VIETNAM – BEYOND THE WAR

A Report, from the Asia Education Foundation’s LINKING LATITUDES CONFERENCE Hanoi – Vietnam – 11-16 April, 2004 Ian Gray Somerville House VIETNAM – BEYOND THE WAR This ‘report’ also contains images, information and some inquiry questions that teachers may find useful to use with students That is, instead of just describing workshops and lectures attended, this is a report, that asks you to occasionally speculate and inquire DESCRIBED MAINLY BY IMAGES This report is also a little interactive… eg skip ‘background to Vietnam War’ and  jump straight to first image of the ‘Tourist’ Pathway, OR –See what other pathways are available So … you’ve not chosen the Tourist Pathway… Ok More choices…  Other Pathways Through These Slides •‘Vietnam’ War •Vietnam since 1975 •Education in Vietnam today (including school visits) •At the Conference – notes from a few lectures and workshops •MAIN PATHWAY = see the lot Background to the ‘Vietnam War’    Vietnam - a place where a war occurred In 1965 100,000 American troops fought to defend South Vietnam from communist North Vietnam The north-south divide is a story for another day, but parts of it and the French role in Vietnam appear in this inquiry report 29 April 1965 PM Menzies announced Australia would have a combat role in the Vietnam War Background to the ‘Vietnam War’    It was feared that like dominoes falling South Vietnam would become communist and then Indonesia, PNG and gulp… Australia It was the era of the Cold War Australia continued to increase its troop commitment In 1966 and again in 1969 the majority of Australians voted to support the LiberalNational Party’s policy of keeping Australian troops in Vietnam By 1968 a half a million American soldiers, sailors and airmen were involved Dominoe Theory  Source: Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, 24 November 1966, p Background to the ‘Vietnam War’     By 1970 many Australians had joined anti-war demonstrations By December 1971 Australian combat troops had left Vietnam, and in December 1972 PM Whitlam announced all remaining training teams would be withdrawn and conscription abolished In January 1973 a cease-fire was negotiated - American ground troops were withdrawn but naval and air force units remained May 1975 pro-communist forces swept the South Vietnamese government from power The last film footage out of Vietnam showed American helicopters evacuating their supporters from the roof of the American Embassy Background to the ‘Vietnam War’   In 1975 a new united communist Vietnam began In April 2004 Vietnam continued to be a communist country  This background raises some KEY QUESTIONS: Why did the USA and Australia become involved in what we call the Vietnam war and the Vietnamese call the American war? What long term impact did the 1965-1975 ‘Vietnam war’ have on Vietnam? Who was Ho Chi Minh? Who are ‘the Vietnamese’? s s s s Geographically Ethnically In terms of their EDUCATION As seen through a case study of Hanoi in April 2004 What is Vietnam’s current trade relationship with Australia? Key Questions   Traditionally in Australian History classrooms teachers have begun with the first question: Why did the USA and Australia become involved in what we call the Vietnam war? However to more fully understand the war and the future in Vietnam it may be more appropriate to begin with: Who are ‘the Vietnamese’? s Geographically s Ethnically s In terms of their EDUCATION s As seen through a case study of Hanoi in April 2004  Yes OR  No continue with traditional Vietnam War story Who are ‘the Vietnamese’ – Geographically?     Can you locate Vietnam on a blank map of the world? How many cities in Vietnam can you name? Many Vietnamese Australians will find these questions too easy After 1975 many Vietnamese who had supported the USA in Vietnam fled the country when the USA was defeated Australia welcomed these refugees who had fought on ‘our’ side during the war Vietnamese students are very Australian Despite the appearance of Ho and desks in straight lines, students had a relaxed friendly relationship with their teacher and an Australian-like sense of humour To boy: “What you want to be?” ANS: David Beckham And when a girl was then asked she replied, with a giggle: “Victoria Beckham.” One student gave me her exercise book as a memento       Australian educators are very respected TV crews followed us Students seemed a bit obsessed with becoming Western but one girl I spoke to assured me they did not want to lose their Vietnamese culture She was the one who gave me her exercise book as a memento Students I met were not wealthy but most had access to a computer and via the cafes to the Internet  continue Vietnam since 1975 Critical Thinking is just beginning  The new Geography Syllabus requires the use of maps  Professor Nguyen Viet Thinh, Dean of Faculty of education at Hanoi University described how the 1990 curriculum was intended to last 10 years  Geography must be taught but only exams occur each year and only in March is it revealed if Geog will be part of the national test in May  Click to continue with Geog curriculum OR  continue with ‘Tourist Slides” Geography Curriculum   One hour pw or 35 hours per year through most Year levels but by Year 10 it seems completion of English to a satisfactory standard is a prerequisite to continue study in Geog or History National curriculum, that schools can only slightly adapt, tends to emphasise scientific approach to rotation of planets, capes, rivers, oceans and geography of continents and problem solving is still a new approach P.S.For some Australian educational material on the Mekong delta see http://www.mekong.es.usyd.edu.au/ At the Conference    The Conference attracted over 350 educators from around Australia and made the news in Hanoi We were addressed by a large number of speakers including the Australian Ambassador and the Senior Australian Trade Commissioner as well as the current Vice-Chancellor of RMIT University – the only international university