From: doky@uda.dgcd.doc.ca (Hien Doky)
Subject: [POL/HIS] Some books on Viet Nam [was: Call for a dialogue]
Originator: daemon@media-lab.media.mit.edu
Reply-To: doky@uda.dgcd.doc.ca
Organization: SCV Relay
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 21:59:59 GMT

Dear netters,

I have been away on business so i sort of got back into this discussion
rather late. I saw the "Call for a genuine dialogue" posting and would like
to urge ba.n T Tran to read more on the history of Vietnam, rather than just 
quotes from one single book, before summarize our history in a few short words.
To my own experiences, short words are misleading in most cases, so the 
only thing i can do is reference a few books on the matter and let interested
netters read and  decide for themselves. Afterall, you netters should have 
the right to decide for yourselves and should practice it :)

The history of our country is unique. Her relation of Cambodia is complicated
(it went back to thousands of bloody fighting years), so rely on Sihanook's
autobiography as your sole source is as dangerous as holding the knife by
the blade :) But do read it, do read from all sides to draw your own conclusions
because only you, yourself a free citizen of a free country, should decide for
your ownself.


Here are the books:



	1) "From Colonialism to Communism" by Hoa\ng Va(n Chi' ("Tu+\
	thu+.c da^n dde^'n co^.ng sa?n"):

	In this book, Mr Hoa\ng referenced to the book "J'ai vecu dans
l'Enfer Communiste du Nord Vietnam" by Gerard Tongas to show that 
the number of Vietnamese died in the "land-reform", staged by the
communists, were 100000. 

	Also anh Tra^\n Tha'i Linh had sourced several publications by Bernard
Fall, Wesley Fishel, Douglas Pike and James Banerian to back up this
number given by Gerard Tongas.

	For those who want to know more about the living condition of 
Northern Vietnamese during the 1945-1975, please find the following
books:

	- "Tra(m Hoa DDua No+?" by Hoa\ng Va(n Chi'
	- "Revolt of the interlectuals in North Vietam" by Patrick Honey
	- "The social and political development of Vietnam as seen through
	the modern poem", PhD thesis of Mr Hoa\ng Ngo.c Tha\nh
	- "Nhu+~ng pha?n a?nh xa~ ho^.i va\ chi'nh tri. trong tie^?u 
	thuye^'t mie^\n Ba('c 1950-1967" by Hoa\ng Ngo.c Tha\nh and Tha^n 
	Thi. Nha^n DDu+'c

	
	2) "Vietnam Reconsidered: Lessons from a war"

	This is a collection of papers/presentations given at a four day
conference in 1983 at University of Southern California. Included in 
this book are papers by H Salisbury, R Shaplen, G Herring, P Knightley,
F Snepp, R Muller, Bui Diem, Michael Huynh...

	This book gives the reader a full spectrum of view points, from the 
left to the right. It is a good book, since it covers the topic from
most angles.

	A quote from page 214 of this book: "...from the beginning Americans 
had not bothered to understand or study Vietnam and its culture. They 
did not know the people - not those they were helping, nor those they
were fighting...". Does this sound like someone we know ?

	Interestingly enough, the question of boat people do surface in this
conference as well. Read for yourselves to find out whether boat people
are economic migrants or not. Also, please go to your local library
and search for newspaper articles under topics such as "boat people",
"refugee" or "repatriation" to find out what the "mainstream media"
have to say about boat people. In Canada, the "mainstream media" did
NOT indicate that most boat people are economic migrants. I can not
possible type or quote all those articles up here. Please find these
at your local library.

	See also Nu+o+'c Ma('t Trong Tim: Bu't Ky' Ho^\ng Ko^ng by Le^ 
DDa.i La~ng.

	
	3) "In the interests of PEACE: Canada and Vietnam 1954-1973" by 
	Douglas A. Ross

	This book covers the story of Canada in Vietnam from 1954 to 1973.
Some interesting facts in this document. Check out chapter 4 and 5 to
see the brutality of the Hanoi government in those years, especially
during the "land reform"


	4) "Ngo^ DDi\nh Die^.m va\ nhu+~ng no^? lu+.c ho\a bi\nh dang do+?"
	by Nguye^~n Va(n Cha^u (original is Mr Nguyen's PhD thesis, written
	in French"

	Read for yourselves the conditions and accomplishments under the
Ngo^ DDi\nh Die^.m years. See also the series of books by Mr Pha.m
Kim Vinh on the same subject.


	5) "Co^ng va\ to^.i: ho^\i ky' li.ch su+~ 1945-1975" by Nguye^~n Tra^n

	Some of the events in those bloody 50 years seen through the eyes
of cu. Nguye^~n Tra^n.


	6) Li.ch tri\nh die^?n tie^'n cu?a phong tra\o quo^'c gia Vie^.t 
	Nam" by Nghie^m Xua^n Ho^\ng

	This book describes the evolution of the nationalist movement in 
Vietnam from 1862 to 1954. 


	There are many more books on Vietnam which had been suggested to
me by Viet Anh, TYV, NBT, and TMT. My special thanks to them all. If your
are interested in getting the lists suggested by these people, please
contact me.


Sincerely,

Hie^?n

PS. Here are some more from other friends of mine:

***

1.  Tran, Van Dinh, Independence, Liberation, Revolution: An 
Approach to the Understanding of the Third World.
	Despite the very slim volume, this is one of the best
treatments on the subject. Dr. Dinh undertook the comparative
studies of the communist and non-communist movements, from Cuba
to Congo, from Vietnam to India. The sections on the root of
Vietnamese and Chinese communist movements are excellent. The
book is very objective, and highly readable to non-experts.
	Dr. Dinh was Ho Chi Minh's Army Chief of Staff in Laos during
the resistance. He left Ho's government, went southward and became
Diem's minister (?).

2. Nguyen Van Canh, Vietname Under Communism, 1975 - 1985.
	This book is less well written, but it provided vivid accounts
of what Vietnam had gone thru in the first ten years under
communist rule nevertheless.

3. Hoang Van Chi, From Colonialism to Communism: A History in North
Vietnam.
	Hoang's works are well known, especially this book. I assmued
that you knew about it.

4. Santoli, Al, To Bear Any Burden.
	A Collection of conflicting opinions about Vietnam War, its
cause and aftermath. But, in any event, the stories are credible
than most of the scholarly research in the field.
	For those who have doubt about the sinister of communism, they
can read writings by Truong Nhu Tang, a former VC minister, and 
Doan Van Toai, a left winger in the pre-1975 south VN.


***

          I would like to add something on the subject.  During the
land reform in the 50's, there was an uprising in Nghe An against the
regime in the North.  This uprising was crushed with the use of an
entire army division.  How many were killed and deported was not
clear.  I found out about this uprising in the book "Victims and
Survivors" by Louis Wiesner, 1988.

***

Two more authors on the topic of Vietnam I would like to add
are Norman Podhoretz and Jean Lacouture (a French historian).  What is
particular about these two is that they were initially on the left
during the war but have since radically changed their position.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese