A North Vietnamese Tank rolls through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon on 30/4/1975*
Today, 30th April, 2013, marks the 38th
anniversary of the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) to the North
Vietnamese forces.
Hoi Trinh, a lawyer of South Vietnamese heritage, is not a war correspondent in the normally accepted sense of the word. But he is an extremely capable reporter of the powerful but unseen controls operating in a seemingly “peaceful” country not far from our own doorstep. As a member of “Voice”, a non-government organization committed to developing a civil society in Vietnam, Hoi Trinh has shown the power of words to convey to the public an understanding of the nature of the regime in his family’s original country.
Hoi Trinh, a lawyer of South Vietnamese heritage, is not a war correspondent in the normally accepted sense of the word. But he is an extremely capable reporter of the powerful but unseen controls operating in a seemingly “peaceful” country not far from our own doorstep. As a member of “Voice”, a non-government organization committed to developing a civil society in Vietnam, Hoi Trinh has shown the power of words to convey to the public an understanding of the nature of the regime in his family’s original country.
In a thoughtful article, “Even in peace Vietnam doesn’t
enjoy freedom,” published in the The Age
today, Hoi Trinh, states that the “peace” that
came to Vietnam with the unification of the north and south brought with it an enormous loss of human rights and democratic
freedoms. For people like his own teacher
father, life after the war involved removal to a re-education camp, lack of
access to meaningful work and eviction of the family to a new economic zone.
It was perhaps not surprising that his father chose the hazards of
escaping, with his family, to another country over the human costs attached to
remaining in his own.
In submitting his story for publication, Hoi Trinh has shown
great courage in staring down the leaders of a country in which he would be a citizen if it were not for the decision of his family to take their
chances in the first wave of “boat people” leaving their country. He has also squarely confronted Australians
(many of whom have come to see Vietnam as a delightful holiday
destination) with the reality that in this same country, all land is still held
by the State, many dissidents remain in prison, Facebook and pro-democracy blogs and
websites are banned, independent media are disallowed, protests are banned, and
civil rights defenders are harassed and persecuted.
Hoi Trinh has provided us with an interesting, and certainly
disturbing, article in a very professional manner. He has written with strong commitment, with intimate knowledge of his subject and with his lawyer’s awareness of his
legal rights and responsibilities. We need more journalists like him.
Reference List:
- Trinh, Hoi. “Even in Peace Vietnam doesn’t enjoy Freedom.” The Age 30 April, 2013. Web.
- Website of Voice (Vietnam Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment) 2008 Web 30 April 2013 .
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