Different points of view about the outcome of the Vietnam War Different points of view about the outcome of the Vietnam War
Well, minna-san, come back with Ran's essay ^ o ^ So long not updating anything. I kind of like her mom's view and whenever I saw anticommunist newspaper, I always thought like... "Why wont you care about Cali's gradually sinking instead, that's more crucial" =))
Yeah, as her mom's saying, the "Viet kieu" had no business in the country that they are no longer want to live in... I mean, the people there dont even have such complaints like the oversea people, why would they put their nosy noses in for, and made thing up like ... the Vietnamese in Japan went on strike to the government with.... American flag and Mexican-like police??? =)) That was STUPID =)) =)) =)) And don't you use "well I heard" in a report news like that =)) =)) Make a good joke. Well, even if you are able to overthrow the current government, what could you do while you are living so far away? Putting some of your henchmen there? Hello, how long to re-start a new country?
When I heard the oversea Vietnamese talk about how bad Vietnam is these days, I always react like "Really?" =)) Well, maybe I'm a happy kid there so I dont know, but... as long as I stepped my feet in US, I found no interest in what you so called Viet Kieu =)) What are so good about you guys that you would think of us like that? Come on already =)) I don't want to accuse the whole bunch of chopsticks, but 2/3 of the Vietnamese living here after a really long time that I met, they are only "nổ là giỏi" =)) We can even know you guys "nổ" since it's so obvious =)) And what so good about the monks here? They charged money like shit, I know it, I say it, since they treated my mom like that =)) Like "Since the family is in bad situation, I "only" charge 300 bucks instead of $500"... some like that. Don't make me laugh =)) =)) And every one is always calculated things for their own benefit... Eww~
Well, my craziness before final week, gomen. =P
あんずちゃん。
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Van Le
Eng101-18
Ms. Pafford
12/11/06
Letter for Reviewer
Time is the most uncertain thing in the world. As the beginning, I thought that it would take forever to finish just one out of eight long semesters to graduate, and now, while in the middle of preparing for the finals, I did not even have time to notice that my first semester in college has come to an end. It is amazing how time passes while you do not pay attention to it. Looking back the last three and a half month I spent in this class, not to be vain, but I am content with what I have learned and how hard I have worked. This class is definitely useful for me in my college years to come.
Although I have learned English since I was little, up until I came here, I did not feel comfortable writing in English at all. Most of English lessons I took at home is about grammar. I had to learn a lot of grammar but did not know how to apply it in writing fluently. But now, after I took this English class, I found that I had learned a lot. The first two papers, narrative and definition were indeed fun to write. They were not simply “assignment” but something interesting and I enjoyed writing that way. Writing can be so enjoyable once you put yourself in it. I struggle a lot with the argumentative paper because the topic that we picked was so common. Everybody knows drinking is bad but drinks anyway. Anti-drinking ads could be found everywhere in the media, so how could I make my paper stand out? That was when I learned that personal experience can be useful, and that what matters the most in an argumentative paper is what I think. As long as I believe in my point, I could argue for it and persuade others. Each paper taught me a lesson. I do not know how much I had improved, but now I feel comfortable writing in English. It is not so dreadful anymore. I still make mistakes, a number of them, but for me the most important thing is that I no longer afraid of writing. Different type of papers also taught me how to write in different style. Some styles might suit me, some might now, but knowing how to write certain papers is necessary.
As I was saying, each type of paper teaches me a lesson. I learned a lot through this final project too. I picked the topic about the Vietnam War because it is a significant event that had impact on both Vietnamese and American society. I paid particular interest in the event of the Fall of Saigon because I remember my mom usually talked a lot about that day when I was little. Over the Thanksgiving bread, I called home and talk to her about the paper and asked her questions. She told me a lot of things, how her life and others’ have changed since that day; her memories and feelings are so vivid. From the beginning, I only want to write a paper that recalled what happened that day, but when doing research, I found a number of books contain completely opposite ideas of what I have known. Being educated to be proud of my country history, I firmly believe in what I have been taught. When I first approached those points of view, I was angry and felt that they are humiliating my country history. But the more time I put in this project, the more I could understand those points of view and found them respectable. I had learned from the definition paper that there are many ways to look at on issue, and from the argumentative paper that counterargument is necessary to build up a strong paper. And instead of just put away those books that angered me at first, I decided to use them to write a paper about the controversy outcome of the war.
