Vietnam

Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV; Vietnamese: Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam) is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With an estimated 90.5 million inhabitants as of 2014, it is the world's 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country. The name Vietnam translates as "Southern Viet" (synonymous with the much older term Nam Viet); it was first officially adopted in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long, and was adopted again in 1945 with the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh. The country is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east. Its capital city has been Hanoi since the reunification of North and South Vietnam in 1976, following the conclusion of the Vietnam War.

A

 * While [general secretary ] believes that the [Vietnamese Communist Party’s] legitimacy comes through anti-corruption campaigns, in reality, legitimacy primarily comes through performance. …Contrary to strengthening the party, Trong has helped to delegitimize it, exposing the rot across the senior leadership, while at the same time slowing economic growth. He has also stifled civil society and independent media, which tries to hold the party leadership to account.
 * Zachary Abuza, "Mendicant monk Thích Minh Tuệ offers an embarrassing contrast to Vietnam elites", Radio Free Asia (June 19, 2024)

C

 * Vietnam is strong eternal.
 * Van Cao, "March to the Front" (1944)
 * Original Vietnamese: Nuoc non Vietnam ta vung ben.


 * Strap on my arm; the streets is feeling like Vietnam.
 * Lavell W. Crump, "Bloody War" (2005), Certified.

D

 * The prime unifying motivation for revolution in Vietnam was the goal of throwing off foreign subjugation. For hundreds of years the Vietnamese fought against a multitude of enemies, taking on and often defeating Chinese armies, the forces of Kubla Khan, and numerous other foes before the twentieth century. Vietnamese nationalism, although temporarily checked by the modern weaponry of Western nations, experienced a rapid resurgence in the 1920s and, heightened further by colonial repression, contributed greatly to the development of the revolution.
 * James DeFronzo, Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements, p. 160


 * Kiss me goodbye and write me while I'm gone. Goodbye my sweetheart, hello Vietnam.
 * , as quoted in "Hello Vietnam" (1965), by Tom T. Hall, United Kingdom: Decca Records.

G

 * In August 1945, the capitulation of the Japanese forces before the and the Allied forces, put an end to the world war. The defeat of the German and Nippon fascists was the beginning of a great weakening of the capitalist system. After the great victory of the Soviet Union, many people's democracies saw the light of day. The socialist system was no longer confined within the frontiers of a single country. A new historic era was beginning in the world. In view of these changes, in Viet Nam, the Indo-chinese Communist Party and the Viet Minh called the whole Vietnamese nation to general insurrection. Everywhere, the people rose in a body. Demonstrations and displays of force followed each other uninterruptedly. In August, the Revolution broke out, neutralising the bewildered Nippon troops, overthrowing the pro-Japanese feudal authorities, and installing people's power in Hanoi and throughout the country, in the towns as well as in the countryside, in Bac Bo as well as in Nam Bo. In Hanoi, the capital, in September 2nd, the provisional gouvernment was formed around President Ho Chi Minh; it presented itself to the nation, proclaimed the independence of Viet Nam, and called on the nation to unite, to hold itself in readiness to defend the country and to oppose all attempts at imperialist aggression. The Democratic Republic of Viet Nam was born, the first people's democracy in South-east Asia. But the imperialists intended to nip the republican regime in the bud and once again transform Viet Nam into a colony. Three weeks had hardly gone by when, on September 23rd, 1945, the French Expeditionary Corps opened fire in Saigon. The whole was to be carried on for nine years at the cost of unprecedented heroism and amidst unimaginable difficulties, to end by the shining victory of our people and the crushing defeat of the aggressive imperialists at Dien Bien Phu. ... Never before had there been so many foreign troops on the soil of Viet Nam. But never before either, had the Vietnamese people been so determined to rise up in combat to defend their country.
 * Võ Nguyên Giáp, People’s War, People’s Army(1962).

J

 * Our history this year we see in Vietnam. Men there are dying; men named Fernandez and Zajac and Zelinko and Mariano and McCormick. Neither the enemy who killed them nor the people whose independence they have fought to save ever asked them where they or their parents came from. They were all Americans. It was for free men and for America that they gave their all, they gave their lives and selves. By eliminating that same question as a test for immigration the Congress proves ourselves worthy of those men and worthy of our own traditions as a nation
 * Lyndon Johnson, Remarks at the Signing of the Immigration Bill (3 October 1965).


 * The people of Vietnam, north and south, seek the same things. The shared needs of man, the needs for food and shelter and education, the chance to build and work and till the soil, free from the arbitrary horrors of battle, the desire to walk in the dignity of those who master their own destiny. For many painful years, in war and revolution and infrequent peace, they have struggled to fulfill those needs. It is a crime against mankind that so much courage, and so much will, and so many dreams, must be flung on the fires of war and death... How many men who listen to me tonight have served their nation in other wars? How very many are not here to listen? The war in Vietnam is not like these other wars. Yet, finally, war is always the same. It is young men dying in the fullness of their promise. It is trying to kill a man that you do not even know well enough to hate. Therefore, to know war is to know that there is still madness in this world.
 * Lyndon Johnson, State of the Union Address (12 January 1966).


