Desaix

Hanoi III: Week I – Desaix Anderson

Despite technical problems and other discombobulating events, we are off to a good start. The students are a delightful group and full of life.
Historian Huu Ngoc’s presentation at the Van Mieu Confucian Temple of “Three Thousand Years of Vietnamese History and Culture --- in One Hour” again provided a cosmic and well-integrated view of Vietnam’s attraction and resistance to China’s dominance over a period of two thousand years, Vietnam’s struggle against French colonialism over 100 years, and finally the challenges of the emplacement by others of Vietnam in the Cold War. Mr. Ngoc retains certain nostalgia for Vietnamese traditional culture and voices some concern about the impact of globalization on that culture, but ultimately is confident that the Vietnamese people will prevail.

Secretary General of the Vietnam Historical Society provided his excellent analysis of the life and crucial role of Ho Chi Minh. A critic of many government policies, he, nevertheless, believes that Ho Chi Minh would approve of the direction in which Vietnam is now proceeding, including specifically in establishing a strong relationship with the United States.

Dr. Christophe Robert provided a highly insightful analysis on the nexus between Vladimir Lenin’s view of history and Ho Chi Minh’s attraction to Leninist methods and policies to promote the nationalist revolution in Vietnam. With the historical context of French colonialism from their reading, the students were highly appreciative of Dr. Robert’s compelling analysis on Ho Chi Minh’s manipulations and use of Lenin’s theories to create and lead Vietnam’s revolution.

Based on his impressive reading of international and Vietnamese scholars, Dr. Pham Hong Tung outlined the various theories of the sources of Vietnam’s strength in surmounting the challenges of defining its identity against enormous odds.
The week-end excursion to Ha Long Bay on the junk “Sunrise” captivated the students with its stunning beauty, the magnificence of the huge caves, not to mention the delicious shrimp and two sessions of swimming in the fantastic surroundings. We had a great time!

6/14/09