Anti-Communist Official's Return to Vietnam Surprises Overseas Vietnamese
Tin Viet News, News Report, Translated by Andrew Lam, Posted: Jan 14, 2004
The recent homecoming of a former high ranking anti-Communist official to Vietnam caused quite a stir among both residents of the country and overseas Vietnamese, reports the Vietnamese-language weekly Tin Viet News in San Jose.
On Jan. 14, Nguyen Cao Ky, former vice president of the Republic of Vietnam, returned to his homeland after almost 30 years in exile to a media frenzy. International mainstream press including the British Broadcasting Company, the Voice of America and National Public Radio covered his return.
Almost three decades since the Vietnam war ended and the subsequent departure of thousands of Vietnamese, Mr. Ky is the highest ranking member of the old government of the Republic of Vietnam to return to the country.
Hanoi gave the 74-year-old ex-vice president of South Vietnam a tourist visa to visit Vietnam to celebrate the lunar new year, known as Tet in Vietnam. Mr. Ky applied for the visa in San Francisco in November to visit friends and relatives of his hometown, Son Tay, 40 miles north of Hanoi.
General Ky was popularly known as the “barbed wire mustache general,” who wanted to invade Communist north Vietnam during the war and directed many bombing missions to the north.
Tin Viet cites Cong An Nhan Dan, a government-sponsored newspaper in Vietnam, which reported that citizens of the country still haven’t forgotten that Mr. Ky was an avid anti-communist. But many believe that it is time to move on and not be stuck in the past.
The article also said that this was the second time that Mr. Ky applied for a visa to visit Vietnam. The first time was in 1992 but he was refused. This time around, he was granted a visa by the government for humanitarian purposes, according to the report.
In March of last year, Mr. Ky created a controversy when he told an American journalist that he wanted to be the bridge between Vietnamese living abroad and Vietnam itself. Many Vietnamese in America reacted strongly against his statement, and Mr. Ky himself denied that he ever declared such a thing.
In the Vietnamese American community, reaction to his visit ranged from that among former comrades in arms who call Mr. Ky a traitor to others who are more careful with their opinion and say that Mr. Ky has his own reasons for returning. Many think that his return has less to do with the reasons that Mr. Ky gave to the press – that he is getting old and wants to see his homeland again or that it was time for reconciliation. Instead they think his visit is a precursor to some new political changes within Vietnam itself.
But according to Hanoi government officials, Mr. Ky is visiting as a tourist and is free to visit anywhere within Vietnam. Mr. Ky did not request to speak with any high ranking government members, said officials.
Born in 1930 in Son Tay, Mr. Ky studied at Chu Van An high school and graduated from Nam Dinh military academy in 1952. In 1954, he attended the Air Force Academy in Marrakech, Morocco, and in 1958, he graduated from the Air Force Academy in the United States.
Mr. Ky also served as the commander of the air force and left Saigon at the very end of the war when Duong Van Minh, the four-star general who served as interim president of South Vietnam at the time and facing imminent defeat, failed to command the South Vietnamese army to defend South Vietnam against Communist invasion.
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User Comments
George Viet Bush on Jan 15, 2004 at 08:28:48 said:
The "fuss" is that some people still think that Ky is considered of the "symbol" of the former regime and his trip is considered a step of legitimize Vietnam in the eyes of Viet Kieu (ie. since the big guy considered, small guy like me should do the same). Sorry but that logic doesn't cut with me. I am American citizen and I will vote for those who supports my vote. Hence, whatever Ky does, no big deal for me ! He's just a symbol of the past. Let's focus on the future and vote accordingly (ie. Bush Cheney 2004 !)
Dan Freeman on Jan 14, 2004 at 11:09:59 said:
Don’t know what the fuss about. Ky was a South Vietnamese General when he was made the country's premier in 1965 after a military coup. U.S. officials were wary of Ky, who was famous for drinking, gambling, womanizing and outrageous statements. Once, when asked whom he most admired, Ky offered up Hitler.
-->Given the record, Vietnamese abroad should not pay attention to Ky at all. They should forget their own egos and unite to fight their next battle in which the VCs are sending their agents to infiltrate the US in order to discredit and divide the Vietnamese community.