Themes of "a Vietcong Memoir"

A Vietcong Memoir

The book A Vietcong Memoir by Truong Nhu Tang gives a first person account of the Vietnam War through the eyes of a Vietnamese revolutionary. Tang tells of how he was a pharmaceutics student in Paris and was inspired to join the nationalist movement when he met Ho Chi Minh. This newfound pride in his country led Tang to become the Minister of Justice for the Vietcong. His story revolves around the themes of nationalism and sacrifice.

In the years leading up to and during the Vietnam War, feelings of nationalism were strong throughout the country. Vietnam's victory over France gave the Vietnamese a sense of unity and pride in their country. They had finally dispelled their French oppressors and declared their independence. But, shortly after gaining freedom from French colonial rule, the country was split in half by the Geneva Accords.

Sentiment for reunification was strong throughout Vietnam. The Vietnamese people were furious that their country had been cut in half, even if it was only temporary. It went against their sense of national pride. Tang was willing to accept Ho Chi Minh's northern government even though it was communist. He, along with many others, believed national unification was more important than political ideologies. Furthermore, Ho Chi Minh was viewed as a national hero in both North Vietnam and South Vietnam which made people more accepting of his leftist ideologies. But when Ngo Dinh Diem was named Prime Minister in South Vietnam reunification became impossible.

Diem not only refused to take part in a national election, but he also used unscrupulous method to secure over ninety-eight percent of the votes in South Vietnam. Unfortunately the new President of South Vietnam was not a benevolent ruler. "It was quickly becoming evident to me that Diem had an instinct for isolation and autocratic control and that he could only hope to make this approach to government work through brute force" (38-39). He arrested thousands of dissenters and accused them of being communists or sympathizers.

Diem's alienation of the Vietnamese people only helped to strengthen nationalist movements throughout the South. He viewed the former anti-French guerrilla fighters as a threat to his power and had many of them arrested. Hunting down the people who helped free Vietnam from French rule did not endear Diem to the Vietnamese. The network of people who opposed this despotic ruler and supported the government in the North would eventually form the NLF, the National Liberation Front.

Along with the National Liberation Front, there were several other groups that opposed the government imposed on South Vietnam. The elite, students, and newspapers all greatly disliked Diem because of his restrictiveness and use of force. The Buddhists even went so far as to set themselves on fire in protest. Many people did not join the National Liberation Front because of its communist affiliations, but later on joined groups that made up the Third Force. This Third Force was a nationalist group that worked for South Vietnamese independence after 1968.

Tang, who was completely dedicated to the national unity of Vietnam, was a key figure in organizing many of these nationalist groups. He helped form the Self-Determination Movement, the Committee to Defend the Peace, and the Young People's Association of South Vietnam. He was imprisoned twice for his interference with South Vietnam's government and he was tortured. But, Tang's dedication to his country never wavered.

Tang sacrificed many things for the sake of his country. His first wife, who was six months pregnant at the time, was forced to leave him because her parents did not approve of Tang's political activities. Tang's family would not contact him for over a year because they disapproved of him as well. His second wife, who could not bear him staying away for so long, divorced