A Report, from the Asia Education Foundation’s

LINKING LATITUDES CONFERENCEHanoi – Vietnam – 11-16 April, 2004

Ian GraySomerville House

VIETNAM – BEYOND THE WAR

This ‘report’ also contains images, information and some inquiry questions that teachers may find useful to use with

students.

That is, instead of just describing workshops and lectures attended, this is a report, that

asks you to occasionally speculate and inquire.

DESCRIBED MAINLY BY IMAGESThis report is also a little interactive…

eg skip ‘background to Vietnam War’ and jump straight to first image of the ‘Tourist’ Pathway, OR

–See what other pathways are available

So … you’ve not chosen the Tourist Pathway…Ok More choices…

Other Pathways Through These Slides

•‘Vietnam’ War

•Vietnam since 1975

•Education in Vietnam today (including school visits)

•At the Conference – notes from a few lectures and workshops

•MAIN PATHWAY = see the lot

Background to the ‘Vietnam War’ Vietnam - a place where a war occurred. In 1965 100,000 American troops fought to

defend South Vietnam from communist North Vietnam. The north-south divide is a story for another day, but parts of it and the French role in Vietnam appear in this inquiry report.

29 April 1965 PM Menzies announced Australia would have a combat role in the Vietnam War

Background to the ‘Vietnam War’ It was feared that like dominoes falling South

Vietnam would become communist and then Indonesia, PNG and ..gulp…Australia. It was the era of the Cold War. Australia continued to increase its troop commitment.

In 1966 and again in 1969 the majority of Australians voted to support the Liberal-National Party’s policy of keeping Australian troops in Vietnam.

By 1968 a half a million American soldiers, sailors and airmen were involved.

Dominoe Theory

Source: Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, 24 November 1966, p. 5

Background to the ‘Vietnam War’

By 1970 many Australians had joined anti-war demonstrations.

By December 1971 Australian combat troops had left Vietnam, and in December 1972 PM Whitlam announced all remaining training teams would be withdrawn and conscription abolished.

In January 1973 a cease-fire was negotiated - American ground troops were withdrawn but naval and air force units remained.

May 1975 pro-communist forces swept the South Vietnamese government from power. The last film footage out of Vietnam showed American helicopters evacuating their supporters from the roof of the American Embassy.

Background to the ‘Vietnam War’ In 1975 a new united communist Vietnam began In April 2004 Vietnam continued to be a communist country.

This background raises some KEY QUESTIONS:

1. Why did the USA and Australia become involved in what we call the Vietnam war and the Vietnamese call the American war?

2. What long term impact did the 1965-1975 ‘Vietnam war’ have on Vietnam?

3. Who was Ho Chi Minh?4. Who are ‘the Vietnamese’?

Geographically Ethnically In terms of their EDUCATION As seen through a case study of Hanoi in April 2004

5. What is Vietnam’s current trade relationship with Australia?

Key Questions Traditionally in Australian History classrooms

teachers have begun with the first question:Why did the USA and Australia become involved in what we call the Vietnam war?

However to more fully understand the war and the future in Vietnam it may be more appropriate to begin with:

Who are ‘the Vietnamese’? Geographically Ethnically In terms of their EDUCATION As seen through a case study of Hanoi in April 2004 Yes OR

No..continue with traditional Vietnam War story

Who are ‘the Vietnamese’ – Geographically?

Can you locate Vietnam on a blank map of the world?

How many cities in Vietnam can you name? Many Vietnamese Australians will find these

questions too easy. After 1975 many Vietnamese who had

supported the USA in Vietnam fled the country when the USA was defeated. Australia welcomed these refugees who had fought on ‘our’ side during the war.

Who are ‘the Vietnamese’ – Geographically?

http://www.vietnamair.com.vn/

All thinking tourists need a map and a little background information:

Who are ‘the Vietnamese’ – Geographically?

Vietnam shares borders with China, Laos and Cambodia.

Myanmar,(Burma), Thailand and

Malaysia are not far away.

The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi.

