Modernization in Vietnam and The Rise of Communism

Introduction

While the resistance grew in Vietnam there also rose a question of dilemma regarding modernization. Was it necessary to modernize? Do we have to disregard our traditions to be modern and do we have to use the scale of the west to measure modernization? Such questions crept into the minds of the natives. So let us take a look at ways of modernization.

Ways of Becoming Modernized

As Japan and China had a healthy relationship with Vietnam and their cultures were closely aligned, it was important to analyze and follow in their footsteps in the first half of the 20th century “Go East Movement” became popular and students from Vietnam went to Japan for advanced studies and to adopt practices to fight the French in their homeland.

Japan had resisted colonization and they had modernized as the west and their victory over Russia in 1907 lifted Japans status as a major power. So students established a branch of the restoration society in Tokyo, but it was thrashed by the Japan ministry after 1908.

In China, the ancient monarchy was overthrown by Sun-Yat-Sen and a republic was set up this instilled a patriotic vigor inside the Vietnamese students as a result, they organized the Association for the Restoration of Vietnam. So the neighbor’s fight against imperialists and their establishment of a republic inspired millions of youth to join the dream of having Vietnam as a democratic republic.

The Advent of Communism in Vietnam

When the great depression of the 1930s had made the price of rice and rubber fall the natives of Vietnam started to be more restless than ever, even unemployment shot up and rural debt rose to new heights. So rural Vietnam and provinces like Nghe An ad Ha Tinh proved to be the main uprisings and the French dealt with them even by bomb demonstrations.

The Ho Chi-Minh Effect:

By February 1930, Ho Chi Minh established the Vietnamese Communist Party later it was named as Indo-Chinese communist party and he was largely inspired by demonstrations of European parties.

The last nail on communism was in 1940 when Vietnam had to fight Japan’s occupation and the French side by side to fight against both The league for the independence of Vietnam which was later known as Vietminh came to being and it fought Japanese occupation and recaptured Hanoi in September 1945. As a result, the democratic republic of Vietnam was formed with Hochi-Minh as its chairman.

The Division and US Arrival

The French were defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu and in the Geneva conference partition was finalized with North Communist and South under Bao dai’s regime, thus Vietnam was transformed into a battlefield and when the north was gaining power over the south, U.S.A. intervened as it worried its ally would turn communist.

The U.S. entry was costly for both sides over 3,00,000 American personnel lost their lives and even though the US had an upper hand in technology and experience it proved to be a failure in front of the guerilla warfare practiced by the Vietnamese. While this happened, American government was ambushed by the media with degrading values of the government so America had to pull out of the war leading to the Vietnamese victory and a peace settlement was signed in Paris 1974 which ended the conflict with the US but the fight between the North and South continued and on 30th April, 1975 the National Liberation Front (NLF) occupied Saigon and united Vietnam.

These struggles and movements had their importance in the anti-imperialist agenda but it is important to analyze the role of women to have a complete idea of the struggle for independence in Vietnam.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was constructed to counter the Chinese attack and transport men and weapons. It is a symbol of Vietnam’s resistance and the limited resources they used to fight the mighty US. The trail is characterized by footpaths and roads which were rebuilt when destroyed. 20,000 Vietnamese troops came from the north to the south to fight off

the US. The trail had support structures like hospitals to nurse wounds. At times, the supplies were transported by trucks but mostly it was carried by porters who were women. They carried 2.5 kilos on their back and 70 kilos on their bicycle.

The trail included neighboring Laos and Cambodia extending to south Vietnam. The US regularly bombed these paths but the paths were rebuilt quickly and effectively to ensure smooth transport.

Role of Women

Women enjoyed greater autonomy and equality in Vietnam than in china, women in the lower class had little in their future and their role in public life. When the rebellion rose the status of women also surpassed from older incapable ones to warrior women.

Women Warriors and Heroes − Women were seen as heroic symbols; one such woman was Trieu Au who went into the jungle with a large militia to fight off the Chinese, and when her army was defeated she became a sacred figure and the nationalists portrayed her as a national figure. They were also portrayed in paintings, plays, and novels representing ultimate will and patriotism towards Vietnam.

Women were portrayed as workers and fighters with a hammer in one hand and rifle in the other. Many women were participating in nursing wounds of the fighters rebuilding the roads and tunnels, constructing underground rooms, and fighting the army. By the 1970s women were no longer the representatives of warriors now they were in the center of agriculture cooperatives, factories, and production units rather than fighters. They were also journals and magazines that showed women so brave that they were shooting down aeroplanes were stories written about women on how they enjoyed their army life, Nguyen Thi Xuan was a reputed woman to have shot down a jet with just 12 bullets, and as casualties rose more women were asked to join the army taking their vigor to new heights.

Conclusion

Vietnam freed itself from the US invasion with the help of its civilians and their hard work, and sacrifices made Vietnam a free country but the war was yet to be over because after the US left Vietnam was in conflict with its northern counterpart which the North won eventually.