The Foreign Service Journal, April 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2015 69 the 70th anniversary of Vietnam’s independence and the 40th anniversary of reunification with the South. In other places, we saw the leftover billboards from the commemorative events of 2014. Private advertising along the sides of the roads or in towns, however, was non-existent. Entrepreneurs seemed able to publicize their activities in the press, with handouts or on TV, but not with billboards. While monuments commemorated northern victories, they were all victories against the Americans. We saw no references to the role of southerners in the struggle, except occasionally as The skyline of Ho Chi Minh City as it appears from the circle in front of the Ben Thanh Market. The tall building in the background at center left is the Bitexco Financial Tower, the tallest building in the city, a 68-story structure inspired by the lotus flower. The red sign on the building across the circle says in rough translation: "President Ho Chi Minh lives forever great because of our industriousness." puppets of the Americans. The southern dead did not seem to be memorialized with any of their own monuments or cem- eteries. Those southerners who fled after 1975 did so for eco- nomic reasons. Hanoi had fought and repelled the Americans. What does one make of the new Vietnam? A very wise Viet- namese explained that his generation had all gone through “re- education” if they had not been believers. The next generation picked up the message about the Vietnamese victory over the Americans in school. Some believed it; others were skeptical. He said the really interesting groups are the people under the age of about 35. They are cynical about what they learned in school from professors who couldn't answer questions about history and gave rote answers to their inquiries. They are, however, sufficiently connected to the outside world with cell phones and social media that this matters little. They don't care about history and politics. They want to be connected with their peers in the rest of the world, making money. This is the new Vietnam. n While monuments commemorated northern victories, they were all victories against the Americans.