The Many Meanings of Vietnam
And it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn Next stop is Vietnam. And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopie! We're all gonna die!
I-feel-like-I'm-fixin'-to-die-Rag , Country Joe and The Fish
It was a warm April 30 in 1975. We were busy finishing our term papers and preparing for the semester examinations. A ringing slogan swept through Periyar Hostel on Jawaharlal Nehru University campus. 'Saigon has fallen!' For several days before that, we were closely monitoring events in Vietnam.
It was clear that the war was in its final stages and sooner rather than later, Ho Chi Minh's Viet Cong would overtake Saigon. The classic visual of stranded Americans and their local dependents clambering on to the last helicopter to leave the United States embassy campus in Saigon captured the moment. Coca-Cola and a march to the North Vietnam embassy
Within minutes, hundreds of students and faculty gathered on campus and braving April's mid-day heat, marched all the way to Prithviraj Road where the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, popularly referred to as North Vietnam, had its embassy.
As we marched on we chanted the globally famous cheer that had been heard for years on campuses around the world – 'Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh/ We Shall Fight, We Shall Win' and one that had become famous in Bengal – 'Amar Naam, Tomar Naam/ Viet Nam, Viet Nam'.
On entering the embassy compound we were welcomed by diplomats in suit and tie holding bottles of chilled Coca-Cola. Two years later, in 1977, George Fernandes, the socialist industries minister in the Morarji Desai government, was to ban that American soft drink in India. But Vietnam's victorious communists couldn't care less. They had defeated the world's most powerful army. So what's the problem cooling off with a Coke!
My generation's familiarity with war was defined by India's victory in Bangladesh. We were still too young in 1962 and 1965. Our patriotism was shaped by the glorious victory of 1971. In my home city of Hyderabad, the Indian Army displayed American made Patton tanks seized from the Pakistan army in 1965.
An assortment of guns and equipment were put on display at festive fairs where everyone celebrated the heroism of the armed forces. It was, therefore, a culture shock in those days to read all about the resistance to draft and the anti-war campaigns on American campuses.
The US tested all its latest weaponry in Vietnam, killing ill-equipped peasants with napalm and more, but few around the world accepted the logic of American engagement. As in Afghanistan more recently, so too in Vietnam the US had to make a hasty and ignominious exit. What the Vietnam war left behind was a rich repertoire of music, literature and cinema, depicting the futility and brutality of war.
'Make Love, Not War' was a slogan seen on campuses across the world as young people became familiar with the anti-war songs of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. Dylan's 'Masters of War' was brutal: 'Come you masters of war/ You that build the big guns/ You that build the death planes/ You that build all the bombs/ You that hide behind walls/ You that hind behind desks/ I just want you to know/ I can see through your masks' .
Seeger's 'Bring The Home' became an instant hit. From Graham Greene's The Quiet American to Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, literature and cinema too contributed to this counter culture of peace.
After pushing the Americans out in 1975, Vietnam gave a drubbing to China's Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) in 1979, making it the only country in the world to have pushed both superpowers back. What is equally amazing about Vietnam is the manner in which it has risen, phoenix-like, from the devastation of war to become an economic success story within less than half a century. With a national income (GDP) per capita of around $4800 in 2024, Vietnam has overtaken India (per capita GDP of about $2800) as an industrial economy. Vietnam's economic success story
Vietnam's economic success story has been widely written about. The ease with which Vietnam has integrated with the world outside, as a member of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) and as an economic partner of both the US and China draws attention to the essential pragmatism of an industrious and brave people.
What is also impressive about the Vietnamese is the ease with which they now relate to this past. Ho Chi Minh City, as Saigon is now called, is a city at ease with itself. A war museum, with all the distressing memories it brings, sits comfortably next to delightful restaurants, cafes, bistros, patisseries and boulangeries. French delegates at a conference I attended last year were full of praise for the quality of Vietnamese cuisine – both the local cuisine as well as French cuisine. Both Hanoi and Saigon are a tourist's delight.
Vietnam's ability to combine the hard power of military and economic success with the soft power of remaining a bridge between Asia and the West is a unique achievement. Fifty years on, Vietnam is today powering ahead because it has not allowed the burden and the animosities of the past to define its present and constrain its future.
