Vietnam's reconciliation with the West is nothing short of phenomenal. To get some sense, imagine Mecca overrun with Jewish tourists.
Capitalism reigns supreme.
New Hondas jam the streets, and vest-pocket tour agencies fill Hanoi's Old Quarter. If America's goal was to make the world safe for Coca-Cola, we succeeded. Nonetheless, the political victory of the Viet Cong was a miracle of military determination. The more one reads, the more astonishing was their courage and ingenuity. The cornerstone of the north's victory was, pure and simple, the leadership of Ho Chi Minh.