From: garrick@kpc.com (Garrick Le)
Subject: [POL] [SOC] Re: The air of change for the better is obvious in Vietnam
Organization: Kubota Pacific Computer
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 17:37:00 GMT


mai@cc.uow.edu.au (Van Dao Mai) wrote:

>I sincerely hope that the aftermath of Western democracies will not be
>horrible as the vision that the doomers have been painting since the
>forties. I will not blame North Americans for the somewhat short-sighted
>views they have about Vietnam. Do not take me wrong that I support the
>regime over there! I know the old regime so well to hate them, but I do
>not think the younger generation will be that bad especially the Russian
>masters have gone out of bussiness.
The Russian masters are gone but the hard-line communist leaders are still
in control,namely Le^ ddu+'c Anh (the so-called protector of VN communist
party 's ) and Ddo^~ Mu+o+`i.And about the younger generations,those
who will take control of VN will be the ones coming from families of
influential communist heritage.The ones who go around creating havocs,
blatantly robbing people who are scared of their powers.
Unless the regime is radically changed and allowing a true multi-party
political process and government,the future looks very dim for our VN.

>
>What Vietnam has to do is to learn what the old cultures in the West to
>offer. I repeat OLD, OLD, OLD .... Not the new ones such as modern American
>culture or British or French, etc ... As the old chinese say, you do not
>ask your teacher to teach you. You ask him to show you the road. You then
>decide whether you should follow the road. Vietnam should not let the
>West shove their mercy down her throat.
>
How do you differentiate between the old and new Western culture???
Perhaps you meant to say the new one is more permissive and decadent.
That is true but keep in mind that the new one places more emphasis
on equality and racial harmony.Thus,to absorb a new culture ,one has
to look for positive things discriminatingly so as to better integrate
East with West.

>I am lucky to be an Australian. I am proud to say this now because I see
>this new home land of mine is benevolent. I cried when I learnt that the
>Italian POWs shipped to Australia are so grateful to this land. One told
>his story that when he got off the ship which was hell on Earth. He
>struggled to stay on his feet. As his line of POWs walked into the
>reception planned for them, he was so surprised that there was a long
>table with beautiful ladies waiting there and tea, coffee and biscuits.
>One lady asked him "Would you like tea or coffee?" The lady handed him
>a cup of tea and a peice of chocolate. The poor man broke down and cried
>at her feet. Perhaps this was the land of the sufferers (the convicts)
>that they know how to be human. I am hurt to see that young Australian
>people have been corrupted by Holly Wood and American violence. I now
>hear young Vietnamese girls growing up in this country speaking
>English with a naturally sweet tonge. There is no sign of cynical
>mentality and prejudices of older generations.
>
Sounds like you are saying the grass is greener on your side,this is
strictly a personal opinion so we should leave it as is though I
might add that I have a very different viewpoint.
Previously I mistakenly assumed you 're from Canada ...well my
oversight and apology ;-)))
One more thing I 'd like to add is to be humane does not mean
to tolerate the evils and the ills of a society or a government
since doing so would inadvertently assist the aggressor and in
effect add insult to injury.