Even as we contemplate the cost of conflict at home in India, it is important to realise that there are no short cuts to development and security. The most important lesson that Vietnam has learnt from its own history of conflict is to focus one's energies at home, always prepared for the worst but investing in building the future through pragmatic relationships with friend and foe.
Sanjaya Baru is an author, former newspaper editor and former adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
7 minutes ago
- The Hindu
All-party parliamentary delegation led by Shashi Tharoor wraps up U.S. visit
A multi-party parliamentary delegation wrapped up its visit to the U.S. after meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau among political and diplomatic leaders, to drive home India's strong resolve to combat terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was on the last leg of a multi-nation tour to brief key interlocutors about Operation Sindoor that India launched in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. The delegation was one of the seven multi-party delegations India had tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistan's links to terrorism. The group arrived in the U.S. capital on June 3 and over the course of three days held a wide array of meetings on Capitol Hill as well as in Washington, briefing American government officials as well as lawmakers about India's stance on cross-border terrorism. The Indian team met Vice President Vance, Mr. Landau, House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) leadership, India Caucus leadership and Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaders. It also held meetings and interactions with a host of U.S. Congressmen, think tanks, policy experts, media as well as members of the Indian-American community. Mr. Tharoor described the meeting with Mr. Vance at the White House for about 25 minutes on Thursday (June 5, 2025) as 'an excellent meeting,' and said the Vice President was 'warm and welcoming and receptive.' 'Mr. Vance expressed complete understanding, first of all, outrage of what happened in Pahalgam and support and respect for India's restrained response in Operation Sindoor,' Mr. Tharoor told PTI after that meeting. After the delegation met Mr. Landau on Friday (June 6, 2025), a statement by State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the Deputy Secretary of State 'reaffirmed the United States' strong support of India in the fight against terrorism and the strategic partnership between the two countries.' 'We discussed the U.S.-India strategic relationship, including expanding trade and commercial ties to foster growth and prosperity for both countries,' Mr. Landau said. The Indian Embassy said in a statement that during the meeting with Mr. Landau, the delegation briefed him on the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, discussed India's subsequent Operation Sindoor, and put forth India's firm resolve to counter cross-border terrorism in all its forms. In a post on X on Sunday (June 8, 2025), Mr. Tharoor wrote in Hindi, "On behalf of all the members, I express my gratitude to the motherland and the lovers of India in the country and abroad who listened with open ears and accepted with open heart that we are lovers of non-violence but only until someone... Jai Hind". सौ बार जन्म लेंगे तो सौ बार करेंगे जी भर के अपने वतन से प्यार करेंगे जो हम से बन पड़ा, "अ वतन" हमने किया है जो सच था, सारी दुनिया ने अब जान लिया है समस्त सदस्यों की तरफ से मातृभूमि का और देश विदेश में हिंदुस्तान प्रेमियों का बहुत-बहुत आभार जिन्होंने कान खोल कर सुना और दिल खोल कर… — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 8, 2025 On the last day of the delegation's scheduled meetings, the delegation paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue opposite the Indian Embassy here. 'It is striking how many world capitals are adorned with statues or busts of the Mahatma, the 20th century's greatest apostle of peace, nonviolence, and human freedom,' Mr. Tharoor posted on X afterwards. The team, which had arrived from India in New York on May 24, had travelled to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and Brazil before arriving in Washington for the last leg of the tour. The other members of the delegation were Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP) and India's former Ambassador to the U.S. Taranjit Sandhu. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. The on-ground hostilities from Indian and Pakistan sides that lasted for four days ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.
