Is there more to Vietnam than War?

History discipline

I have to admit, for many on the other side of the world, Vietnam was and is a "war" country. I remember distinctly when I first introduced myself as Vietnamese in the virtual Economics for Leaders summer program, a boy unmuted and exclaimed “Oh, like in the Vietnam War?”. I don’t know why but I felt slight anger then.

People have long associated Vietnam with its long years of internal conflict rather than its rich cuisine or its unique customs. Vietnam has experienced a 4,000-year period constantly facing invasion by powerful nations, including the Mongols, the Great China, the French Colonial Empire, and the United States.

Among them all, the Vietnam War may be the most well-known war in Vietnam. From 1955 to 1975, a period of up to 20 years, this event left both parties in a terrible state of loss and destruction. Various estimates of the number of casualties have been made; Study.com puts the number at up to 3.8 million violent war deaths in Vietnam.

Wasn’t there more to Vietnam? The beautiful natural hotspots, the flavorful food, the cooperative community… Even before I came back to Vietnam, I myself was sceptical about what Vietnam had to offer. Like many others, I let my first impression of the dirty and crowded streets overshadow what I could see. That’s why the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” can be perfectly used to illustrate today’s blog post.

Although the Communist regime in Vietnam had successfully reclaimed its independence after the war and had demonstrated formidable strength, its economy, agriculture, and industry were in disarray; the majority of the countryside was covered in land mines and bombs, and the cities and towns were destroyed.

Vietnam has fought hard to restore itself over the years from then.

Unfortunately, despite of Vietnam's many positive features, the nation is still often known for its involvement in war and political conflicts by foreigners.

Obviously, if you’ve visited Vietnam, one of the top tourist destinations in Asia, you would know that the rich cuisine, diverse culture, and friendly people deserve the spotlight more than its history. Normally, tourists who visit Vietnam are always taken aback by the vehicles racing by, the motorbikes on the pavements, the crowded streets… What I’m saying is that there should be more to a nation than just its raw history. Like how you should not judge a person solely based on their historical background, you should not generalize one aspect to stand for all that nation has.

As a Vietnamese myself who has been in Vietnam for 11 out of 16 years of my life, I had a time period where I also didn’t know much about my own country. When I was in Uzbekistan, I wasn’t exposed to what was happening in my country and we also didn’t learn much about Vietnamese history, so from some of the books and online articles I read (the only resources I actually had), the image of Vietnam in my mind was based on the conception of war and its bloody ramifications.

However, when I returned to Vietnam, I completely changed my mind as my country had developed so much during the years I was gone. Regarding the historical aspect, it’s as if we have moved on from the past, but in a way, we still honor our history, whether that be through setting up museums, tourist sites, or historical preservation relics as we still want to retell the story of our history and people to not only the younger generations but also foreigners. I have been lucky enough to be taken to many of these places to learn more about my own history as well as any connections Vietnam may have with the past.

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It’s safe to say that many others have fallen prey to the same misconception as well, as highlighted through the exploratory undertaken by Amy Ruhter from Hong Kong. She had previously associated Vietnam with death and destruction, this being propagated by the media depictions through books and movies of only war in Vietnam. However, her experience in Vietnam completely contradicted her expectations.

Instead of landing on bomb-struck, ruined lands as she had anticipated, Amy found herself among the beautiful natural countryside with endless wheat fields and lively rushing waters. With the greenest of the greens surrounding her and the hot but humid climate, Amy felt reinvigorated. She apparently also visited “China Beach” (the US name for My Khe beach) and experienced the crystal clear waters, shiny sand, and warm sunshine - features common to many of our beaches throughout the Southern region.

"China Beach" as of today - beautifully thriving

Vietnam's lush paddy fields

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More notably, Amy was taken aback by the Vietnamese people’s friendliness, which wasn’t like anything she had expected. She was welcomed with open arms by people everywhere she was. FYI, my country is well-known to a lot of tourists because of our friendly and kind people, who are always willing to help and befriend visitors. Although it is quite intuitive to think that most Vietnamese people would resent all Americans for what the US did: intervening in Vietnam’s difficult situation, bringing in troops, and imposing a trade embargo that wounded our economy, this actually isn’t the case (huh?). Even I myself sometimes wonder at the fact that on the surface, it seems like most Vietnamese have moved past what happened before. War isn’t something that dictates Vietnamese people.

People continue to think about war when Vietnam is brought up. In reality, peace has actually been established for a while. We have overcome our difficulties and moved on. Even in large cities, Vietnam's crime rate is at an all-time low. There is also no terrorism, political injustice, or rebellion like people assume.

Through increasing engagement with war topics (especially in debate and Sociology research), I've learned that war stereotypes overshadow. It takes away attention from the rather smaller but just as significant aspects of nations such as their culture, their community, their cuisine... Now I no longer view Syria as just a war-torn nation or South and North Korea as war rivals - I pay attention to the nuances and details. The people there and experience those nations offer are more than just those labels. It's just like with my country's image: I'd like people to know about Vietnam as collective, friendly, and resilient.

That's it! Remember - it is not always about war! Avoid such narrow views. And I'll see you next week. I think I'll do some digging into economics ;)

Reference list:

Ruhter, Amy, "Misconceptions of Vietnam (1994)" (1994). The Valpo Core Reader. 263.

http://scholar.valpo.edu/core_reader/263 [Accessed Nov 1, 2020].

Boggs, C. (2021). Vietnam War Casualties & Statistics | How Many People Died in the Vietnam War? - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com. [online] study.com. Available at: https://study.com/learn/lesson/vietnam-war-casualties-statistics.html‌ [Accessed Nov 1, 2020].