Ah, the French! Here's the history of Vietnam (simplified), as I now understand it. French people arrive to "colonize" Vietnam. They exploit the resources of the country for their own gain and oppress the people. Not all Vietnamese people are happy with this plan. Those people are jailed by the French in the prison shown in the picture above (same prison later to be refered to by American airmen as the "Hanoi Hilton"). Struggle for independence from the French eventually includes Communists.
French people leave after WWII and Americans get involved to stop the spread of Communism. Americans finally learn what the Cicilian in "Princess Bride" knew: never fight a land war in Asia. Americans pull out. China tries to invade Vietnam. Chinese finally learn that even Asians shouldn't fight a land war in Asia. Vietnamese learn that capitalism is not all bad. The country begins to modernize, but it's tough to overcome all the baggage of so much war and the government corruption that followed. However, the summary of all this is: it will take a while, but watch out - this place will blossom and be an economic powerhouse!
French people leave after WWII and Americans get involved to stop the spread of Communism. Americans finally learn what the Cicilian in "Princess Bride" knew: never fight a land war in Asia. Americans pull out. China tries to invade Vietnam. Chinese finally learn that even Asians shouldn't fight a land war in Asia. Vietnamese learn that capitalism is not all bad. The country begins to modernize, but it's tough to overcome all the baggage of so much war and the government corruption that followed. However, the summary of all this is: it will take a while, but watch out - this place will blossom and be an economic powerhouse!
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