Môùi ñaây, chuùng toâi coù cô hoäi traû lôøi moät vaøi caâu hoûi cuûa moät nhoùm Sinh vieân Ñaïi Hoïc goàm nhieàu saéc toäc khaùc nhau. Chuùng toâi ñaõ ñöùng treân quan ñieåm cuûa moät ngöôøi : cao nieân, töøng laø cöïu Thaåm Phaùn Quoác Gia, phuïc vuï taïi Toøa AÙn Quaân Söï Maët Traän Quaân Khu I ( laõnh thoå goàm 5 Tænh: Quaûng Trò, Thöøa Thieân, Quaûng Nam, Quaûng Ngaõi, Quaûng Tín vaø 2 thaønh phoá Hueá, Ñaø Naüng ) caáp chöùc Thieáu Taù Phoù UÛy Vieân Chính Phuû, Nha Quaân Phaùp Vieät Nam Coäng Hoøa. Sau thaûm hoïa 30 thaùng 4 – 1975, chuùng toâi cuõng nhö nhieàu baïn beø khaùc ñaõ phaûi ñi tuø caûi taïo treân 12 naêm taïi caùc vuøng röøng nuùi aâm u, kinh hoaøng. Tuy nhieân, khoâng phaûi vì theá maø chuùng toâi queân maát söï voâ tö vaø ngay thaúng ñeå traû lôøi moät caùch, chuùng toâi cho laø chính xaùc ñeå ngöôøi nghe, nhaát laø caùc chaùu, caùc anh chò em Sinh Vieân Ñaïi Hoïc taïi Myõ luùc naøy, hieåu ñöôïc söï thöïc, bieát ñöôïc tình hình Vieät Nam vaøo thôøi ñieåm maø hoï neâu ra nhöõng caâu hoûi ñoù. Nhaän thaáy: phoå bieán nhöõng doøng naøy cuõng laø moät ñieàu höõu ích cho caùc chaùu hoïc sinh, sinh vieân khaép nôi nhaát laø ñang ôû Myõ nhìn veà Vieät Nam vôùi moät taâm traïng hieåu bieát khoâng roõ raøng, vaø ñoâi khi coøn laàm laãn nöõa, cho neân chuùng toâi xin pheùp quùy vò ñoäc giaû cho chuùng toâi ñöôïc chia seû vôùi caùc chaùu qua nhöõng doøng ghi laïi ngaén nguûi naøy.

Questions and Answers About Vietnam

1/- What united North and South ?

On political standpoint, North and South have been united since April 30, 1975 after the collapse of South Vietnam government. The North, regardless international agreements signed in Geneva ( 1954 ), in Paris ( 1973 ), with all-sided supports of international communist movement, especially the Soviet Union and People’s Republic of China, won the last battle of conquering the South, abandoned by the powerful ally, the United States of America, because of two main reasons : 

A- The U.S. armed forces were really very strong, but they could win conventionnal battles only. Confronting with people’s war ( no clear targets nor battle- fields ) led by communist political leaders’s policies and military commanders’s strategies, the superiority of U.S.power already became ineffective.

B - Tempestious anti-war movements were blazing out everywhere in the U.S., military aids to the South were completely abolished.

2/- What kind of government at present ? 

The present political regime and governmental style are described as follows :

A- Communist dictatorship, with the country’name " Socialist Republic of Vietnam ". Really speaking, Vietnamese communist leaders have been trying for years to build a socialist regime, transitory period for advancing to communist one, that becomes nowadays an utopian dream following Karl Marx’s doctrine and Lenin’s theory. That matter was justified unsuccesful even in Soviet Union, the leading stronghold of global communist movement, dragging along with the sudden collapse of socialist regimes ( not yet communist ) in Russia and many other nations in Eastern Europe.

