Vietnam: Land of Hope and Prosperity

Vietnam: The Land of Hope and Prosperity

Those of us who have traveled in many countries and have visited famous sites such as France's Eiffel Tower, the USA's Statute of Liberty, the Pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China have probably admired or even fallen in love with these architectural masterpieces. Some of them have even been named among the Wonders of the World.
If we happen to be asked by foreigners about attractive sites in our own country, we might feel inferior or ashamed since Vietnam does not have any site seemingly worthy of such fame (some might suggest Halong Bay, however this site is still unknown to many visitors).
I remember reading the following paragraph from "Quoc Van Giao Khoa Thu" (National Elementary Language class) when I was a child: "A frequent traveler, after having visited many countries was asked which place was most beautiful. He replied: Nowhere is more beautiful than one's homeland.".
I am fortunate enough to have been able to travel throughout Asia, America, Europe, Africa and Australia. Everywhere I visited there were many attractive places. One surprising detail I discovered is that the largest Catholic church in the world is found not in Rome or anywhere in Europe as one would think but rather in Africa. When I considered the magnificent sites I had seen around the world, I thought Vietnam could not have comparable beauty.
A while back, I was still questioning myself about my childhood reading. I agreed that in our homeland have a certain warm relationship with our compatriots. We could speak our mother tongue and taste our delicious authentic cuisines. But these things might be invisible to foreigners. So for them, how beautiful is Vietnam?
This question bothered me for many years. I tried to answer it whenever I had the time (since I was frequently asked it by foreigners during my trips).
Today I would like to write this article to officially record the results of my research into this question. I have indeed found the answer to this tough question .
Welcome all. Together we are going to discover the beauty of our homeland. Let us go back together in time, into history... For thousands of years, ever since the birth of our nation, the Vietnamese people have been exposed to various harsh experiences. Many, many times our dreams of independence were taken away.
During a thousand years of Chinese Rule we lived under oppression, injustice, severe control of the armed forces, and the cultural influence of Great China which wanted to annex our country into its territory. Through a series of heroic struggles, our ancestors survived the threat of extermination and proved to the Chinese that their dream of assimilation would only result in failure.
After Chinese Rule, we gained independence, but there no end to our struggle after that. Our nation was caught in a series of wars against the Northern Invader and we succeeded in repelling all attempts at invasion.
Being Vietnamese we should never forget our struggle against the Mongols during the Tran Dynasty. Let us remember that the Mongols were the best warriors in the world at the time. The Mongol Empire was also the largest conquered territory in the history of mankind. It spanned from Asia to Europe and included China, Russia, part of India, and the middle East. The Mongols also made forays into Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Prussia. When the famed Mongol army headed south to invade Vietnam, it met the most terrific defeat of its history. In three attempts to invade Vietnam, more than a million troops were crushed by the heroic resistance of our ancestors under the talented command of our venerated Hung Dao Dai Vuong, Tran Quoc Tuan who led the Vietnamese army at the time. After these defeats, the Mongols had to abandon their dream of expanding southward. Thanks to Vietnam, other South East Asian nations escaped the threat of conquest by the Mongols. The efforts of our ancestors have contributed to the well-being of not only Vietnamese citizens but also of all citizens in the region. This achievement was paid for by the blood of our people who waged war to defend our nation.
In the 20th century, besides the two World Wars, the Vietnam War is considered one of the most devastating wars since it resulted in 5 million deaths and causalities. The number of bombs used in Vietnam was four times the number used in World War II. Many have viewed the Vietnam War as an unnecessary bloody war which seriously wounded all who took part in it both physically and psychologically.
In fact the Vietnam War had a noble mission of its own. The twenty years of the Vietnam War effectively stopped the expansion of the Red Empire - the Communist Empire. The war has given the whole world an opportunity to recognize the inhumanity of many communist regimes. During those 20 years, South Vietnam was a solid fortress for other South East Asian nations so that they could boost their economic development rapidly as they are doing today. People from both sides of Vietnam have suffered and sacrificed their lives. Now is the time to stabilize and develop this region.
For over two thousand years Vietnam has had to fight to defend its interests as well as the interests of all of South East Asia. We did not have the time to build neither luxurious castles nor skyscrapers. There is no such beautiful architecture in our homeland. Nonetheless, very inch of our nation, from Nam Quan to Ca Mau point is worth its weight in gold and jade. Every single inch of our homeland is a tiny historic monument in itself and the whole country deserves to be called the "Land of Beauty".
Vietnam is a precious stone which can never be shattered. Each struggle of this lovely land is like a polishing, and after each polishing it becomes clearer and brighter. Presently, Vietnam is far behind compared to its neighbors due to the Communist dictatorship which is impeding the development potential of the Vietnamese people. But this is just a superficial flaw. When the wave of democracy washes over Vietnam, it will polish down all the flaws and the Vietnam Jade will become ten times brighter and more refined..
Having rediscovered the beauty and the value of our homeland, let us henceforth consider Vietnam as the "Land of Hope and Prosperity".
By Tuan Nguyen

Contents
[Hope and Prosperity Home Page]
[Vietnam: Land of Hope and Prosperity]
[Human Rights Development in Vietnam]
[Vietnam War: Not yet over for Vietnamese]
[Human Rights Workshop:
Burma, China, Tibet and Vietnam]
[Vietnamese Web Sites]