The Vietnam After The War - an interview

Having learnt about the Vietnam War as part of my AS Level History study, I was impelled to research into the aftermath of the war, which my school study did not elaborate into. I was interested in what happened when the Americans eventually left and what happened to Vietnam after the Spring Offensive of 1975. However I wished for a first person account. And so through many contacts I reached a Vietnamese woman, 60 years old, living in England, who wishes to remain anonymous in this blog, that fled from Vietnam in 1978 as Communist ruling took over. Due to her wish to remain anonymous, for the purpose of the blog, I shall refer to her as Linh.

Firstly I would like to thank 'Linh' for so kindly agreeing to talk to me and allowing me to write this blog post on her past. As mentioned, I discovered that Linh fled Vietnam in 1978. She had previously lived in South Vietnam and during the war, members of her family and her ex-husband were South Vietnamese soldiers, fighting against the Communists and the North. When the Communists eventually took over, things only became worse for Linh and her family. They had previously made their living by selling car parts, however when the Communists took over they called them a 'bad family' who stole money from the poor. The Communists took their home, their jobs and most importantly to Linh, their freedom.

Many of the South Vietnamese who had opposed the Communists in the war suffered great repercussions, especially the ex-South Vietnamese soldiers. Linh can say this from experience. Her now ex-husband (who was a South Vietnamese solider) was taken by Communists and tortured. Her brother-in-law who had dared to talk against Communism was taken in the middle of the night, disappeared, and has not been seen to this day. When I asked Linh  if she had seen anyone being killed by Communists with her own eyes, after a short silence, she just said yes. However Linh said that even with no work and no home, and only living on family savings, she was one of the lucky ones.

The Boat People

According to Linh, much of the South Vietnamese wealth was taken by Communist officials, and much of Vietnam was thrust into poverty. Due to these conditions and the feeling of immense danger in Vietnam at the time, Linh felt she had no other option but to flee. To escape, Linh and her family had to secretly pay for a place on a boat that would leave Vietnam. Linh and her family were part of the hundreds of thousands who fled Vietnam, famously known as the 'Vietnamese boat people.' A trip that took months of planning and that was full of its own dangers was Linh's freedom from the repressive Vietnam. Linh then settled in the United Kingdom, where she resides to this day.

In recent years, Linh has occasionally returned to Vietnam. Although she is free from the grasps of Communism, on visits to her home town it is still apparent to her of their ongoing repressive policies. Linh mentions how the Vietnam that the western tourists see is not the true Vietnam, but a facade. Really South Vietnam in particular is in deep poverty and to this day the majority of people are afraid of saying the slightest thing against the Communist rule. Linh believes that if she was to ever say anything against them in the media and she was to return to Vietnam she would disappear as her brother-in-law did all those years ago. She maintains that the Communists are strong rulers, however they have deprived their people. Linh says it is the worst case when she has seen a family member fall ill, and they have had to make the decision between buying food or medicine, because they did not have enough money for both. On the other hand, she has witnessed for herself the wealth of Communist officials, who can afford to send their children overseas to countries like the UK and the USA to be educated, many of which she has come across. 

Linh finally said solemnly that even though the Communist rule in Vietnam to this day has power over the people, she hopes that one day there will be a rebellion and they will be free. 

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