Study on memories of Vietnam War in Vietnam

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

I held 9 interviews in Vietnam focusing on the Vietnam War, and interviewed about 200 persons, mainly Viet Cong veterans. The experience of the war itself forged a national sense of community and helped in nation building. In their experience, the Vietnam War offered opportunities to promote exchange among various domestic ethnic groups or peoples who came from various provinces, as well as opportunities to rise in social status. Moreover, their memories of the Vietnam War included memories of shining victories as well as memories of condolences for persons killed in war, and served to foster a sense of equality and togetherness among war comrades. On the other hand, although the war experiences were shared by all Vietnamese people, individual experiences differed depending on generations, social strata, dwelling places, and so forth. Although the war involved the entire Vietnamese people, their war experiences were obviously not homogeneous experiences.