B- Gradually reorganized to develop Vietnam’s backward economy, diminish the country’s poverty, compared with even other ones in Southeast Asia, try to catch up with all-sided global development, and finally to avoid a general revolution of the Vietnamese people’s majority, suffering a long – time suppression on daily life, specifically on human rights and religion.

3/- How Vietnam is different from Korea, China and Japan ?

Vietnam is different from :

A- Korea : Vietnam is now better than North Korea in political administration, economic situation, but Vietnam is inferior in comparison with South Korea about economy, free and democratic society.

B- China : In general, Vietnam’s political regime is not much different from People’s Republic of China since Vietnam, for decades has been trying to follow the ideal leader, communist China, to survive after the terrible collapse of almost international communist world, the Soviet Union, global stronghold included. However, Vietnam is so much inferior in comparison with the " ideal leader " in scientific, technical and economic progress. 

When speaking about China, we shouldn’t forget Taiwan, in principle, considered as a part of China’s territory. The island Taiwan is so much superior in comparison with Vietnam in many areas, such as political administration, progress of economy, democracy and freedom.

C- Japan : One the most powerful nations of the world in many areas, except the armed forces limited by specific regulations reserved for Japan, being defeated by allied forces in world War II, after two U.S. atomic bombs attacked onto Hiroshima and Nagasaki Cities. Defeated in military front, Japanese people afterwards determined to become an economic superpower. Their hopes and dreams have become obviously the truth. Vietnam can’t be compared with Japan in most areas necessary for a society in our modern time.

4/- What is the political situation in Vietnam right now ? What kind of relations do they have with the West and U.S. ? Vietnam began reorganizing political and economic situations in 1986 under the office term of the Party’s General Secretery Van Linh Nguyen in 1986, following the policy and strategy of Soviet Union’s leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. Vietnam is now better in various domains to survive and stretch itself in the global struggle full of competitive efforts to succeed in all battle- fields, not with arms, but with science and technology, wisdom, intelligence, diligent working and spirit of serving humanity’s interests. Vietnam has just become the 150^th member of WTO ( World Trade Organizition ) and is trying to expand prudently diplomatic relations with the West and U.S. for improving its economy, creating strong political position. Particularly with U.S., Vietnamese communist leaders always secretly keep a watchful attitude in connection, due to following points :

A- Obtaining advantages as many as possible.

B- Creating political power and diplomatic influence in the current competitive global society and market.

C- Incessantly observing cautiously all activities of the new partner ( but ex-enemy or adverse party ) because communist leaders have known very clearly policies and strategies of the U.S. towards friends, allies and enemies during the past decades. They were changed easily, sometimes dangerously, according to political, military, economic demands and interests of this superpower itself.

5/- I would like to know about the war that happened in Vietnam :

After World War II, the global society was virtually divided into two opposite sides: communist one led by Soviet Union, the other by the United States. Vietnam followed the communist movement , that believed in Karl Marx’s utopian theory of conquering the whole globe with invincible strength of " proletarian revolutions " that would succesfully broke out everywhere in the world. Supported positively by Soviet Union and People’s Republic of China ( after Mao- se - Tung ‘s complete victory in 1949 ) , Vietnamese people, under communist party’s direction, defeated French colonialists, coming back in hope of dominating Vietnamse people again, with the last and most important battle Dien Bien Phu ( North Vietnam ) in1954. French armies were obliged to leave Vietnam following the Geneva cease- fire agreement. Vietnam was then divided into North and South with the 17^th parallel as limit divider. The North was administered by communists with political regime’s name " Democratic Republic of Vietnam " , whose president was Mr. Ho Chi Minh, supreme leader of communist party and government as well. 

