A North Chinese/Vietnamese Elder as told to James M. Freeman

I Want to Live Without Trouble

During the time of French rule, those of us who were Chinese were set apart from others. People were afraid that when the Chinese gained wealth, they'd send it back to China. As a Chinese, I was considered a foreigner, and I carried Chinese papers. Because of this, when I was in high school, I was exempt from entrance exams and could enter high school.
When the Communists took over, our position at first was good because China was considered close friends with North Vietnam. They praised China, and so the Chinese participated in all activities from 1954 to around 1960 or 1962. As a minority group, the Chinese had privileges reserved for them, such as entrance into the university without high grades.
The treatment of the Chinese depended on how friendly Vietnam and China were at any moment. When war broke out between China and Vietnam we were asked to leave. I was expelled because I allowed a relative to stay in my house illegally, that is, I failed to report to the proper authorities that someone had come to live in my house. For this, my neighbors distrusted me. Actually, I was not expelled by any official document. Rather, they used my relative's visit as a pretext to put pressure on me, with veiled and indirect threats. The Administrative Committee of the Ward invited me to meet with them. The Public Security Agent explained, "For your protection against the Chinese aggression, we have to bring you to another place in the countryside." When I came back home, the Public Security Agent came to my house and asked, "Do you have any relatives in Hong Kong? You should leave."
After that, I understood that I could no longer stay on in Hanoi I said, "I am poor; I have no relatives in Hong Kong."
The Public Security Agent said, "See if you can sell anything, even the door, but not the house, to give you the money to go."
The house was very big; that's why they didn't want to let us sell it. We were very bewildered. We were now old. I had no career except my government job. How could we survive? I didn't actually wait to go, but so many of our relatives had left already, and that gave me a very good impetus, urged me to go.
I had lived all my life around Hanoi; I had never been to other provinces, never to South Vietnam. Many of my friends and relatives never I would go; they were quite surprised when I left for Hong Kong. My wife's sister, resident in America for six months, sponsored us, and three months later, we arrived in the United States
When I lived in North Vietnam, even though I was not hungry, the food was meager. Even though I had money, I couldn't buy much food. My entire monthly salary was not enough to cover our food needs. For a North Vietnamese arriving in America, it is really paradise; we can buy food so easily, so cheaply! I live on public assistance. President Reagan wants to cut our aid. I don't think his cuts will affect us much, and I accept them because of his big efforts to resist the Communists. That's on the physical life, the material life.
I have talked with many Vietnamese, and they say that even though they have a good material life, their sentimental life is not good, not relaxed, not at ease. Those Vietnamese who are less than 30 years of age will be integrated into American society. Those people who are 30 to 50 years old and those over 50 still miss their old society; they cannot fully integrate. If 50 years later the two cultures can be integrated, then the people will feel more at home. Once people live here, they must have an American soul. When people think of becoming a United States citizen, they think of the benefits, the jobs, the travel abroad. They never think, for example, of patriotism, of attachment or devotion to their adopted country. But if they think only of benefits, what will they do if there is aggression against the United States? Will they stand and fight for their country, or will they run away?
If you don't have a good foundation, no ideals, no attachment, then you won't die for your country. The majority of Vietnamese are like that now. They are not devoted to America. I think that America should create those kinds of people who will fight for their country. That should be the criterion for education in America.
The bad thing about America is that there is too much freedom. Americans think only about the maximization of profit, what they can do that will benefit themselves. There is too much individualism and freedom of one group at the expense of others, with little concern for the common good. Every community thinks of itself too much, not of the country, so people can sell secrets to the Russians just for money, for profit.
Some U.S. Congressmen proposed measures to lessen accidents on the highways, but other Congressmen and lobbyists opposed this because it affects capitalists. If a proposal for the good of everybody affects their profits, companies lobby or buy off the Congressmen.
Because of the division between legislative, judicial, and executive branches, the president is always affected. Every time he wants to make a decision he is controlled and hindered; he has to consult with the legislative branch and he cannot make quick and good decisions. The presidential term is only four years. How can all of the projects or plans be carried out in such a short time? Leaders can have a long-range view on many matters, maybe 20 years, but their term is too short to carry it out.
Because of too much freedom, Americans are so careless about so many things. When they go out on the streets, they do not wear shirts, or dresses, some use the flag for shorts and for trousers. But the flag is symbolic of the country.
Many people who stretch their legs on the bus don't leave room for other people. Some women put handbags on the seats and don't let others sit down. I use the bus often; I see such disregard for people.
On American Independence Day, not many houses hang out flags. People are Individualistic, and even neighbors do not know one another's names. One night, an old American man was robbed near my house; his wallet taken, but no one seemed to care. Passerby's watched as the man was dragged into the bushes and robbed. They did nothing.
Another point of too much freedom: Americans do not have many children, and the trend to remain single is on the rise. In my view, a superpower should have as many people as possible to be strong. Compare the populations of other superpowers; many are populous; many countries are scared about the population of China.
If the Constitution could be changed and not too much freedom were allowed, I think America would be better off. For example, freedom of the press is excessive. If they would try to help mid say something good about the government instead of criticizing it, they could not be exploited by the Russians, who use these negatives in their propaganda.
In the American educational system, both technology and human relations and values should be given equal emphasis. Family values, such as relationships between grandparents, parents, and children, should be introduced into the educational system. Too much emphasis is put on technology to the neglect of humans, so that when people grow up, they only think of money and profits at the expense of everything else. That's all they know.
I have tried to be humble. I've been here only a short time, but the things I've told you are really big. People think too much about themselves. They are too selfish, too individualistic.
There's much that's good in America. In their deeds, Americans are energetic and great; they do great things. When I came here to live, I found in my contacts with Americans that they were honest. If a teacher doesn't know something, he doesn't pretend; instead, he says he doesn't know. When I was in high school, I took a philosophy class in which the teacher made a mistake. He stated the wrong century in which Auguste Comte was born. A student discovered that. The teacher, in trying to cover this up, said, "There are two Auguste Comtes." What I like about Americans is that they admit they don't know.
Vietnamese refugees in the United States are very much anti-Communist. They try to identify those who show some sympathy with Communism. It is not accidental that in the last two years (1982-1984) two people (elsewhere in America) have been murdered, for they openly praised the Communist regime. When a respected professor wrote an article in which he referred to Ho Chi Minh as "Uncle Ho," people got very angry: "He's not our uncle; he destroyed the country."
Once I met some South Vietnamese military officers who said, "I hate Americans. Because of American policy we lost and have to suffer here."
I replied, "You should not complain about this because America should put the interests of its own 200 million people first, above those of South Vietnam's 20 million. All Vietnamese suffered, not just you." They became quite angry at my remarks. Because I come from the North, people believe I sympathize with the Communists. This makes it difficult to live, and now I'm very cautious. I'm old now, I don't want to have trouble, just to live in peace. My family heredity is that people do not live long. I don't want to do anything to affect my life. I just want to live a few more years.