April 30th, 2021 marks the 46th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon and the final conclusion of the American War in Viet-Nam. In the Vietnamese diaspora worldwide (the majority of which are composed of refugees from the former Republic of Viet-Nam, many of whom have resettled in the United States), this anniversary is marked as ‘Black April’ (Tháng Tư Đen), a time of mourning and rememberance for the end of the Republic and the mass exodus that followed.
Despite our tragic origins, by most accounts the Vietnamese-American community is doing quite well for ourselves. We have firmly cemented our place in all aspects of American life, making contributions in communities throughout the United States. However, dark problems emerged from our community beginning in 2020. These problems reflect longer-term problems with our cộng đồng. Indeed, we Vietnamese and our “cộng đồng” style of politics — personal attacks, ideological divisiveness, misinformation, style over substance — pioneered Trumpism long before Trump. Since 1975 (and even during the entire existince of the Republic of Viet-Nam), we Vietnamese never practiced the democracy that we preach. Our community remains trapped in the past. Also, much of the Vietnamese community seems to speak loudly for interests misaligned with our values and our concerns.
Taking a Stand Against Xenophobia
In 2021, xenophobia and anti-Asian racism has reared its ugly head. From the time that mass asylum was granted to Southeast Asian refugees in 1975 and beyond, we experienced both the warm generosity as well as the violent hostility of Americans. This has been the case with every other immigrant group before ours. Our community is grateful for being ‘saved’ by America — and hence are intolerant of any social or political criticism against it and perceive any calls for social progress as being ungrateful or worse…being ‘Communist’. For example, many Vietnamese-Americans remain silent about the surge in hate crimes and violence against Asian-Americans, many of them elders. Some Vietnamese are under the misguided belief that open hostility against China will somehow keep them safe. Yet, a violent racist thug won’t be able to tell the difference between a Chinese national, a Chinese-American, nor a Vietnamese-American. Other Vietnamese disassociate the political rhetoric of “kung flu” and “China virus” from the creation of a climate of xenophobia, pointing out that many attacks are perpetrated by black and Hispanic people. They deflect to the boogey man of “critical race theory” and affirmative action as the true enemy to America and to Asian-Americans. Anything that can remotely be associated with Communism is the true enemy. However, critical race theory is not attacking our grandmothers. Regardless of the source of these attacks, the Vietnamese-American community needs to stand in solidarity with our AAPI brethren. On every front, we must challenge and defeat the idea that Asians (including Vietnamese) are weak or easy targets or not ‘real Americans’. And the best way to do this is through a unified voice within the cộng đồng, amongst the AAPI community, and with the vast majority of all races who acknowledge that systemic racism exists…and must be condemened.
Stop Supporting Lost Causes
Will we continue to be a “loser” community, perpetually on the wrong side of history? By the sight of so many RVN flags flying alongside the flags of other defeated causes like the Confederacy and Naziism, many in our community want this. Why were so many Vietnamese siding with a cowardly, draft-dodging, Veteran-insulting, born rich con-man who talks tough, yet cares about nothing except his own personal wealth and power? Why have many Vietnamese been misled by misinformation about the ‘Big Lie’, that Trump won the presidential election, or that Biden is secretly a Communist? Even worse, many South Vietnamese flags (and people) were present at the January 6th attack on the Capitol — which was not just a violent mob, but a concerted domestic terror attack and insurrection to oveturn a democratic election. No doubt, the growing list of people indicted by the FBI may include some Vietnamese-Americans.
You would think that RVN’s history would have taught us better by now….a Republic that was lead by an endless parade of corrupt dictators throughout its 20 years of existence. Leaders who were not worthy of the sacrifice of so many ARVN troops and innocent civilians.
Indeed, to see the RVN flag featured so prominently amongst other emblems of racism and lost causes…was both humilitaring and infuriating. These displays were a desecration of everything that my father and his ARVN brethren fought for.
