The Republic of Vietnam, 1955-1975: Vietnamese Perspectives on Nation Building

206 Pages·2020·2.534 MB·English

by  Tuong Vu, Sean Fear

The Republic of Vietnam,
1955–1975

The Republic of Vietnam,
1955–1975
Vietnamese Perspectives on
Nation Building
Edited by Tuong Vu and Sean Fear
Southeast Asia Program Publications
an imprint of Cornell University Press
Ithaca and London
Southeast Asia Program Publications Editorial Board
Mahinder Kingra (ex officio)
Thak Chaloemtiarana
Chiara Formichi
Tamara Loos
Kaja McGowan
Copyright © 2019 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts
thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the
publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East
State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2019 by Cornell University Press
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Vu, Tuong, 1965– editor. | Fear, Sean, 1984– editor.
Title: The Republic of Vietnam, 1955–1975 : Vietnamese perspectives on nation
building / edited by Tuong Vu and Sean Fear.
Description: Ithaca : Southeast Asia Program Publications, an imprint of Cornell
University Press, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019012613 (print) | LCCN 2019013608 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781501745140 (pdf) | ISBN 9781501745157 (epub/mobi) |
ISBN 9781501745126 | ISBN 9781501745126 (cloth) |
ISBN 9781501745133 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Vietnam (Republic)—Politics and government. |
Vietnam (Republic)—Civilization.
Classification: LCC DS556.9 (ebook) | LCC DS556.9. R47 2019 (print) |
DDC 959.7/7043—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019012613
Cover image: “Helping the people in all their endeavors is the duty of the soldiers of
the Republic." Courtesy of the U.S. National Archives, photo no. 306-PPB-78.
Contents
Introduction 1
TUONG VU AND SEAN FEAR
Chapter 1
Coping with Changes and War, Building a
Foundation for Growth 13
NGUYỄN ÐỨC CƯỜNG
Chapter 2
The Birth of Central Banking, 1955–1956 25
VŨ QUỐC THÚC
Chapter 3
Reform or Collapse: Economic Challenges
during Vietnamization 35
PHẠM KIM NGỌC
Chapter 4
Land Reform and Agricultural Development,
1968–1975 47
CAO VĂN THÂN
Chapter 5
Striving for a Lasting Peace: The Paris Accords
and Aftermath 57
HOÀNG ÐỨC NHÃ
Chapter 6
Public Security and the National Police 71
TRẦN MINH CÔNG
Chapter 7
Reflections of a Frontline Soldier 81
BÙI QUYỀN
vi Contents
Chapter 8
The Philosophies and Development
of a Free Education 93
NGUYỄN HỮU PHƯỚC
Chapter 9
Personal Reflections on the Educational System 105
VÕ KIM SƠN
Chapter 10
Life and Work of a Journalist 117
PHẠM TRẦN
Chapter 11
The Vietnam War in the Eyes of a
Vietnamese War Correspondent 127
VŨ THANH THỦY
Chapter 12
Sóng Thần’s Campaign for Press Freedom 139
TRÙNG DƯƠNG
Chapter 13
Writers of the Republic of Vietnam 155
NHÃ CA (TRANSLATED BY TRÙNG DƯƠNG)
Chapter 14
The Cinema Industry 165
KIỀU CHINH
Chapter 15
The Neglect of the Republic of Vietnam
in the American Historical Memory 173
NU-ANH TRAN
Chapter 16
Political, Military, and Cultural
Memoirs in Vietnamese 179
TUAN HOANG
About the Editors 189
Index 191
The Republic of Vietnam,
1955–1975