Mint
28 minutes ago
- Mint
Harvard's China ties become new front in battle with Trump
In his war with Harvard, President Trump has sought to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding from the school and strip its tax exemptions, measures the White House initially tied to perceived antisemitism at the school amid Israel's war in Gaza. In recent weeks, long-simmering Republican anger over Harvard's links to China has increasingly gained traction. In escalating calls to punish the school, a training event two years ago in the Chinese city of Kunming has emerged as Exhibit A. The training, on the bland topic of healthcare financing, was co-hosted by a Harvard professor and involved a few dozen provincial-level bureaucrats. Among them was at least one representative from Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a large Chinese Communist Party paramilitary organization in the country's far west that also handles civilian government services, including managing hospitals. U.S. authorities in 2020 imposed sanctions against the Xinjiang corps, accusing it of ethnic and religious abuses against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities and forbidding U.S. persons from providing it 'funds, goods, or services." On Wednesday, as Trump moved to bar Harvard from enrolling foreign students, his order cited the event, charging that in exchange for Chinese funding the school 'has, among other things, 'repeatedly hosted and trained members of a Chinese Communist Party paramilitary organization.' " Harvard, which didn't respond to questions, hasn't publicly addressed the allegations involving the Xinjiang corps. The school is fighting Trump in court, calling some of the administration's measures illegal. To its detractors, Harvard epitomizes American elite universities' dependence on Beijing as a profit center—and how that helps the country's rulers, the Chinese Communist Party, challenge the U.S. The conservative Heritage Foundation took aim at higher education in its Project 2025 recommendations, saying, 'Universities taking money from the CCP should lose their accreditation, charters, and eligibility for federal funds." Chinese citizens represent some 23% of Harvard's international students, and Education Department data show that in recent decades individuals and companies from China and Hong Kong together have been the university's No. 2 source of large foreign gifts and contracts, behind only England. In 2023 and 2024 combined, the data show, Harvard reported $55.6 million in gifts of $250,000 or more from China, including Hong Kong, plus $13.7 million in contracts, some 13% and 8.2% respectively among all large-scale funding from non-U.S. partners. The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps booth during a 2021 trade fair in Beijing. In previous responses to questions about its China exposure, such as acceptance of financial gifts, the school has cited its broad global alumni network across over 200 nations. With some 90 million members, the Chinese Communist Party has a deep reach into Chinese society. But while some tuition payments and funding might ultimately be traced to decisions by Chinese Communist Party officials, neither China's government nor the party would be likely to directly underwrite activities involving universities abroad, and there is no indication of such payments to Harvard. The Xinjiang corps, colloquially known as Bingtuan, is central to the Chinese Communist Party's ironclad rule over Xinjiang. Widespread evidence shows its paramilitary operations have played a leading role in Beijing's suppression of Uyghurs, including the detention of more than a million people. In imposing sanctions on the corps and its leaders in 2020, the Treasury Department cited 'their connection to serious human-rights abuse." The organization also has a massive administrative role in providing social services to ordinary citizens, such as managing hospitals and healthcare systems, the topic of the 2023 Harvard training, co-hosted by Winnie Yip, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Analysts say the Xinjiang corps's participation in the training—organized by a Chinese health-insurance regulator, the National Healthcare Security Administration—was hardly the kind of nefarious activity American sanctions are designed to halt. Still, U.S. sanctions laws don't differentiate between types of interaction, said Julian Ku, a law professor at New York's Hofstra University. 'Providing services to a blocked entity is prohibited, so Harvard does indeed face some possible liability here," he said. Trump indicated that his concern about the Xinjiang corps was based on findings of a House Select Committee on China. Its chairman, Rep. John Moolenaar (R., Mich.), late last month wrote to Harvard President Alan Garber, demanding explanations about university activities that 'create risks to U.S. national security and further the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) genocide in Xinjiang." Harvard President Alan Garber A China committee statement about Moolenaar's letter charged that Harvard researchers did transplant studies with 'PRC-based collaborators, amid mounting evidence of the CCP's forced organ harvesting practices." Allegations that Beijing is engaged in institutionalized theft from prisoners and others of body parts for organ transplants have recently gained traction among Republican China critics. While few human-rights groups make that claim today, the anti-Beijing spiritual group Falun Gong has forcefully promoted the issue. The Moolenaar letter described a number of Harvard studies as problematic, including one on cardiac transplants involving mice, detailed in a March 2024 scientific paper that indicated one of the 20 researchers had an affiliation with a hospital in northern China. A spokeswoman for Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital told The Wall Street Journal that the study was done at that institution and had no association with China. By the time the paper was published, she said, one researcher had joined the Chinese hospital. Harvard hasn't responded to Moolenaar's May 19 letter, which was also signed by Reps. Tim Walberg (R., Mich.) and Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), but by no Democrats on the China committee. Winnie