This project took up a lot of time, but I learned a lot through doing it, from how to gather information to how to make proper citation. Those are basic skill that I will definitely need to use in the future. One more practical thing that I learned after this class is that I, as scare of the computer as ever, could type a lot faster than I used to. I feel regret that because of my shyness that I did not really participate well in class activities, but this is the first time I have such an awesome English class in which I do not have to memorize too much grammars, structures, four-syllabus words,… but spent tome practice what I already know to express my idea through writing.
Interview
Full name: Ha Nguyen
Age: 48
Relationship: Mother
Address: Vietnam
1. What is a historical even that you can remember in your lifetime that still have a vivid memory today?
My Mom’s most vivid memory about a historical event is the Liberation ad of the South, April 30th 1975. That is the day that the liberating force took over Saigon and united North and South Vietnam.
2. Recall the event. Can you remember where you were? What were you doing?
In her memory, it was the time of chaos and instability. The war came to the climax. Nobody dared to go outside because it was very dangerous to be outside at that time. That night, as usual, my grandma locked all the doors. My mom and aunts and uncle helped put heavy table and cabinet against the doors incase somebody wanted to break in the house. Then the gun shot broke out, the liberating force had entered the city. They were so scared that they all ran and hid underneath tables and kitchen cabinets. She put her hands over her ears and did not dare to make any noise. She did not remember how long we stay in that situation but it seemed like it would never end. She does not know exactly how the rest of the world knew about the event, probably through television and newspapers. There were many foreign reporters there at that time. Very soon after the event, our government gave speech on radio to inform other countries that Vietnam had became one unified nation.
3. What are some of your memories of the event? Do you remember your emotions? Do you remember your thoughts?
“It was fear, fear was everywhere, and confusion,” my Mom recalled. Some said that they were very cruel; they would do terrible things to wealthy “capitalists”. Her family had been living in fear for weeks since my grandma was a wealthy merchant at that time. A couple of days before the event, they had to hide or throw away all of valuable things because there was rumor that the communist would put all the people that was rich in jail. Of course it was not right, but living in the south, she had no idea how the liberating force from the north would be like or what would they do to the southern people. There was no dependable source of information but rumors. She was only a child at that time, 16 years old, old enough to see what was going on and to remember, but too young to understand. The only thing she had in mind hiding under the kitchen cabinet is to stay alive. It was indeed a terrifying memory for her to talk about.
4. What can you tell me about the event and how it may have impacted society today? Give me as much historical information on the event that you can recollect?
She thinks it was a very significant event to our country. Thanks to the liberation the north and the south of Vietnam could be together and we could declare our country free at last. Of course a lot of things have changed since that day, both good and bad things, but it is true that Vietnamese people lives has changed for the better, much better. She did not deny that life the years following that was very hard on her and many other people. But what we get from the unification of the nation is a long term benefit. The most obviously good thing to see is that us, the new generation could be able to grow up in a peaceful and free country, to have a history that we can proud of.
5. What else would you like to tell me about the event?
She was only a teenager when that happened, so she does not remember a lot. There was no one in our family went into the war though. Many things were going on after that, mostly about politic so she did not pay much attention. Life after that was very unstable. It took them a long time to settle down and to be able to have normal life again. Even then, thing was never the same as it used to be. but she does feel happy since the war ended and our country was united, that was the most important thing. A lot of people she knew (my grandma’s friends) fled the country. She has nothing against it, it just offended her when those people turned their back and humiliated their own country. “Why complain,” she said, “while they did not do anything to change the situation but ran away? They were just thinking about themselves too much. More than that, they also denied all of our efforts. I don’t think it is right at all to look down on your own country.”
