Two Paths to Nation-Building
The experiences of two notable leaders of Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem, led both of them to create monumental decisions that helped shape the future of their nation. While Minh and Diem possessed nationalist intentions, both of them differed in terms of ideologies. Minh conceptualized his nationalist view through his familiarization of communist ideals, while Diem held a contrasting position via adherence to personalism (Duiker 53-137; Miller 433-458).
Minh became an anticolonialist through his father, who strongly rejected French rule. Through travels to European and Asian nations, Minh has obtained greater perspectives coming from his observations on the way people in the West live and think. The First World War further influenced Minh on his notion on nationalism; he went on to act as the national representative of Vietnam during the Peace Talks, only to be turned away because France did not recognize the independence of his nation. The exposure Minh gained in Europe, where he had part-time stints as a pastry chef and photograph enhancer, led him to become one of the founding members of the French Communist Party. Yet, Minh sought more than the ideals of communism in the West that would suit his idea of Vietnamese secession from French control. Therefore, Minh studied the communist ideals of Mao Zedong in China, which favored the plight of peasants in Vietnam. Yet, the arrest of Minh in China there led him to seek a seemingly unlikely alliance with the United States (US) in order to gain strong support for his movement to gain independence for Vietnam and dialogue with the French colonialists. Thus, Minh used the influence of four powerful nations – Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), US, China and Japan, to advance Vietnamese independence without the interference of France (Duiker 53-137).
Like Minh in North Vietnam, the South Vietnamese leader Diem acquired his consciousness on nationalism from his father, who served as a mandarin or civil servant of Vietnamese descent during the time of French rule. Yet, the father of Diem eventually exited from civil service out of protest against France, as he participated in the growing nationalist dissent against the French that time. Diem rose through the academic ranks, having graduated at the top of his undergraduate class. Having entered the civil service, Diem followed the footsteps of his father in order to gain advantage in his goal to end French control over Vietnam. The conversion to Catholicism of Diem enabled him to gain notable connections in the US and Europe, as he sought to create a “third force” that would compete against the French and the Viet Minh, led by the communist leader Minh. Seeking to push for independence without colonialist and communist influence, Diem used personalism as his ideology, which goes beyond the materialist aspirations of communism by urging people to improve their spiritual aspects for attaining liberation. Unlike Minh, who initiated efforts to repel property owners off their lands for distribution, Diem supported them through a series of land reform programs, for he treats them as an integral aspect of his legitimacy (Miller 433-458).
People Caught in the Middle
The story of Hang in Paradise of the Blind serves as a formidable account of nation building in Vietnam. Hang stood as a third-party observer that has gone through both the pains of capitalism and communism through her life experiences. The commenced the story when Hang recalled several experiences her family have gone through as she travelled to Moscow in Russia by train. Que and Ton, the mother and father of Hang, respectively, married in their countryside hometown and spent two happy years together. Yet, the communist regime that has taken over that time has made the lives of Que and Ton highly difficult. Chinh, the brother of Que who is an active communist, sought to separate her from her husband Ton on the account that he belongs to a family of property owners. Tam, the sister of Ton, fell victim to the resentful actions of Chinh and the rest of his communist colleagues, who confiscated the lands of all property owners. Upon realizing that the siege of the communists in the countryside that involved Chinh would not result to a peaceful life there anymore, Que sought refuge in Hanoi, where she dwelled within the slum areas. Eventually, Ton visited Que to visit Hang, who would later remember almost nothing about her father who later killed himself out of disdain for the disallowance of Chinh to see his own family (Duong & McPherson 11-59).
Hang went through more conflicts in her life due to the ideological differences her uncle Chinh held. Tam, her aunt, favored Hang so much that she showered her with several expensive gifts, possibly as a way of making up for the losses brought by the death of Ton, her brother and the father of her niece. Still holding contemptuous feelings against Chinh, Tam grew estranged with his sister Que, who somewhat sought to defend him due to filial ties. In that respect, Hang grew torn between her mother Que and her aunt Tam. Reconciliation eventually prevailed within Hang, Que and Tam, yet revelation on the eventual downfall of Chinh unfolded towards the end. The discovery of Hang on the black market activities of Chinh stood as the failure of the integrity of communism, which is his political ideology. Upon dying, Tam granted Hang her estate, which made her prosperous despite choosing not to live in the house of her aunt (Duong & McPherson 60-258).
Works Cited
Duiker, William. Sacred War: Nationalism and Revolution in a Divided Vietnam. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill, 1995. Print.
Duong, Thu Huong, and Nina McPherson. Paradise of the Blind: A Novel. New York City, NY: HarperCollins, 2002. Print.
Miller, Edward. "Vision, Power and Agency: The Ascent of Ngô Ðình Diêm, 1945–54." Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 35.3 (2004): 433-458. Print.