Yip, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health In a response to questions, Moolenaar called the Xinjiang corps 'a sanctioned, paramilitary organization complicit in genocide" and said, 'I stand by the letter, and I will continue demanding answers from those enabling or ignoring the CCP's abuses." Criticism over the Xinjiang organization's participation in the 2023 healthcare event originated in a late April report by Strategy Risks, a research firm run by Isaac Stone Fish, a New York-based journalist, which concluded that Harvard's behavior raised doubts about its effectiveness in 'limiting [Chinese Communist Party] and authoritarian influences." The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a New York public-policy organization, funded the report but hasn't independently published the findings. Last month the report found an audience with Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), who cited Strategy Risks in an open letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that urged an investigation into Harvard's potentially 'prohibited behavior" with the Xinjiang organization. Rep. John Moolenaar Four days later, Moolenaar and his fellow House members sent their letter to Harvard's Garber, noting the Xinjiang organization's role in mass detentions and describing healthcare efforts in Xinjiang as a 'fig leaf" to whitewash crimes. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem then called out the training as she moved to strip Harvard of its right to educate foreign students. Harvard's public materials on the meetings don't say how the corps came to participate in the training, an iteration of a series on healthcare finance basics known as the Flagship Program developed by the World Bank and Harvard in the 1990s. It has been offered to bureaucrats in dozens of low- and middle-income nations; the 2023 version in China had a special focus on eldercare insurance. A Chinese-language website published by Harvard said the Xinjiang group joined the annual training in 2019, but an internet archive tool showed that reference to its participation was later deleted. Yip, far left, at healthcare-finance training event in China in 2023. The congressional letter also took issue with a photo Harvard published from the 2023 event that blurred out name plates in front of four speakers, which the politicians charged 'raises questions about why Harvard wanted to keep their identities hidden." It couldn't be determined who had obscured the nametags; the photo had previously been widely published that way in China. Key participants are nonetheless easily identified, including the Harvard professor, Yip. Write to James T. Areddy at
Mint
28 minutes ago
- Mint
Africa needs American generosity
President Trump has made clear that he will put the needs of his country and its citizens first before attending to the needs of the world. No leader of a nation as great as the U.S. could do otherwise. It would be a mistake, however, for Mr. Trump to forget about Africa. In purely material terms, Africa is important to the U.S. because of its natural resources and its bright, entrepreneurial and eager young people. But global leadership involves more than strategic utility—it has a vital humanitarian dimension. What happens in Africa affects the American people. Many parts of the continent are burdened with severe political and economic instability. Africa is now a magnet for conflicts and proxy fights over the natural resources so important to modern technology. Famine and poverty are also pervasive at levels unimaginable in the U.S. For decades, crises in Africa have been averted and lives saved because of the American people's generosity, delivered through the U.S. Agency for International Development. That aid has enhanced African society and, in the process, strengthened American economic influence in the region. We remain grateful for this. Africa is a culturally rich continent with deep economic and human ties to the U.S., and a great admiration for American freedoms. Our culture is imbued with love and respect for the family, the goodness of life and the hope for a better future, which our fertility rates reflect. We are a religious people, convicted in our love for and dependence on God; rich in history as well as natural resources; and sincere in our gratitude to our global friends, who support us in becoming more self-reliant. In short, the U.S. has transformed millions of lives for the better on my continent. Without U.S. support, even more internal conflicts would now be crippling Africa, leading to greater political instability and threatening the continent's economic development. The end of USAID support will have untold consequences for generations. The American people are right to be concerned about the proper use of their limited resources. Their critics are foolish and unjust when they ignore that fact. But targeted humanitarian aid for Africa is urgently needed, morally good and of great strategic value to the U.S. International politics won't tolerate a vacuum. Should the U.S. abandon Africa, its place will be taken by its adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea. This is already occurring in too many places, but it isn't too late to turn the tide, creating a situation in which Africa and the U.S. both win. It's unhelpful to tie aid to ideology—to abortion or 'population control"—that defies the values of many African cultures. I believe that respect for African culture can coexist with humanitarian aid. Cultural colonization needn't be the price exacted for a moral, strategic and humanitarian partnership. As a Catholic cardinal, I spend time with bishops, priests and ordinary families across Africa. I see their needs. I hear their hopes. On behalf of those people, I ask President Trump and his administration to reconsider aid to his friends in Africa, who have been and will continue to be important partners of the U.S. We are eager to work closely with Washington to ensure that all such aid is used well, free of the fraud and mismanagement that has occurred in the past. There is too much at stake—for Africans, for Americans and for the world. Cardinal Ambongo is Roman Catholic archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo, and president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar.