 * Last year the nature of the war in Vietnam changed again. Swiftly increasing numbers of armed men from the North crossed the borders to join forces that were already in the South. Attack and terror increased, spurred and encouraged by the belief that the United States lacked the will to continue and that their victory was near. Despite our desire to limit conflict, it was necessary to act: to hold back the mounting aggression, to give courage to the people of the South, and to make our firmness clear to the North. Thus. we began limited air action against military targets in North Vietnam. We increased our fighting force to its present strength tonight of 190,000 men. These moves have not ended the aggression but they have prevented its success. The aims of the enemy have been put out of reach by the skill and the bravery of Americans and their allies—and by the enduring courage of the South Vietnamese who, I can tell you, have lost eight men last year for every one of ours. The enemy is no longer close to victory. Time is no longer on his side. There is no cause to doubt the American commitment. Our decision to stand firm has been matched by our desire for peace.
 * Lyndon Johnson, State of the Union Address (12 January 1966).


 * I drop bombs like I was in Vietnam.
 * Rufus Johnson, "Under the Influence" (2000), The Marshall Mathers LP.

L

 * Vietnam of course attacked Cambodia.
 * James W. Loewen, NGO Holiday Card


 * We the People remain resolute in our hearts and minds. Courageously we will fight such that everywhere, the Glory of the Vietnamese forever resounds!
 * , "Thanh niên hành khúc"
 * Original Vietnamese: Người Công Dân luôn vững bền tâm trí. Hùng tráng quyết chiến đấu làm cho khắp nơi. Vang tiếng người nước Nam cho đến muôn đời!


 * Bones have broken, and blood has fallen, the hatred is rising high. Our country has been separated for so long. Here, the sacred Mekong, here, glorious Truong Son Mountains are urging us to advance to kill the enemy. Shoulder to shoulder, under a common flag. Arise!
 * , "Liberate the South" (July 1969)

M

 * Vietnam’s century-old French villas and colonial-era government buildings are a draw for the 8 million tourists who visit the country every year. “Even in France we don’t have so many examples of the beautiful wrought-iron railings and staircases that you see here,” said French Consul General Emmanuel Ly-Batallan. Heavy roofs are designed to withstand typhoons and large windows placed strategically to catch the breeze. The consulate, now dwarfed by a skyscraper under construction, is considered one of the best-preserved examples of the architecture of Cochinchina, the French name for southern Vietnam.
 * Zanna K. McKay, “Vietnam's architectural gems are disappearing”, (March 4, 2017).
 * Let me go back one moment. In the Cuban Missile Crisis, at the end, I think we did put ourselves in the skin of the Soviets. In the case of Vietnam, we didn't know them well enough to empathize. And there was total misunderstanding as a result. They believed that we had simply replaced the French as a colonial power, and we were seeking to subject South and North Vietnam to our colonial interests, which was absolutely absurd. And we, we saw Vietnam as an element of the Cold War. Not what they saw it as: a civil war.
 * Robert McNamara, The Fog of War (2003)

N

 * We lost, everyday, Vietnamese life, in fighting the communists... American democracy, maybe, cannot work in a country like mine, you know, in South Vietnam.
 * Nguyen Khanh, as quoted in "Interview with Nguyen Khanh" (29 April 1981), WGBH Media Library & Archives.


 * I remember that day clearly when I left Saigon. I left my country in honor that day... China presents Vietnam with a very big problem. China is taking over Vietnam, from Cholon, where there are rich Chinese, to Haiphong. They are everywhere now with their product. My wife is from the North, people there resent China more than the South feared the Viet Cong. The Chinese are invaders — like any other foreigners — to fight. We must stop the Chinese. You know the dikes built on the Red River? If they break, what happens? A flood!
 * Nguyen Khanh, as quoted in "A Bag of Earth, A Promise To Keep" (28 April 2005), by Mike Nally, Viet Weekly.


 * If they want to assassinate me, it's easy. After that, just blame it on the Việt Cộng or a coup d'etat plot.
 * , as quoted in "Tổng thống Sài Gòn cũ Nguyễn Văn Thiệu và con đường chiến bại (kỳ III)", by Phong Hoàn Công, Báo Công An Nhân Dân.
 * Original Vietnamese quote: Nếu họ muốn ám sát tôi thì cũng dễ thôi. Rồi sau đó cứ việc đổ cho Việt Cộng hoặc là do âm mưu đảo chính.


 * They have back-stabbed us.
 * , as quoted in Việt Nam. Cuộc chiến 10.000 ngày. Tập 8 - Hòa bình.
 * Original Vietnamese quote: Họ đã đâm sau lưng chúng tôi.


 * No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now. Rarely have so many people been so wrong about so much. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic.
 * Richard Nixon, as quoted in No More Vietnams (1987).


