LQM: In your view, what should the Vietnamese Diaspora do in face of "the storm clouds that forewarn natural disaster coming down from the northern border"? ⁽⁹⁾

It's imperative to raise awareness and concern among Vietnamese both inside and outside the country about the real threats from the northern neighbor.  The Paracels in the South China Sea were lost to China in 1974; the fate of the Spratlys is hanging on a fragile thread; then environmental catastrophe is flowing down from the upper reaches of the Mekong River, the most worrisome of which is a series of eight huge dams in Yunnan causing water shortages, loss of [nutrient-laden] silt deposit, and industrial pollution suffered by the countries in the lower reaches of the river. 

Obviously there is no freedom of the press in Vietnam [to raise any voice of protest].  But look at the overseas press that enjoys freedom of expression, look at a lot of newspapers and magazines, radio stations and websites in Vietnamese! 

The content one finds in all of them is not focused on news closely related to the future of Vietnam -- I mean the future of the people, not of a temporary political regime.  A concrete example proves my point: Recently there appeared the inflammatory news about a flare-up in conflict between China and Vietnam regarding the issue of the Paracel and Spratly islands.  It could have profoundly moved the hearts of all Vietnamese, but in reality the news occupied but a tiny humble slot, barely noticeable in Vietnamese language newspapers which had their eight columns on the front page filled with inconsequential news items that could be found in any American paper. 

I don't mean to say that those news items broadcast in the Vietnamese-language are not useful for the first generation of immigrant readers who don't know English.  But more important than that are "timeliness and a measure of content in news items" that are to be disseminated.  When information is complete, generally speaking the Vietnamese will no longer maintain a passive stand which American people refer to as the "wait-and-see" attitude.  I also would like to draw attention to a noteworthy detail which is that, no matter whether they are nationalists or communists, when it comes to the matter of the South China Sea, Taiwan is always quick to concur with the standpoint of mainland China in the name of "the Chinese people", even though the two countries still very much differ from each other in terms of political system, and they are not short of conflicts. (CLCD, p. 377)

LQM: In order to deal with the "Tibetization of the South China Sea", you have proposed two solutions: "first is [for Vietnam] to economize so that she can afford to establish a national defense force, especially its navy, strong enough to protect its territorial waters and its air space; second is to develop long-range intellectual weaponry capable of asserting sovereignty of Vietnam over both the Paracel and the Spratly island areas".  But how can Vietnam put into practice those suggested solutions amidst economic and social disunity at present?

NTV: "Tibetization", a new and suggestive term coined by B. A. Hamzah, Head of the Malaysian Institute of Maritime Affairs, is being used by the press and in diplomatic circles when they visualize the circumstance of Southeast Asian countries waking up one day to find the South China Sea in the hands of mainland China, a situation not unlike that suffered by Tibet. 

There have been two operating elements, destructive and constructive at the same time, which have shaped Vietnamese society throughout its history on its predestined land: while having to struggle with and overcome severe impacts of natural disasters, the Vietnamese have had to defend themselves and safeguard their identity against threat of assimilation imposed by the strong enemy in the north (It appears that Sar Desai, when conducting research on Vietnam, formed a similar opinion). 

Peace is always short-lived, while war protracted.  It's an irony that, being a poor country, Vietnam has to carve out a big chunk of national resources to build a solid national defense force capable of protecting the country's territorial waters and air space -- which action is unavoidable.  In this new century of globalization, in addition to the power derived from unity in a democratic system where all Vietnamese citizens are given an opportunity to participate and contribute, we must also take into account the potential "gray matter" of the young generations of Vietnamese living both outside and inside Vietnam.  The latter can provide the very thing which I call "long-range intellectual weaponry" built on solid knowledge of historical factors and international law, which can help Vietnam confront China in a UN forum, not right at this moment, but perhaps far in the future.