Introduction
Tuong Vu and Sean Fear
From its origins as a guerilla struggle, the Vietnam War rapidly evolved into the
definitive conventional military encounter of the Cold War era. The final stages fea-
tured tanks, artillery, helicopters, perhaps the world’s most sophisticated air defenses,
and round-the-clock bombardment on an unprecedented scale. Despite this show of
arms on both sides, however, the core underlying conflict was always primarily politi-
cal in nature. Central to the struggle were the competing visions of “nation building”
in the South advanced by rival Vietnamese communist and noncommunist actors,
each supported to varying degrees by their respective international allies.
Although scholarship on the role of the United States and the communist side
has been substantial, republican Vietnamese contributions and perspectives have only
recently attracted in-depth scholarly attention. The vast majority of academic works
devoted to the Vietnam War have been centered on American decisions and experi-
ences.1 A series of recent studies has begun reversing this trend, but they have been
limited to certain periods or particular state projects.2 Few works address how local
actors interpreted and shaped events, either in tandem or at cross-purposes with the
Americans. And fewer still have explored the role of civil society and the population
at large in South Vietnam.
Far from puppets or incidental players in the conflict, however, the Republic of
Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam) and its constituents were committed to a robust
nation-building agenda of their own. This often took the form of top-down state-
driven projects, including involuntary population resettlement; experimentation with
state- and market-oriented economic reform; agrarian development and land regis-
tration; modernization of the national educational system; and, in 1967, a sweeping
political restructuring consisting of a new constitution, a bicameral legislature, and
national- and village-level elections.
Everyday citizens also had a part to play, as the testimonies in this volume attest.
The military, boasting well over one million soldiers at peak strength, was swelled
by conscription but also by thousands of dedicated volunteers, who at times fought
bravely against often unfavorable odds. Desertion, corruption, and administrative
ineptitude posed persistent challenges, but rank-and-file soldiers at times also dem-
onstrated great commitment, their determined resistance against communist offen-
sives in 1968 through 1975 proving critical to prolonging the state’s survival.3
Meanwhile, despite the government’s recurring if generally ineffective harass-
ment and censorship, South Vietnamese artists, writers, musicians, and even film
and television stars contributed to a burgeoning cultural scene in Saigon, their works
regarded by many as a welcome alternative to the communists’ statist agitprop. South
2 Tuong Vu and Sean Fear
Vietnamese journalists likewise resisted state efforts to stifle an independent press,
resulting in a lively print media scene that contested recurring government crack-
downs until the very end. Through brave opposition to the government’s authoritarian
tendencies, South Vietnam’s vibrant civil society demonstrated a firm commitment to
constitutionalism and republican values. And long before the guns of war fell silent, a
distinctly anticommunist national identity had emerged and crystallized in the South.
This volume emerged from a symposium held at the University of California,
Berkeley in October 2016, which aimed to promote a deeper understanding of the
Republic of Vietnam. This two-day event was not an ordinary academic meeting: in
addition to academic presentations, the speakers included fifteen prominent South
Vietnamese administrators, politicians, military officers, educators, writers, artists,
and journalists.
It was quite a challenge for the organizers of the symposium to assemble these
historical figures from around the world, the youngest of whom were in their late six-
ties and the oldest in their mid-nineties.4 In fact, two of the confirmed speakers—Mr.
Võ Long Triều, the former owner and editor of the Saigon-based newspaper Ðại Dân
Tộc (The great nation) and an opposition legislator in the RVN’s National Assembly,
and Nguyễn Thanh Liêm, former vice minister of education in the RVN—passed away
only a few months before the symposium. Two other speakers, Vũ Quốc Thúc and Cao
Văn Thân, were well enough only to greet symposium participants from their hospital
beds in Paris and Montreal, respectively. (Their papers were read by others and are
included in this volume.) And both Mr. Lâm Lễ Trinh, professor of law and former
minister of the interior, and Mr. Huỳnh Văn Lang, former director of the Foreign
Exchange Agency and founder of the journal Bách Khoa (Polytechnics), presented via
Skype from southern California. (Their presentations have not been included in this
volume.)5
Especially significant is that these RVN figures have had few previous opportuni-
ties to express themselves, despite having played such important roles in the history
of their country. Even today, the presenters remain largely obscure in the English-
language scholarship on the war, reflecting the field’s long-standing tendency to
dismiss noncommunist South Vietnamese perspectives. Indeed, this symposium
represents one of the first events to include such a wide range of former RVN military
and civilian officials in a respectful academic environment.6 The range of authors also
reflects the diversity of South Vietnamese society, featuring accounts from men and
women, soldiers and civilians, and elites and everyday citizens alike. Readers may
agree or disagree with the viewpoints of these historical figures, but it is our hope
that this volume will provide insight for researchers and general readers alike, both
by illuminating the historical events that the authors shaped and experienced and by
recording the memories and reflections of a generation that is rapidly passing away.
Accordingly, apart from minor editing for length and clarity, the testimonies presented
here have been kept intact.
Nation Building in War
Nation building can be defined either as the deliberate efforts to create a com-
munity within a nation-state or the abstract process by which such a community
emerges. The basis for the community is a sense of solidarity built on shared beliefs,
cultural practices, or political principles.7 As an abstract process, nation building may
take place over centuries in tandem with other processes such as war, state formation,