Proposal
Topic: Different points of view about the outcome of the Vietnam War
It has been more than thirty years since the war between the U.S. and Vietnam known as the Vietnam War. While Vietnamese students are expected to learn almost every single battle of the war as well as its aftermath and legacy, most American students know about it no more than a chapter in the history textbook. After the war ended, its outcome remained controversy for a long period of time. Whether or not the U.S should get involve in the war? Was it a good or bad thing that Communist government took over the country? Each point of view deserved to be respected, but let’s look at Vietnam thirty years after the Fall of Saigon in 1975, look how it has rebuilt itself and developed and found a considerable stand in the world. It is true that Vietnamese people and government had overcome many hardships to achieve so much. Had Vietnam never been united under one flag, there would not have been a Vietnam of present: free and peaceful. That is the reason we – Vietnamese call the day of April the 30th 1975 not simply “The Fall of Saigon” but “Liberation Day”.
In order to collect information to my topic, I did research about three main points of views, American, Vietnamese anticommunist and Vietnamese communist. In American view, the fact that Vietnam became a communist state was such a disaster. In Vietnam since the Fall of Saigon, William Duiker stated that, “Today, ten years after the fall of Saigon, Vietnam is a nation in trouble. The economic is lagging, much of the population is sullen and unresponsive to its leaders, and foreign policy difficulties abound.” As for Vietnamese anticommunists, they were completely opposite to the new communist government in Vietnam. Most of the books that I was able to find here were written by Vietnamese who fled Vietnam after 1975. They were people of the upper class in the old South Vietnam, well educated, enjoyed high social status and pleasant lives under the old government. Under new communist government, there privileges were taken away. Lives became harsh; furthermore, if one were classified as old government supportive or anticommunist, he/ she would be in danger. That was why many Vietnamese choose to flee from Vietnam. For them, communism meant “dictatorship”. The book “Vietnam under Communism, 1975-1982” written by Nguyen Van Canh criticized the new society under new government strongly in every aspects, both domestic and foreign affairs. Those critics were partly right. The new government did make a lot of mistakes during that chaotic and critical period, but that was not the reason for overlooking the huge efforts and achievement it accomplished. Since the book was intended to bring out the negative side of government, it did not discuss the issue at different views; as a result, the book expresses a sense of personal intention.
In contrast, view of Vietnamese who actually stayed in and tried to work to contribute to the country was completely different. No body denied the hardship he/she went through, the sacrifices he/she had to make during that time. My mom remembers her life was altered so much. From being a wealthy merchant’s daughter to a peasant girl, she said that was the hardest time in her life. But she has no hatred toward the liberation forces or the new government. “At that time, I didn’t understand what was going on, but now I can see it clearly. It wasn’t that the North invaded the South but it was something needed to be done to bring our country together and end the war for good. People regretted the past because they had lost too much, and they can’t accept the present or believe in the future either. They longed for the “peaceful” past. But the truth is that there is no peace in a country divided, where people of the same ancestor hate each other. How hard it would have been to bring up kids to hate their own people? I am glad that we don’t need to call our country neither South nor North Vietnam but Vietnam.” While doing research, I found it difficult to find the resources that demonstrate that point of view here, in the U.S. Most of my sources came from my own knowledge and my mom interview. The actual paper need more concrete resources than just memory. There are a huge number of documents, books, journals, about the event written by authors of that time, but very few of them were translated into English or publish in the U.S.; therefore, I think it will take more time and efforts to find them. I did find a very useful website contain a lot of information about the liberation day from the Communist Vietnamese Perspective. The website contains journals, documents, speech, written as the time as well as images…. Which prove the positive site of the issue.
In doing research for this topic, I found out how different people can have different point of views toward the same problem. What I have been taught for all of my life and completely believe in can be seen in a completely different way by some body else. However, I still respect the history of my country and proud of it. The issue may be controversy at that time, but now, thirty one years later, it is obviously that Vietnam had make a large step forward since the day it united.
Comments (2)
* Meooo
* Offline IM
van ui bai nay hay qua, van doc o dau day, van viet kha hay va ro rang. Lai dung van de meo thich doc, hihihi....! doko ni aru no? oshietemoiidesuka?