>The media here in Australian is simply EXECLLENT. We have national
>television the ABC and SBS (Special Broadcasting Service). These two
>services brings the closest to reality pictures to Australians and
>neighbouring regions. They are the first to confirm to Australians
>that the Khemer Rouge was genocidal after 12 years of Western media
>deceptions. As Australia and Vietnam are working intensively together
>to rebuild Vietnam, Americans have not realised that the relationship
>has been developing for about 7 years. Vietnam has adopted Australian
>telecommunication standards (arguably the best in the world). You
>guys will have to be in Australia to see that the USA is breaking up
>Australian homes (together with the European of course!). The farmers
>aer selling off. Their children are committing suidcide. You have
>to know that trade has no mercy! It simply breaks human heart.
>There was an old buhhdist saying "Poverty makes devils. Prosperity
>makes saints". Vietnam as the whole has learnt all the illnesses
>of teh masters (Chinese, French, American and Russian). Now it is
>the time to learn the good of the rest of the world to blend with
>her own. Once the country becomes more economically prosperous then
>the political scene will change.
>
>I had a meeting with a Dannish high commissioner to Vietnam who
>headed a UN delegation "Aid to Vietnam" about 3 years ago. He gave
>me a short but reassuring comment. He said "I have been to many places,
>Arab countries, Africa, etc ... Vietnam is different! It is a land of
>intellectuals. I have no doubt that she will rise". I personally
>know many who are technically more intelligent than I am). They simply
>do not have the chance like what the overseas Vietnamese have. I have
>hope that Vietnam will be the land where poetry and steel will
>combine to build a civilisation tougher than steel.
>
>As real warriors who walk the high way of life, thy shall not entertain
>hatred and revenge. There are different people. Some talk but do not
>act. Some act but do not think. Some act with careful deliberation.
>This is the time of true guts and good will. With all the imminent
>ecological/environmental problems, trade wars, regional conflicts,
>etc ... it is real courage that counts. Many of you may find that it
>is silly of us (the Australians) to attempt to build optics factories
>in Vietnam and Africa to help curbing eyes diseases. Fred Hollow
>(a great Australian bush wacker doctor) is building portable factories
>to be shipped to Vietnam in 1994. I say "Bless Fred, bless Australia".
>I see that the Germans have financed a children hospital to help the
>suffering malformed children who were the innocent victims of the
>American orange agent. Perhaps this is part of their bussiness plan,
>but I can see that the children get some benifit. If these children
>do not hate America, why do Americans hate their country?
>
>The wind of change is on the air. The communists will die out to give
>way to nationalism. Nationalism sounds BAD as it is the flag of Nazi
>Germany and many other totalitarian regimes. However to see the true
>reality of nature, one must go back to common sense. Can one build
>a stable structure with  crumbling building blocks? Of course the
>answer is NO. A nation must be strong before it can participate in
>world democracy. To be strong it has to avoid disunity. This implies
>discipline (like the Japanese) and hard working (like the south Korean).
>However the Vietnamese has to learn how to be humane as well. Shall I
>say "like the old Australian"?. Some people out there still have hatred,
>revenge and ill feeelings for Vietnam as a nation, soon they will
>surely be the insignificant echoes of the past. As you sit in your
>comfortable lounge and drink your coffee today, please remember that
>there are people just as nice as you are out there. They have nothing
>but malaria, empty stomach, memories of lost ones, etc ... They also
>ask themselves why the foreign powers do not have mercy on them
>despite the fact that they do not hate these powers.
>
>For those in Australia, please watch the documentary comming soon
>on Australian SBS (this Friday?). It will tell you more about the
>people in Vietnam and how desperate they are in waiting for the
>USA to lift the embargo. This is really an insult to injury. I can see
>a clear path to a friendship between Australia and Vietnam. Australia
>is getting herself totally integrated into the ASEAN region.
>
>Gee, I am glad that I am Australian!
>
>Van Dao Mai
>Wollongong Australia
Gee,to much Australian thing here.I wonder how much you know about Americans
or Canadians that makes you think ills of us.Better yet,has you ever landed
your foot on American soil ??? To have such preconceived notion and such
an Anti-American sentiment without much actual experience is indeed pitiable.

Additionally, to think that people have hatred and ill feelings towards
Vietnam is ludicrous ...we actually love Vietnam and its people ...after
all we came from VN ... for others such as American ,they don't hate VN
what they hate is the barbaric and oppressive Vietnamese communist gov't
the regime that 's responsible for making VN undergo such a horrendous
and bloody experience .All I see here is just some extreme Anti-American
rhetorics without much proof to support.Alas, don't we have enough racists
in this world already !!!


Garrick Le

Disclaimer: all opinions expressed herein are my own.