Hanoi is an 8 hour flight from Brisbane.

http://www.vietnamtourism.com/e_pages/vietnam/introduction/general/vig.frm.htm

According to the 2004 Lonely Planet Guide – which every second tourist in Vietnam seems to have:

Full country name: Socialist Republic of VietnamArea: 329,566 sq km- about the size of Victoria

Population: 81.62 million Capital City: Hanoi (pop 3.5 million) People: 84% ethnic Vietnamese, 2% ethnic Chinese, also

Khmers, Chams (a remnant of the once-great Indianised Champa Kingdom) and members of over 50 ethnolinguistic groups (also known as Montagnards, 'highlanders' in French)

Language: Vietnamese, Russian, French, Chinese, English Religion: Buddhism is the principal religion but there are also

sizeable Taoist, Confucian, Hoa Hao, Caodaists, Muslim and Christian minorities

Government: Communist stateHead of State: (2004)President Tran Duc LuongHead of Government: (2004)Prime Minister Phan Van Khai

Ref:http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_east_asia/vietnam/ Click to keep going OR continue Vietnam since 1975

Who are the Vietnamese? Very good motorcyclists! Crossing the street was an

adventure, but the bikes usually don’t exceed about 35kph and they go around you as you cross the street.

There are at least 3.5 million people in Hanoi… what must it have been like when the bombs fell during the American war?

This is the view from my 11th Floor Hotel window

Who are the Vietnamese?

“During the US bombardments of North Vietnam from March 1965 to October 1968 the authorities evacuated 75 % of Hanoi's population. After the end of the bombardments the city again grew rapidly. Today the population of Hanoi is more than 3 million.”

http://www.hanoitravel.com/

Hanoi Motorcyclists! Crossing the street is an adventure but don’t be there in rush hour

or the pollution will affect you. Motorcyclists don’t wear helmets but do wear scarves, masks around their mouths.

People sit on little stools everywhere and evening meals are often in the street People rather than trucks often transport goods.

Hanoi – buy your fruit on the street Note mask.

Hanoi – carrying baskets What are the advantages of using these? What do you use instead?

Hanoi – tourists do stand out

But then so do the low hanging electrical wires in the streets How might the people of Hanoi have coped with war time black-outs?

Click to keep going OR continue Vietnam since 1975

And there would have been blackouts?

Taken outside the military museum – plaque reads:“USA bombs used during the war in Vietnam”

Helmets of captured American pilots

Are the Vietnamese

proud of their military

achievements?

Yes… and the display of these helmets in a military museum alone reveals this, but 60%

of the population has been born since the war.

Vietnam’s population is youthful – not ageing

Young Vietnamese learn of the achievements of their parents

Many of those achievements are amazing

How does a poor, non-industrialised society wage a successful war against international superpowers like the French (defeated in 1954) and the Americans (defeated 1975)?

Even if their army was large it was poorly equipped and it needed to be fed. Just getting food to the troops must have been difficult.

Many of those achievements are amazing

How do you think they did it??

What weapons did they use? Without much mechanised equipment

or helicopters, how did they overcome the supply line problem, and get food

and equipment to the troops? Think about it before going to the next

slide.

Many of those achievements are amazing

The bicycle was often the answer. Long range guns were dismantled and carried on bicycles or

backs through almost impassable mountain tracks.

Many of those achievements are amazing

Young women assisted the war effort and their contributions continue to be celebrated as this photo in the Hanoi Military

Museum indicates

Simple but effective weapons and traps

Stand in the booby trap and your leg would be trapped by fish-hook type barbs

Go to next ‘tourist photo’

The Viet-Cong dug tunnels – a 1967 photograph from USA National Archives

http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/vietnam_photographs/vietnam_photos.html

There were also Russian made MIG fighter planes

And tanks

To read plaque see next slide

Tank Plaque

T54Tank

One of the tanks of the 263rd

armoured brigade which led the

infiltration troop unit of the 2nd

corps that seized the Saigon Presidential

Palace on April 30th, 1975

But today how much does the average 15 year old in Australia

know about the war?

How many think that the USA won the war??

If these misconceptions are about – why might these misconceptions have occurred?

USA Cavalrymen use helicopters for evacuation of wounded

http://www.vietnampix.com/fire5g.htm and this is NOT from a movie

Perhaps it was assumed that helicopters against bicycles was not a fair fight and that the USA had to win…??

April 1975 Helicopters evacuate the USA Embassy

http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0005/images/7-4.jpg

I remembered this image from 1975 – the young Vietnamese soldiers did not.

Vietnamese desperate to enter the USA Embassy Saigon on April 29-30 1975

A USA Marines website: http://www.fallofsaigon.org/frmain.htm

Soon after April 1975 Saigon became…

Ho-Chi-Minh City Very quickly the new communist

government changed the name of Saigon.