Carrying out Geneva agreement, communist forces had to withdraw from South to North, but communist leaders with intention to conquer the South later when possible, they left behind in the South’s cities, villages secret numbers of cadres, party’s members, small combattant units, guerilla groups etc... The U.S. at the moment, managed to enter South Vietnam, replacing the French and building this territory into an advanced post in Southeast Asia to prevent China’s expansionism. Well- known political analysts used to say and write that the United States should have supported positively the late President Ngo Dinh Diem and his younger brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, a very talented

and judicious political advisor, with military and financial aids to defend effectively the South, which was being in peaceful and prosperous situation during 9 years long, instead of pouring over half a million troops into South Vietnam. This action pushed the national just cause , the key factor to reach victory , to communist side who were considered as fighting to defend their fatherland against imperialist aggressors. Moreover, although U.S. forces had the superiority of firepower, they could not defeat weaker enemies fighting with very high spirit, the spirit of defeating expeditionary invaders, defending their people, their country’s independence, fighting nights or days, with no clear objects, no clear battle fields, following policy and strategy of people’s war intructed by the theory " How to win enemies having superiority of firepower " of Lenin, the great leader of the Third International Communist Movement. Therefore, the U.S. forces’ superiority of firepower became entirely ineffective. Most U.S. troops felt discouraged with the unreasonable combat, especially felt very dispirited with formidable anti-war movement blazing out everywhere at homeland. Historians said : " U.S. forces were defeated not really on battle fields in South Vietnam, but defeated at U.S. Universities and just on U.S. populous streets." That’s the first time in history, the United States lost the war in Vietnam with 58.000 deaths, hundreds of thousand people wounded, thousands of MIAs ( Missing In Action ), millions of Americans suffering great misery of losing relatives and friends... This tragedy partially faded after the great and lighting- speed U.S. forces’ victory in mideast early 1990 decade, defeating Saddam Hussein’s armed forces invading Kuwait to dominate an important territory of numerous oil sources. Saddam’s armed forces were quickly defeafed by U.S. joint forces : Infantry, Marine, Artillery, Tanks, Navy, Air force in a conventional war, most appropriate with U.S. forces ( not people’s war like Vietnam’s ).

6/- How is the political and economical situation in vietnam ?

The political and economical situations of Vietnam have been step by step reorganized to change for better prospects, following demands of modern epoch and effective pressures of powerful nations in the world. 

* Vietnam’s political situation has reached considerable advancing steps which have to be fairly recognized in comparison with past decades. So, Vietnam recently became the 150^th member of WTO, has expanded diplomatic relations with western nations, the United States included. Vietnam is on the way of preparation for establishing diplomatic relations with Vatican, Roman Catholic Church. Economic, financial, industrial and even military connections are gradually coming close to the U.S. and many other nations in Europe and Asia although Vietnam is completely different or opposite with them in political systems. However, Vietnamese government, under the direction of communist party, is still holding its ground of keeping whatever means to protect regime’s safety as people are witnessing : Suppressing cruelly opposing figures and organizations , strangling human rights, strictly limiting religious activities, only government-controlled magazines and newspapers are permitted to publish in public and many more hard tactical actions. 

* Vietnam’s economical situation: as already above spoken, has been improved annually

with rather strong levels, both in import and export, higher and higher investments of foreign companies... All of those events, especially tourism industry, have created developped appearances very nice-looking for big cities and surrounding areas. With the actual development, Vietnam has the hope of transforming a backward and underdeveloped country into a new progressive one.

Speaking like that, we should not forget the following problems that have obviously prevented Vietnam’s all-sided development as expectation from Vietnamese people and many other nations which are really advancing on the way of democracy and freedom :
 

Vietnam’s economic progress may be realized only with real and entire political reorganization .

 

Monopolist admistration under strict regulations of communist party has been the main obstacle preventing all national domains from progressive opportunities, destroying all private efforts in building a better Vietnamese society and economy .

 

National disaster of bribery and corruption existing, spreading from central to basic governmental organizations, authorities dragging along with utterly depraved social problems, is really a dangerous internal enemy that’s bringing about collapse of an outmoded political regime following a doctrine and theory of Karl-Marx and Lenin, already becoming utopian and unrealistic.

California - U.S.A.May 2007
Phan Duc Minh