The fall out of a faithless war, but who really won?
They say that history is written by the victors. Well if so, Vietnam has a weird way of sounding their victory. It’s now 34 years after a win that many thought was impossible in the face of America’s superior strength and firepower (bombing them back to the Stone Age and all that). Now 34 years after the end of the war that caused the loss of 38,000 US troops and 4 million, yes, 4 million, Vietnamese people.
And what is the situation here now? People clamouring to speak the language of the people they defeated. American money is accepted as currency everywhere. And the political system the North Vietnamese fought so hard to protect has given way to American-style hardnosed capitalism, in all but name. And we’re still looking after dozens of kids born with congenital birth defects, the after effects of Agent Orange.
So who really are the victors? I think the story of Vietnam is still being written.
