[Vnbiz] Doing politics in the Vietnamese spirit

Tue Jun 12 19:57:15 PDT 2007

Dear anh Hoanh and chi Dieu:
If we keep our eyes open and use reasoning to discerning individual and 
national interests, it is easier to understand, and to deal with Viet Kieu 
issues rationally.  Here, following emotion will get one into trouble 
almost every time.  There is simply to much emotional luggage here.  But 
even here, people are increasingly acting according to their personal 
interest.  Watch what people do, not what they say.
Vietnamese are brothers and sisters; fight between siblings can be more 
vicious than between strangers.  But this is more at the personal level. I 
don't know of any Viet Kieu  groups or individual who categorically don't 
like all Vietnamese in Vietnam and who want to fight against the 
Vietnamese people.  Their opposition is much more specific, if not 
personal and individual.
The ethnic, cultural, and familial are the rea, primary ties that link 
Viet Kieu to Vietnam, and then there are other interest such as economic 
/financial, academic interests that are not unique to just Viet Kieu.  The 
primary ties already exist among first generation Viet Kieu and there is 
little that can be changed by policy.  The government does not need to 
play it up.  Programs to help the second generation and beyond to maintain 
cultural ties, starting with language, TV broadcoast will be beneficial. 
Some of this is already being done.   The government would be wise to have 
policies that put Viet Kieu on the same footing as local Vietnamese, or at 
least does not get discriminated against.  More favorable treatment will 
cause jealousy, and is not necessary.  Reconciliation is either highly 
individualize, or between the Government and those groups it has wronged, 
and does not encompass all Vietnamese.
Anh Hoanh said in a previous message that not everything is equal.  That's 
true enough in the case of Viet Kieu in with respect to different factors, 
not the least of which is financial power.
I find and Hoanh's guidance on doing politics in the Vietnamese spirit a 
little out of synch, and a bit reminiscent of the argument of the 
xenophobic conservatives against western influence.  Some Vietnamese, 
especially the younger generations appear to "worship" things Western 
because, frankly, it delivers.  They don't have a national or even eastern 
alternative.  When they do, most would prefer a Japanese car over an 
American car.  They listen to western "fathers" because they have things 
to say that make sense when local leaders cannot make a convincing case. 
Eventually, the local leaders make changes to accomodate the western 
models that deliver.  The decision is often too slow, but deliberate. 
Following models that work is not slave mentality.  At the practical 
level, is the Vietnamese preference to work for a western company a 
reflection of the slave mentality?  Is the preference to get better 
renumeration for your work a manisfestation of being bought?  What are the 
local alternatives?
Not all democracy or human right activists are fighting the Cold War, or 
hate Vietnam.  How do you explain the local Vietnamese democracy and human 
right activists with that faulty generalization?
Taken too far, doing politics in the Vietnamese spirits can do more harm 
than good to the country.
Everything in moderation, and with reasons, please.
HPP

"Dieu Nguyen" <dieu.m.nguyen at gmail.com> 
Sent by: vnbiz-bounces at mail.saigon.com
06/08/2007 08:30 PM
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Re: [Vnbiz] Doing politics in the Vietnamese spirit

[ Vietnam Business Forum ]

Dear anh Hoanh, 

It seems like you have a particular set of audience in mind for this note, 
which I assume to be those who live, study or have regular contact with 
foreign countries. 

I agree with anh Hoanh that we cannot and should not worship either 
Western power or their good will.  I agree that there are people who 
continue to fight the futile war and to look at the past instead of the 
present. 

All Vietnamese are brothers and sisters. It is a righteous principal and I 
want to believe in it but there is a distance between theory/ideology and 
reality. And the reality is there are many brothers and sisters who don't 
like us (as us I mean to say Vietnamese who are currently living in VN) 
and who want to fight agaisnt us. What should we do to reconcile with 
them, to make them treat like brothers and sisters as they are ought to 
be? 

Thanks,

Dieu Nguyen

On 6/7/07, Tran Dinh Hoanh <tdhoanh at gmail.com> wrote:
[ Vietnam Business Forum ]

Dear CACC,

I have just had a long talk with a younger professional who asks me
for advice on Vietnam politics.  I though I should share with you, the
younger intellectuals, what I have just shared with my friend.  So 
here it is.

1.  Today, too many people still have the slave mentality of
worshiping their great white fathers.  This mentality goes back to the
time of the French, the Vatican, the American.  Today, such mentality 
is still prevalent.  For people with such mentality, Washington DC or
Paris or Rome some western capitals are where the power of Vietnam
reside.

2.  In the same vein, there are idiots in foreign countries (such as 
in Washington DC) who will always want to mess around with our
country, just because they can do that and get away with it.

3.  There are people who continue to fight the old war that was
supposed to be over in 1975 and they will do the fight under any kind 
of pretext, from human rights to democracy to religious freedom.

Avoid these people and avoid becoming one of them.  If you are not
vigilant, you can be bought much easier than you think.

We have to do politics within this fundamental principle:  All 
Vietnamese are brothers and sisters.  We do not do politics as
enemies.  If we compete, that is friendly competition between
brothers/sisters.

No political systems, no political theories, no political principles 
are as important as the idea that all Vietnamese are brothers and
sisters.

And the Vietnamese have to act as honorable Vietnamese.  Don't kiss
foreign ass while trying to beat upon your brothers and sisters. 

Have as many friends around the world as possible.  But treat them as
equal friends, not as the great white fathers, especially when you
attempt to beat upon your bothers and sisters.  That is simply he`n
ha.

That would be my advice.  If we stay faithful to these principle, we
will bring our country to greatness.  And we will bring our country to
greatness. Trust me.

Have a great day!

Hoanh

--
Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
Washington DC
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