LQM: Vietnam's ownership of the Paracel Islands was recorded in the document called An Nam Dai Quoc Hoa Do (Map of the Great An Nam Country) printed in 1833 in Calcutta, India ⁽¹⁰⁾ .  But the world and our ally the USA still allowed China to seize the Paracels in 1974.  Do you think we should erect a memorial to commemorate the heroic fighters like captain Nguy Van Tha and the crew members of the patrol craft escort Nhat Tao HQ10, who "died for the country" during the Paracel Islands battle? ⁽¹¹⁾

NTV: That's a good idea worthy of attention and consideration by the General Association of the [Vietnamese] Navy.  A memorial dedicated to captain Nguy Van Tha and the crew members of Nhat Tao HQ10, who heroically sacrificed themselves at the Paracel Islands, will act as a reminder that those islands are still in the hands of China.  Perhaps I should quote a paragraph from an article by Professor Hoang Xuan Han in Tap san Su Dia (Journal of History and Geography) in its special issue, No. 29, March 1975, devoted to the matter of the Paracels and the Spratlys: "An illustrious pattern in our history is that whenever the country was weakened by disunity and internecine conflict, neighboring countries invariably attempted to seize our territory. 

At present, the fact of the Paracel Islands being occupied provides concrete proof of disunity among our people…although old and new historical evidence says that the islands are Vietnam's territory."  A memorial engraved with that quotation will have the effect of connecting and uniting Vietnamese people from both sides.

LQN: In Vong Dai Xanh, published in the 1960s, you discuss the forgotten war closely connected with the survival of more than thirty Thuong tribes, and also sovereignty over the immense Central Highlands.  In the 1990s, with Cuu Long Can Dong Bien Dong Day Song you talk about the uncertain future of the Mekong River and the deterioration of the whole ecosystem in the delta.  What will you be concerned with in the third millennium?

NTV: My concern will be focused on the Thuong in the Central Highlands, ecology and development of the Mekong River, the South China Sea and its gas and oil reserves.  All of them are different problematic issues for Vietnam in the first century of the third millennium.

LQM: How long did you spend collecting data, attending conferences, and visiting various localities in the Mekong River Basin before you embarked on the writing of Cuu Long Can Dong Bien Dong Day Song?

NTV: Approximately somewhat more than five years.

LQM: We live in an age when there is no shortage of people who follow either Yang Zhu's principle: "I would not try to benefit the world if I have to pluck out one hair of my body for that"; or Marquise De Pompadour's statement: "Après nous le Déluge", generally taken to mean immediate interests taking precedence over those long-term.  Against that mentality, do you think the Mekong Forum group feels they work in isolation in their goal to "save the River"?

NTV: I wouldn't say the group feels lonely or isolated in their goal. But in realization and development of that goal, progress has not been made as far as expected.  The group's Webpage, www.mekongforum.org, has been online for 5 years now, but it can only boast a number of visits of over 10 thousand, among which very many are by members of the group.  That's quite a small number indeed. 

According to Dr. Tran Tan Phat, webmaster of Mekong Forum, recently there have appeared positive signs: new visitors from international environmental organizations and universities, who asked permission to set up links with the home page of the Mekong Forum, and even initiated dialogues with the group.  In connection with this, mention should be made of a person who very early on wrote an article on "Exploration of the Mekong River". 

The article was disseminated widely overseas and also appeared in the magazine Tuoi Tre (Youth) in Saigon.  He is Pham Phan Long, an engineer.  Aside from organizing workshops and conferences on the Mekong River in 1999 and 2000, together with like-minded friends Long is tenaciously pursuing the goal of establishing an NGO organization that will gather together intellectuals and experts both inside and outside the country, with a view to accumulating and sharing knowledge, as well as keeping track of development strategies for the Mekong River, the river which is the lifeline of a hundred million inhabitants of the river basin who belong to seven countries, including Vietnam. 

This is to ensure that Vietnamese people have a voice in international forums, the effect of which will be like a warning cry to the Mekong River Commission, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and big capitalist companies making investments in the area.  Knowing that they are being watched, it is hoped that these institutions will work by transparent and correct methods and behave with decency and responsibility.  An independent organization conceived as such by the Pham Phan Long group, with people's support, will help enhance the capacity of a democratic government in Vietnam to negotiate and discuss [the Mekong issue].   MORE | PREVIOUS PAGE | HOME

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