Yet even today, so many Vietnamese-Americans (and Americans) allow themselves to be conned by propaganda and misinformation…even those who pride themselves on being ‘educated’. The only other reason I can think of why so many (especially older generation) Vietnamese are so enthusiastic about Trump is from their education. Raised in a colonial system, they have a ‘colonial mentality’ that reveres that a ‘white savior’ will come and rescue them…from their fellow Vietnamese, from Communism, from poverty, from violent racists. The hatred against Communism and the love of the West is so visceral, that some Vietnamese see no problem marching alongside white supremacists who don’t even view them as humans. Instead of clinging to the colonial mentality and other historical losers, the Vietnamese-American community needs to focus on building the future. Instead of just being ‘anti-Communists’, we need to stand FOR something. And the thing we stand for cannot be populist dictatorship that desecrates the ideals of freedom, human rights, and democracy that we protest for in Vietnam and around the world.
The Fall of Kabul and the Plight of Refugees
History is repeating itself before our very eyes. September 11th, 2021 may become another “Fall of Saigon” day, this time for Kabul, Afghanistan. Just like the South Vietnamese, millions of Afghans have placed their faith and their lives in America’s foreign policy promises and rhetoric. Will the United States again abandon our allies? Like it has done with the South Vietnamese. The Hmong. The Kurds. Now, the Afghans. Indeed, many Vietnamese-Americans are US military Veterans of the war in Afghanistan. Many Afghan (and Iraqi) interpreters who risked their lives to protect American troops are waiting for their asylum claims to be processed, to be granted safe passage to America. These people face daily threats of retaliation against their families. For many Vietnamese allies left in Vietnam, retaliation came in the form of incarceration in brutal re-education camps, mass executions, multi-generational poverty, and political discrimination. One can easily imagine the fate that would befall Afghan collaborators at the hands of Taliban and Islamist extremists. Thankfully, groups like No One Left Behind advocate for their behalf and assist with their resettlement. Just like us, American refugee agencies, religious organizations, and individuals have advocated for these refugees and helped them upon arrival in the US. Yet, I see no concern or opinion on this matter from Vietnamese-American organizations. We were the last large wave of refugees who were granted asylum in the United States. Even though 1/10th of eligible people were allowed into the United States through various programs over a decade…over a half-million Southeast Asians were granted asylum. Some came through dramatic rescues on April 30th, 1975. Others endured perilous ocean voyages as Boat People (which re-play today as refugees flee Syria and Libya and the Horn of Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to find asylum in Western Europe). Many languished for years in refugee camps in Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Philippines, waiting for their cases to be heard (which re-play as Central American migrants languish in tent cities on the US southern border with Mexico). Many were sponsored by families…derided as “chain migration” by conservatives. Yet, the Vietnamese-American community appears unconcerned about a potential Fall of Kabul to brutal extremists, nor the plight of other refugee groups. Many Vietnamese-Americans side with those who are nativist and oppose immigration of all types. The hypocrisy is incredible. We Vietnamese-Americans have been the beneficiaries of American compassion and generosity. The least we can do is to pay this goodwill forward, by advocating for continued Amercian diplomatic and foreign assistance to allied countries and for asylum and humane treatment for refugees seeking shelter and freedom in America. We cannot and should not simply pull the ladder up behind us.
What Do We Stand For?
What should be our stance on democracy and human rights in Vietnam? Should the Vietnamese-American community even care, or should our focus be on strengthening our prosperity and influence in the US? How do we pass on our culture and language to the third generation and beyond, for whom the War is nothing but an entry in a history book? How does the Vietnaemse diaspora self-organize to accomplish its goals? What are our goals? I’ll tackle those topics in future posts.
I will summarize by pointing out the turmoil of recent times:
- Anti-Asian hate crimes against Vietnamese-Americans,
- A domestic terror attack and insurrection abetted by Vietnamese-Americans,
- A potential mass refugee crisis in Afghanistan and beyond ignored by Vietnamese-Americans.
However, it is not all darkness and gloom. I see lots of young Vietnamese-American activists and groups re-define the culture and purpose of what it means to be Vietnamese-American, to better realize the values, influence, prosperity, and peace for which our fathers have fought and died for.
For this Black April and beyond, our Vietnamese-American community needs to:
- Learn from our past, not be held back by it…and focus on the future.
- Practice the democracy we preach, by respecting elections, focusing on civil discourse based on facts, reason, and compassion
- Find our voice to speak out for our community and for other communities and individuals who have suffered the same tragedies as our people have. To stand up FOR values and a positive vision for the future.
