US and Vietnam moving on

Although I can only imagine how the wingnuts would have reacted to these increased ties had Kerry been in office, it's a good thing that both sides are putting the past in the past. Many in Vietnam will often say that the north won the war but the south won the peace and looking at our latest efforts to cooperate, this has a lot to do with the business community of Vietnam who has never really cared for or supported the hard line political policies of the government in Hanoi.

For Vietnam the issue is always the same as it has been for 1,000 years and for the next 1,000 years: China. The Vietnamese are generally positive about the US because "we left" as they often say. If the Vietnamese economy is to continue growing they are going to need friends out there to pull them out from the shadows of China. The US could also use neutral friends in the area.

Moving forward, the US needs to be very firm about human rights with Vietnam, as many say that re-education camps still exist and political opposition is a deadly business. The last time I was in Vietnam (2002) there were stories of monks and self-immolations, protesting the current regime though unlike in the 1960's, reporters were not allowed to report the story.