hear or read about the «toi ac My Nguy». I understand your feelings better, now that you kindly provided more info about your background. Communist countries love to use slogans, since it is much easier to lead and influence an uneducated population with slogans. I think it is thanks to such methods that the North Vietnamese leaders were able to rally the people around them during the war. If you expect them to admit to any atrocities committed by their side, you will be very disappointed. Japan still hasn't admitted their guilt and the US still won't accept any responsability in compensating victims of Agent Orange and landmines in Vietnam and Cambodia. Like I said, I think you demand much more from VN than from other country.Thank you for posting such clear and lengthy explanations on my blog site. I learned a lot from reading your comment.
Hi James,
If you don't feel involved, why would the terms «Giac My» or «Nguy» bother you at all? I still don't understand why you expect the Vietnamese government to be nice and neutral against its previous ennemies. Surely, you don't need to be reminded that, in the so-called Vietnam war, the Americans were the aggressors. The world first superpower attacked a «two-bit» third world country without any war declaration and without any provocation. Even now, they refuse to pay war compensation or take responsibility for the devastating consequences of their Agent orange and landmines on the population. Don't you think the Vietnamese are entitled to some rancor, as well as some gloating over their victory against a bullying Goliath?
I couldn't find any reference to your statement that «In 1978, they rebuffed Jimmy Carter's attempt to normalize diplomatic relation». However, a Wikipedia article on the Vietnam war says this : «On 21 January 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter pardoned nearly all Vietnam War draft evaders. In 1995 Vietnam and the USA established diplomatic and trade relations. Direct flights between USA and Vietnam resumed in 2005 when United Airlines started daily service between San Francisco and Hồ Chí Minh City via Hong Kong.» and «After taking office, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced his desire to heal relations with Vietnam. His administration lifted economic sanctions on the country in 1994, and in May 1995 the two nations renewed diplomatic relations, with the U.S. opening an embassy on Vietnamese soil for the first time since 1975.»
Like I said, Vietnam did not benefit from any Marshall Plan to rebuild the country nor did it receive any war compensation from the US. Instead, it was the butt of economic and political pressures from the US. It was only recently that VN was able to apply for membership in the WTO, now that the US has lifted its veto.
And finally, I grant you that communist regimes are known to lie and spin, but my argument is that all regimes in the world lie and spin (cough - Bush - cough). The only difference is that in democratic countries, the free press and free access to the Internet are better at finding and publicising the truth.
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