 * With a Vietnamese baby on your mind.
 * New York Dolls, Vietnamese Baby
 * The song appears to refer to the Vietnam war

O

 * I also come here with a deep respect for Vietnam's ancient heritage. For millennia, farmers have tended these lands, a history revealed in the Đông Sơn drums. At this bend in the river, Hanoi has endured for more than a thousand years. The world came to treasure Vietnamese silks and paintings, and a great Temple of Literature stands as a testament to your pursuit of knowledge. And yet, over the centuries, your fate was too often dictated by others. Your beloved land was not always your own. But like bamboo, the unbroken spirit of the Vietnamese people was captured by Lý Thường Kiệt: "The Southern emperor rules the Southern land. Our destiny is writ in Heaven's Book."
 * Barack Obama, Remarks in Hanoi, Vietnam; 24 May 2016

P

 * I don’t want freedom for just myself; that’s too easy. I want something greater: freedom for Vietnam. It might seem like some grand goal, but it’s totally possible – with your support.
 * , as quoted in "Jailed Vietnamese writer honored with international award", Radio Free Asia (April 11, 2024)


 * I used to see Vietnam as a war rather than a country.
 * John Pilger, as quoted in Do you remember Vietnam? (1978).

R

 * The decay of the Soviet experiment should come as no surprise to us. Wherever the comparisons have been made between free and closed societies -- West Germany and East Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, Malaysia and Vietnam -- it is the democratic countries what are prosperous and responsive to the needs of their people. And one of the simple but overwhelming facts of our time is this: Of all the millions of refugees we've seen in the modern world, their flight is always away from, not toward the Communist world. Today on the NATO line, our military forces face east to prevent a possible invasion. On the other side of the line, the Soviet forces also face east to prevent their people from leaving.
 * Ronald Reagan, Address to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, 8 June 1982

S

 * Vietnam was a single country again. Ho had organised the communist order on political and economic principles which drew on the Soviet and Chinese experiences. Agriculture was collectivised. A network of labour camps was spread across the country and hostile ‘class’ elements were rounded up and forced to abandon their capitalistic sympathies. A strict one-party dictatorship was imposed. A blend of patriotism and Marxism-Leninism was propagated. The party and the army were reinforced as the combined bastion of the regime. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam had been born in a colonial war and had known nothing but war since obtaining its independence. It was an even more militarised society than the People’s Republic of China. Yet its industry made hardly any armaments. It had little industry at all and the Americans bombed its few factories into rubble. Financial support and military supplies from the USSR and China had been crucial for survival. The northerners communised the south after the American withdrawal. Expropriations and arrests accompanied the expansion of the party and army presence across the newly occupied provinces. Within a year or two the southern economy had been pressed into a northern mould. Yet the wartime devastation was everywhere. Vietnam was a land of orphans, invalids, ruined houses, disrupted rice paddies and poisoned forests. Hanoi expressed the wish for a rapprochement, but the departed Americans cut the Vietnamese off from the world economy. Peace was meant to turn the country into a desert. Although the USSR continued to proffer aid, it was never on a scale adequate for substantial reconstruction.
 * Robert Service, Comrades: A History of World Communism (2009)
 * However, the most cruel mistake occurred with the failure to understand the Vietnam war. Some people sincerely wanted all wars to stop just as soon as possible; others believed that there should be room for national, or communist, self-determination in Vietnam, or in Cambodia, as we see today with particular clarity. But members of the U.S. anti-war movement wound up being involved in the betrayal of Far Eastern nations, in a genocide and in the suffering today imposed on 30 million people there. Do those convinced pacifists hear the moans coming from there? Do they understand their responsibility today? Or do they prefer not to hear?
 * Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, "A World Split Apart" 8 June 1978
 * Whatever you think... America wasn't stealing from the Vietnamese.
 * Dinesh D'Souza, America: Imagine the World Without Her (2014)

T

 * This is the largest anti-Chinese demonstration I have ever seen in Hanoi. Our patience has limits. We are here to express the will of the Vietnamese people to defend our territory at all costs. We are ready to die to protect our nation.
 * A war veteran named Dang Quang Thang told the AFP news agency, "Vietnam protestors attack China over sea disuptes", May 11, 2014.


 * All independent religions are banned [in Vietnam]. Only economically speaking we are better [since the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975].  But politically speaking nothing changes.
 * Thích Quảng Độ.

Z

 * [T]he Vietnamese government does not mess around. Vietnam is not a democracy. It benefits (suffers?) from extensive monitoring of civilians, but unlike the Singaporean techno-state, Vietnam’s system is more akin to an authoritarian neighborhood watch. This system of internal monitoring literally lets state agents go door-to-door demanding answers to invasive questions.
 * Peter Zeihan, "The State of the Pandemic: East Asia" (18 June 2020), Zeihan on Geopolitics


 * In this struggle we are inspired by the example of those countries where staunch supporters of the socialist option are in power. They are China which has the world in awe of its spectacular successes in the economy and the social sphere. Cuba, which the US imperialism has vainly tried to strangle for six decades. The dynamically developing Vietnam. These countries challenge capitalist globalization, refuse to submit to their diktat and score successes on the socialist path. The experience of fraternal Byelorussia is highly instructive.
 * Gennady Zyuganov, "Socialism Is Genuine Freedom" (22 November 2017)