Today locals and trendy tourists call it HCMC

Forgiveness

Outside the Military Museum in Hanoi Coca-Cola is on sale. There was no sense of animosity towards Australians, or Americans for

that matter. (Listen to the former Australian Ambassador for one explanation of why this is so.)

In victory the Vietnamese are changing attitudes faster than we did after our victory over Japan in 1945 – and we changed the Japanese government.

Click to keep going OR continue with Vietnam Since 1975

Ho Chi Minh Clearly the leader who had defeated the USA would be honoured,

but Ho Chi Minh did not live to see victory.

He died in 1969. That’s him on the wall of the staff room at Tran

Phu High School in April 2004.

Continue with school visit OR Learn about Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh Born in central Vietnam to a Mandarin family 1917 he was in Paris and in early 20s visited China and Russia He was an educated man, fiercely nationalistic but also influenced

by Marxism He adapted Marxism to Vietnamese circumstances, eg unlike

Lenin and Mao he did not enforce the aethieism of Marxism and many Catholic churches as well as Confucian shrines and Buddhist temples continued to exist under his leadership.

In the 1940s the Japanese refused to allow the Vietnamese to grow rice because they wanted jute grown. Jute was used to make sand bags. Millions starved. Ho led the resistance.

In August 1945 as the Japanese were being defeated the ‘August revolution’ occurred as Vietnamese in several areas seized control.

On 2 September 1945 Ho proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but under the Potsdam Agreement the French were allowed to return to Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh Ho staged guerilla war against the French The battle of Dien-Bien-Phu in 1954 was incredible. Dien-Bien-Phu was a French fortress stretching some

kilometres. The Vietnamese soldiers tug tunnels into it and used

bicycles to carry artillery Organised by General Giap they were invincible, the

French surrendered and said they would take one year to fully withdraw. During this time the country was temporarily divided and many Catholics who had often supported the French headed south.

Under an international agreement (Geneva Agreement), there was to be a national election in 1956 but it was never held. The USA feared Ho and the Communists would be elected.

Ho Chi Minh

In Vietnam several people reminded me that Ho could have lived in this ‘Presidential Palace’ built by the French for their Governor in 1902.

Instead Ho had this modest, but beautifully timbered ‘stilt’ house built nearby

– very Queensland

- Why might he have done this?

Ho Chi MinhIf elections had been held in 1954 he may very well have been elected. Today he continues to be celebrated.

His body is preserved in this mausoleum (against his wishes to be cremated).

Some museum representations of Ho’s contributions seemed quite strange

This is from the post-modern Ho-Chi Minh museum, which also included very large representations of fruit.

Continue with Uncle Ho or first find out a little about the ethnic diversity of Vietnam that he helped to unify OR straight on

Vietnamese are close to the soil

WHILE INDUSTRIAL ESTATES ARE SPRINGING UP EVERYWHERE most people in North Vietnam are still farmers

ETHNIC MINORITIES Museum of Ethnology

Main ethnic group = kin or Viet Khmer = 1mill /80 mill and live in South Australian bridge in Mekong area greatly appreciated but in

some places roads are not used Khmer lack knowledge of Viet language, market economy and

consumer demand + schools are fewer in this area

Ede House: Vietnam Museum of Ethnology - Hanoi

The Museum of Ethnology is a fascinating place where you can climb in and out of traditional houses. The academic who lobbied for it and organised its building was doing so in 1968. In the middle of the American war he was trying to ensure the preservation of traditional Vietnamese cultures.

This Ede Long House, is of a style that has begun to disappear rapidly since the 1980s. It housed communal families from the Central Highlands. The family name was always that of the mother. Property decisions were made by the most senior female. After marriage a son resided in his wife’s house. The smoke from the fires inside was a little suffocating.

Bahnar communal HouseVietnam Museum of Ethnology - Hanoi

Central Highlands Until recently built only for men but now women visit on special

occasions Built high so you could find it in the jungle said a guide…hmmm…

oh and as a symbol of power… now that I can believe. (That’s high-rise everywhere isn’t it?)

Tay communal HouseVietnam Museum of Ethnology - Hanoi

Not sure where this one was from but again the smoke inside was a health hazard!

Floors in many of these houses were made of cane

This one reminded me very much of a Queenslander

“Uncle Ho” unified these people Between 1860 and 1890 the French established colonial

administration of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Many sporadic uprisings occurred against their rule in Vietnam

but none were unified on a national basis. In May 1941, while under Japanese occupation, Ho persuaded

several nationalist groups to form the Viet Minh – which aimed to free Vietnam from Japanese and French control.

