Living in my little NY corner of the world, it did take some 3 months for me to hear about the massive protests that have been happening in Vietnam right now. It’s touching to see that the Vietnamese people stand together for the name of sovereignty and international diplomacy. One thing that I have learned is that Vietnamese people have very strong nationalistic pride and are very a very proud people. For a very long time there have been infighting and factional tensions within the ruling parties of Vietnam. What Vietnam needs is an outside enemy to unite everyone.

Example 1: The Europeans had to unite and put their differences aside to channel their energy against the mighty Soviet Union. Even after the Soviet Union broke apart, that partnership still grew stronger and born the United States of Europe. Today, the EU wields tremendous economic and military influence around the world. The Blue states of the EU still border the many Red states of former Communist. However, they have slowly neutralized the Red and are brining them into the EU bloc.

Example 2: In the beginning the founding states of the America all acted independently from each other and often time were very competitive against one another for resources. However, it took time and focus for the United States of America to form to fight off the brutal Red Coats. Again, they needed an outside enemy to neutralize all of their differences.

Can Vietnam be example 3? There are still so much bad blood and differences within ethnic groups. As a country, many Vietnamese are disenfranchised, and we aren’t even talking about the expatriates. If China can become the outside enemy, then everyone would reunite around the singular banner of disposing and taking back what is rightfully ours. In addition, I’m speaking that in terms of being a young visionary. Already there is intense economic competition between Vietnam and China as Vietnam has become more economically competitive in the recent years. In addition, there is much talents abroad from around the world, with the sons and daughters of the boat people. We don’t hold any grudges against the current people living in Vietnam, and infact we would be very willing to help out relatives still living in Vietnam. What does this all mean?

There’s going to be a show down in that part of the world, specifically the South China Sea. Vietnam has to be careful to play its card. Strategically I would say if Vietnam can become the hub for East Asia trade and have many multinational companies have a vested interest in it, then the government of EU & USA will more likely help it out. Even though the EU and USA have heavy investments in China, they are also strong rivals. In addition, the USA and China still has the Taiwan issue to deal with. Can Vietnam come out winning this time around?

Tags: Peace, Vietnam, Life, Travel