From: mai@cc.uow.edu.au (Van Dao Mai)
Subject: The air of change for the better is obvious in Vietnam
Organization: University Of Wollongong
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 02:11:18 GMT

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.

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. 

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.  

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