About Vietnam

7:00 am, Saturday 19-12-2009

Dear brother,

By this time you have already been overseas for a few years, as you have always talked about. So let us talk about Vietnam, the country you and I were born in.

I did not use the word "our country", simply because we did not have the choice of where we were born in. We should not let a place define who we are. The fact that "I am Vietnamese" should not define who I am, how far I desire to go, and how I live my life. It's funny when you just say that "V" word and people form all sorts of impressions about you.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but pride about the country, at least the way it used to be. How can a race so poor, so fragile defeat even the strongest of armies? How can a race so small, so quiet go into places in this world and change the way things are, the way things will be for a booming economy? How can mortal men, like Ho Chi Minh himself, ravel and summon such united strength to achieve in the impossible? It's simply amazing.

But the truth is, what Ho Chi Minh (by the way was not related to us given the Surname) said "Vietnamese are hard working, are more ready and willing even in hardship and in pain. They are brave and persistent. They are kind and loving to their people. Nothing is more valuable than independent and freedom", no matter how true in was in 1950s-1990s, is utterly outdated (Hope I don't get banned from "our country" because of this). The fact is there are 90 million Vietnamese. Each with their own family. Each with their struggles. Each with their choices.

I've seen young people, youth that is supposed to change the nation, supposed to bring change, indulge in what it is, for the lack of better words, the easy lifestyle. Instead of fighting corruptions, they indulge in their parents' relationship to go places in life. Instead of bringing forth and sharing wealth (ok I sound like a liberal), they indulge in a luxurious lifestyle with spa, clubs, drugs, etc. using their parents' money. Instead of preaching love and tolerance, they embrace even more radical views about minorities and other races. I always called soldiers years back "my people" (although back at the days of those wars, they might have called my grand father "traitor"). But, to call some youth these days "my people", I cant help but fear.

And then we have our brilliant government, who said things like "When Obama was sitting across the room, as he looked at me with respect in his eyes, I feel truly proud" in public speeches, as if it's straight out from a homoerotic novel. Where is the "Yes,we can!", the "Educations and youth is the future of the nation", not even the simplest thing Ho Chi Minh said. Mr Ho, I miss your brilliance dearly in our current political affairs.

I heard they imposed a tax on Vietnamese citizens who study and work overseas; because "as Vietnamese you have responsibility to your country". No wonder people leave. In a country that used to embrace so much of choices, of freedom, of independence, a government only imposes the so-called "responsibility" without the care for citizens themselves. Did they take care of us when we were apply for our scholarship? Did they help and subsidize when we were struggling with our lives abroad, trying to make ends meet? Did they tax the same group of youth who're living in excess wealth and went to prestige international schools in the country itself? I wonder what would Mr Ho. (not us) say about a country he has spent his entire life fighting for?

People's lives have improved for the better. Yet, some's lives are going to a direction that is no where close to Mr Ho.'s prophecy of Vietnamese. Forgive me if I may sound judgmental. I've seen young girls who dressed up like street hookers going out with old westerners and married out. I've seen kids who dressed up in hip hop fashion even though they cant even speak up proper. I've seen 5 year-old holding iphone dancing and singing that Korean song from the Wonder bra singing words they or their parents don't understand. I've seen people commercialize, ab-using and promoting the promiscuity of homosexual lifestyle. I've read radicals who say gay people are sick, unnatural and a disaster to mankind when still saying the arts and possitive reflection of gay culture is "outdated" and "overdone" in other countries. I've seen singers and artists who have colored hair, stripped off shirts on stage, and sing words like "Bitch if you don't love me it's your loss because there are girls out there that would die for me" or "Too bad girl, no matter how much you love me, I'm only into boys, cos I'm a homo. Yeah. Yeah. Homo." I've heard Ms World and Mrs World representative saying things like "We Vietnamese women only stay at home and look after our farms and animals". I have a feeling I've seen this all before. The future that Mr Ho. and "my people" have invested so much time, and blood, in, has turned into... America.

All that said, I still love the country we were born in. It's noisy, messy, terrifying at times, but it's nevertheless wonderful. It's full of choices, full of love, full of struggles, and full of the people who will turned us back from America to the true country we once were. I hope by the time you are my age, this prophecy of a much smaller and much less wonderful Mr. Ho will become a reality.

As one of my favorite Vietnamese's novel of all time said "A place holds a a person, when there buried a loved one, or lived the persons he most truly love". Since Vietnam was where we grew up together, where our parents fall in love and argue most of their lives, where they brought us up and taught us about choices, and tolerance, and love; it does hold my heart.

I do hope it holds yours, too.