And as you’ve already seen in 1954 he succeeded for a time…before the USA arrived.

The History of Vietnam has been one of successive invasions, from the Chinese, the French and the Americans

Vietnam War pathway ends here.

So how do students today feel about all these invasions and past enemies? next slide

School Visits

Along with other teachers attending the Linking Latitudes Conference I got to meet with the Principal and Deputy Principal and observe some classrooms.

Tran Phu High school

The Deputy Principal was also the Chair of the local branch of the Communist Party and we were told this was common.

The Principal told us: English is the only LOTE, though previously Chinese, Russian and French

had been available 30% of this school’s students enter university Curriculum emphasises Science and Environmental protection Australian History is not studied but students do know a little about

Australian Geography Economics is not studied until University Teaching Qualifications = 4 years after Year 12 graduation (and he

apologises for this not being a high standard) Rich people and some foreign governments give scholarships to ‘gifted’

students (and students were keen to hear if our schools offered any.)

Tran Phu High school

Parents pay about $3 per month for children to attend this State School

Teacher income: about $100USA per month

School Day: Mon-Sat 7.15- 11.45, then 12.30 – 5pm. Students only work one shift but younger teachers work both

Class Size: about 40-50 and Deputy reminds us that it would be higher were it not for good work of government

TV Interview

I was asked: What will you tell people about this school and Vietnam? (I emphasised

friendliness) Why are you here? (learn about Vietnamese culture and history)

Vietnamese students are very Australian

Despite the appearance of Ho and desks in straight lines, students had a relaxed friendly relationship with their teacher and an Australian-like sense of humour. To boy: “What do you want to be?”

ANS: David BeckhamAnd when a girl was then asked

she replied, with a giggle: “Victoria Beckham.”

One student gave me her exercise book as a memento

Australian educators are very respected TV crews followed us Students seemed a bit obsessed with becoming Western but

one girl I spoke to assured me they did not want to lose their Vietnamese culture

She was the one who gave me her exercise book as a memento Students I met were not wealthy but most had access to a

computer and via the cafes to the Internet

continue Vietnam since 1975

Critical Thinking is just beginning The new Geography Syllabus requires

the use of maps. Professor Nguyen Viet Thinh, Dean of

Faculty of education at Hanoi University described how the 1990 curriculum was intended to last 10 years.

Geography must be taught but only 6 exams occur each year and only in March is it revealed if Geog will be part of the national test in May.

Click to continue with Geog curriculum OR continue with ‘Tourist Slides”

Geography Curriculum

One hour pw or 35 hours per year through most Year levels but by Year 10 it seems completion of English to a satisfactory standard is a prerequisite to continue study in Geog or History.

National curriculum, that schools can only slightly adapt, tends to emphasise scientific approach to rotation of planets, capes, rivers, oceans and geography of continents and problem solving is still a new approach.

P.S.For some Australian educational material on the Mekong delta see

http://www.mekong.es.usyd.edu.au/

At the Conference The Conference attracted

over 350 educators from around Australia and made the news in Hanoi

We were addressed by a large number of speakers including the Australian Ambassador and the Senior Australian Trade Commissioner as well as the current Vice-Chancellor of RMIT University – the only international university permitted spoke to establish in Vietnam.

A common theme was the importance of education within Vietnamese culture

At the Conference Joe Thwaites Australian Ambassador to Vietnam:

1991 Australian bi-lateral aid resumed after Viet troops left Cambodia

Viet President has visited in 93 and 99, Aust PM visited in 94 and Foreign Minister Downer has visited 7 times

Vietnam now the 3rd largest destination for Australian aid after PNG and Indonesia

A former Melb Uni student is now Viet Min for Trade Trade balance is in Vietnam’s favour by $2.3b b/c we buy

Viet oil Aust is 4th largest investor in Viet Viet has applied to enter WTO in 2005 & Aust supports this Viet govt is encouraging o/s Vietnamese to return and

become involved in eco devReturn to the Military Museum where Coca-Cola is on sale

At the Conference Michael Mann former Ambassador, CEO ABC TV etc now VC RMIT International

Teacher’s day – late November is a big event in Vietnam – the PM of Vietnam on that day takes flowers to his primary school teacher

Forgiveness – anecdote – man he knows, born 1949 had a brother who left to fight for the revolution in early 1960s. In 1966 this man came home and his parents were disembowelled in front of him he fought for the VC but says it was 2 years before he heard of the idea of communism. He was wounded, but by 1995 becomes a Govt leader, his sister lives in USA and he sent his sons to USA to complete MBAs.