Monday December 10, 2007 - 08:35pm (JST) Remove Comment
* ー あんず…
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bài này hả, bạn mèo nói gì vậy ^ ^" bạn ran viết chứ ai. I mean bạn Vân viết chứ ai. Còn người up lên là Anzu mà =P Tại bạn Anzu đọc trúng mấy tờ báo hải ngoại nên buồn buồn up bài essay của bạn Ran (mà bạn Anzu giữ) lên thôi =P
Monday December 10, 2007 - 04:25pm (EST) Remove Comment
* NHL -…
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Love your essay, and by that I mean Ran's, not u Anzu :p. I really love it.
About " if one were classified as old government supportive or anticommunist, he/ she would be in danger", wasn't it the same with the old government when the drag the "execution machine" on the street to "immediate execute" any one SUSPECTED to be communist or communist supporter. Thus, they would have no RIGHT to make such complaints when their acts turn backward to them.
And yeah, I love your mom's view. That's what I have been thinking all the time. I have no hatred toward US Vietnamese so long as they don't turn their "UGLY" face toward me or the country. It's their RIGHT and FREEDOM to COMPLAIN about the contemporary situation in the country, but they have not RIGHT to criticize the EFFORT of those who are working to build a BETTER future, not for themselves, but for the whole country. Of course, it can't be helped with difficulties in development of a SMALL country like VN. But instead of just sit there and complain "HUMANITY, FREEDOM, REDTAPE, etc." every one of those complaining mouth can eat less A BIT to help those in NEED. The less they complain, the less food they will need, the more MONEY can be saved for the POOR.
A government cannot be PERFECT in a swift, especially a YOUNG government who have to work and find their pioneer way to work in the same time like VN. Look back in the history, even US government was filled with corruption and the dawn of liberation. The most vivid evidence was the slavery and the sequel civil war. Even an VERY OLD goverment like that of Germany did also step on the tragic Facism. A very DEVELOPED government of Japan at its time did also turn out to be a Facist Feudalism. Thus, VN government cannot be an exception. There is no WRONG in making mistake. The matter is to realize the mistake and correct it. Vietnam has proved itself worthy for a FREE and INDEPENDENT country, with its crucial turn from COMMUNISM toward SOCIALISM, realizing the huge mistake of Soviet Union and those related Communist Countries in Eastern Europe.
Yes, as a Vietnamese of a complete new generation, born with the fruit of our father's hardship, I was, am and will be always proud of being a Vietnamese. A government is a representative of a country; however they are not all GENIUS, but just those we TRUST with all our HEART to REPRESENT us, to GOVERN our country. A government is JUST a composition of PEOPLE, our PEOPLE, thus they are allowed to make mistake, so long as we can still be proud of calling ourselves Vietnamese. Now is my question: "Have you Vietkieus ever humiliated your proud race of people? Are you sure that it's not YOU who humiliate US in the country by committing all YOUR stupid, shameless and crazy acts that dirty the name of the VIETNAMESE?" I really hope NOT.
Sorry, for such lengthy comment. Just can't suppress it. ^____^
Tuesday December 11, 2007 - 10:24am (EST) Remove Comment
* NHL -…
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I happen to write a whole entry to respond to this. why don't you post it on a "public" blog? so I can link to this entry ^___^
Tuesday December 11, 2007 - 12:19pm (EST) Remove Comment
* ー あんず…
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nah, first, I did state IT"S RAN'S, có ai nói bài tui đâu mà cần ông khen ^ ^"
2/ can't put public, this blog is not meant for public ^ ^" (as my mafia blog >:) )
well, glad you guys like it, since I like it too :D that's why I post it here =P
[from Anzu-chan]
Tuesday December 11, 2007 - 07:11pm (EST) Remove Comment
* ー あんず…
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by the way, comment thoải mái =P
Tuesday December 11, 2007 - 07:12pm (EST) Remove Comment
* -‘๑’-…
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con kia、sao dam dem bai cua ta di post lung tung vay, lam het cua ta di post lung tung vay, lam het hon.
Friday December 28, 2007 - 09:32pm (ICT) Remove Comment
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ack, luc may quang no lai cho tao tao da noi goi ma :D thoi ma he' post goi, hay moi post ma, co ai doc duoc dau ma lo :D
Saturday December 29, 2007 - 12:06pm (ICT) Remove Comment