permitted spoke to establish in Vietnam A common theme was the importance of education within Vietnamese culture Joe Thwaites Australian Ambassador to Vietnam: At the Conference         1991 Australian bi-lateral aid resumed after Viet troops left Cambodia Viet President has visited in 93 and 99, Aust PM visited in 94 and Foreign Minister Downer has visited times Vietnam now the 3rd largest destination for Australian aid after PNG and Indonesia A former Melb Uni student is now Viet Min for Trade Trade balance is in Vietnam’s favour by $2.3b b/c we buy Viet oil Aust is 4th largest investor in Viet Viet has applied to enter WTO in 2005 & Aust supports this Viet govt is encouraging o/s Vietnamese to return and become involved in eco dev Return to the Military Museum where Coca-Cola is on sale At the Conference Michael Mann former Ambassador, CEO ABC TV etc now VC RMIT International    Teacher’s day – late November is a big event in Vietnam – the PM of Vietnam on that day takes flowers to his primary school teacher Forgiveness – anecdote – man he knows, born 1949 had a brother who left to fight for the revolution in early 1960s In 1966 this man came home and his parents were disembowelled in front of him  he fought for the VC but says it was years before he heard of the idea of communism He was wounded, but by 1995 becomes a Govt leader, his sister lives in USA and he sent his sons to USA to complete MBAs Vietnam has a history of repelling invaders eg 13th century Mongols who had successfully invaded many countries failed to invade Vietnam At the Conference Michael Mann former Ambassador, CEO ABC TV etc now VC RMIT International    1979-80 = last invasion, by Chinese  Chinese Ambassador said China could not hope to have as good relations with Vietnam as Australia has Vietnam’s relations with big powers, China, France, USA have never been good but with middle powers like Australia they are fine Rapid change – 1984 no Hotels in Hanoi, students read texts in street because there was no street light and there was not enough rice Education today peasants will go without food to educate their children At the Conference Tim Gauci Senior Trade Commissioner, Australian Trade Commission   GDP growing at 7% pa – 2nd fastest in world after China but rich are getting richer and poor poorer in rural areas Hanoi labourer earns $20 US per month Trade imbalance because we import oil but also b/c metals, cereals, dairy are not in increasing demand – esp b/c of: – appreciation of $A – ASEAN Free Trade Agreement b/c Australia can’t compete with Singapore, Malaysia etc  Viet does not discriminate against Aust when a large % of our exports are from Japanese subsiduaries b/c if the export licence is an Aust’n one that is all they care about  = end Vietnam Since 1975  continue OR return to other possible pathways   Temple of Literature – Vietnam’s first university in 1076 At the Conference  Students sat on the turtles and rote learnt Confucian scripts from the walls Last Confucian exam was in 1907 Temple of Literature – Vietnam’s first university in 1076; (first Doctorate in 1442) At the Conference   Site is being restored …and American Express is helping to fund it, (Caption reads: “Ministry of Culture and Information with support from American Express Foundation – assisted US-Indo-China Reconciliation Project 1994)   Chinese rule 179BC – 138AD major life ceremonies in Vietnam: – Wearing your first hat – Going to school – Getting married At the Conference    Vietnam Minister of Education Retention rate = 46% in upper secondary, not yet up to ASEAN averages, but female literacy is highest in region Plan for 2015 targets quality of education 25 000 Viet students studying overseas and largest % in Aust = End Education pathway One Party State  In the final analysis Vietnam remains a one-party, undemocratic State  But it is much more than that  (Tourist slides end here … student review questions continue.) Can you answer the key questions? These were introduced earlier as: Why did the USA and Australia become involved in what we call the Vietnam war and the Vietnamese call the American war? What long term impact did the 1965-1975 ‘Vietnam war’ have on Vietnam? Who was Ho Chi Minh? Who are ‘the Vietnamese’? s s s s Geographically Ethnically In terms of their EDUCATION As seen through a case study of Hanoi in April 2004 What is Vietnam’s current trade relationship with Australia?  What about a time-line? How many dates from Vietnamese History can you recall? RESOURCES   http://www.curriculum.edu.au/accessasia/ Wonderful links and web-based activities http://www.bssc.edu.au/public/learning_teaching/pd/aef/vie tnam.shtml Access Asia -  http://www.mekong.es.usyd.edu.au/  Trinity College in Western Australia offer a wide-ranging portal into material relevant to the Vietnam War: http://library.trinity.wa.edu.au/subjects/sose/austhist/vietnam.htm  Young People, Old Country: Lower Secondary (Years 7-9), http://www.curriculum.edu.au/accessasia/ – units have also been written to encourage the development of skills – Unit 1: students explore the history of Vietnam and how the past affects the present Unit Should the Mekong be Dammed? – • • – Unit Casuarinas and Sand Dunes - A Case Study in Sustainable Development • – analysing a variety of views on the use of resources; predicting the consequences of implementing particular plans Students explore and evaluate ways of reclaiming and regenerating an area in Vietnam Involves explaining the consequences of modifying places; predicting the consequences of implementing particular policies; analysing links among resource use, economic growth and ecological sustainability Unit Vietnam - A Nation in Change • Students explore the impact of changes in contemporary Vietnam - economic, social and political Involves describing how culture, belief systems and social organisation contribute to the identity of Vietnamese people; describing features of the economic and political systems; analysing the impact of change on society and individuals