Vietnam has a history of repelling invaders eg 13th century Mongols who had successfully invaded many countries failed to invade Vietnam

At the Conference Michael Mann former Ambassador, CEO ABC TV etc now VC RMIT International

1979-80 = last invasion, by Chinese Chinese Ambassador said China could not hope to have as good relations with Vietnam as Australia has. Vietnam’s relations with big powers, China, France, USA have never been good but with middle powers like Australia they are fine.

Rapid change – 1984 no Hotels in Hanoi, students read texts in street because there was no street light and there was not enough rice.

Education today peasants will go without food to educate their children

At the Conference Tim Gauci Senior Trade Commissioner,

Australian Trade Commission

GDP growing at 7% pa – 2nd fastest in world after China but rich are getting richer and poor poorer in rural areas. Hanoi labourer earns $20 US per month.

Trade imbalance because we import oil but also b/c metals, cereals, dairy are not in increasing demand – esp b/c of:– appreciation of $A

– ASEAN Free Trade Agreement b/c Australia can’t compete with Singapore, Malaysia etc

Viet does not discriminate against Aust when a large % of our exports are from Japanese subsiduaries b/c if the export licence is an Aust’n one that is all they care about

= end Vietnam Since 1975

continue OR return to other possible pathways

At the Conference Temple of Literature – Vietnam’s first university in 1076

Students sat on the turtles and rote learnt Confucian scripts from the walls. Last Confucian exam was in 1907.

At the Conference Temple of Literature – Vietnam’s first university in 1076; (first

Doctorate in 1442)

Site is being restored …and American Express is

helping to fund it, (Caption reads: “Ministry of Culture and Information with support from American Express Foundation – assisted US-Indo-China Reconciliation Project 1994)

Chinese rule 179BC – 138AD

3 major life ceremonies in Vietnam:

– Wearing your first hat– Going to school– Getting married

At the Conference Vietnam Minister of Education

Retention rate = 46% in upper secondary, not yet up to ASEAN averages, but female literacy is highest in region

Plan for 2015 targets quality of education 25 000 Viet students studying overseas and largest % in

Aust.

= End Education pathway

One Party State

In the final analysis Vietnam remains a one-party, undemocratic State

But it is much more than that. (Tourist slides end here … student review

questions continue.)

Can you answer the key questions?

These were introduced earlier as:1. Why did the USA and Australia become involved in

what we call the Vietnam war and the Vietnamese call the American war?

2. What long term impact did the 1965-1975 ‘Vietnam war’ have on Vietnam?

3. Who was Ho Chi Minh?4. Who are ‘the Vietnamese’?

Geographically Ethnically In terms of their EDUCATION As seen through a case study of Hanoi in April 2004

5. What is Vietnam’s current trade relationship with Australia?

What about a time-line? How many dates from Vietnamese History can you recall?

RESOURCES

Access Asia - http://www.curriculum.edu.au/accessasia/ Wonderful links and web-based activities -

http://www.bssc.edu.au/public/learning_teaching/pd/aef/vietnam.shtml

http://www.mekong.es.usyd.edu.au/ Trinity College in Western Australia offer a wide-ranging portal into material relevant to the Vietnam War:

http://library.trinity.wa.edu.au/subjects/sose/austhist/vietnam.htm

Young People, Old Country: Lower Secondary (Years 7-9), http://www.curriculum.edu.au/accessasia/

– units have also been written to encourage the development of skills

–  Unit 1: students explore the history of Vietnam and how the past affects the present. – Unit 2 Should the Mekong be Dammed?

• analysing a variety of views on the use of resources; • predicting the consequences of implementing particular plans.

– Unit 3 Casuarinas and Sand Dunes - A Case Study in Sustainable Development• Students explore and evaluate ways of reclaiming and regenerating an area in Vietnam. Involves explaining the

consequences of modifying places; predicting the consequences of implementing particular policies; analysing links among resource use, economic growth and ecological sustainability.

– Unit 4 Vietnam - A Nation in Change• Students explore the impact of changes in contemporary Vietnam - economic, social and political. Involves

describing how culture, belief systems and social organisation contribute to the identity of Vietnamese people; describing features of the economic and political systems; analysing the impact of change on society and individuals.