Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Nguyen Tinh

Nguyen Tinh: Uh, my father used to be a soldier in the National Army before 197— 54 , that mean before we had a big exodus from the North to the South. When we got to the South, I, uh, went to school and after graduated from the College of Science, I was a high school teacher, that before 1974 . Nguyen Tinh: And after 1974 , when the Communists took over South, uh, Vietnam, I uh, didn't go to teach anymore because I can see that they had a lot of discrimination policy, so, uh, um, I uh, stay home and tried to plan with my family to escape because the situation in Viet, in South Vietnam is worse and worse. Nguyen Tinh: We had, uh, very difficult in moving around, very difficult in economic life, and especially about cultural life. It, uh, terrible. Uh, first of all, all the book printed in the South and in the Free World, uh, were confiscated by the government, and what book you can read is only the book published in Hanoi.

Nguyen Tinh: And, of course, most of these book is about Marxism and uh, as you know that, of course beside, uh, politics, philosophy, or something like that, you would like to read some kind of other book like, uh, novel, um, something like that. Interviewer: Uh, what, tell me about this association that you now belong to. What is it and what role do you play in it? Nguyen Tinh: Okay. Uh, I belong to the association, the name is Nationalist Vietnamese Association . We call it Nationalist because we would like to oppose to the Communist so the word Nationalist is opposite, um, opposed of the, the Communist.

Nguyen Tinh: And my Association include all Vietnamese who would like to fight against the Vietnamese Communist, and because right now I have more time than any other member in the Association, that mean I can do more for my Association, so they elected me as a chairman. Interviewer: Oh, what are the, what are the goals specifically, the goals of this Association? Nguyen Tinh: Oh, the, as-, uh, the Nationalist Vietnamese Association have... Interviewer: Oh, we're out of film.

Nguyen Tinh: [Soft chuckle] Interviewer: Keep running out of film. Interviewer: Uh, what is the history of your association? Nguyen Tinh: My Association had the new name only two year. Befores it is, it was, New England Vietnamese Association and it started since 1975 when a group of Vietnamese surrou—surroundi—arounding, around, uh, Boston, got together and uh, held the Association. Nguyen Tinh: And they call it New England Vietnamese Association . But about two year ago, we're had a convention and we thought that that name is not very good, so we change the name to the Nationalist Vietnamese Association. That mean it have more politics in that than the, than the older names.

Interviewer: What are some of the activities that, uh, that your membership engages in? Nguyen Tinh: Okay. Uh, before, talking about activity, I would like to talk about purpose of our Association. Interviewer: Okay. Nguyen Tinh: Because if we have the purpose, we know why we have the Associ, uh, activity. First of all, uh, we have several purpose for our Association. Ah, so-, socially, politically, and culturally. First of all, about socially, we try to help one another and you know that, because we belong to another culture, when we came here, we feel a little lonely, so we would like to have a chance to get toge-, together to talk about old day, about our country, uh, and, we also share our experience in the new lives, so that every people have a chance to improves their lives in this country. So, we have social activity. Interviewer: Hold it just a second. Alright, the second.

Nguyen Tinh: And, uh, about culturally. You know that this country have very good, oh, culture. Many, many feature we would like to adopt. and we would like to, uh learn, but, at the same time, my culture also have many other good point, too. So what we try to do is to keep some of our best feature and mingle with some of our, ubs-, our best point in the culture, so we can have best of both culture. Nguyen Tinh: So we have a lot of activity in cultural activity and moreover, some American, maybe my country is small country, so they uh know very little about my country. Maybe they know about the Vietnam War, but they know little about other things. Nguyen Tinh: So we would like to have many cultural activity to show to America that we really has some kind of culture. For example, we had dancing, singing, uh, grafting , something like that, to show these, uh people, so that we can share some of the best point in each culture. And about politically... Nguyen Tinh: You know, the, we, escaped Vietnam because we could not, uh, live under the Communism. They oppress us, they do everything we could not stand, so that's why we escape. So the reason we are here, uh, political reason. So of course, we must have political activity. So what is the political activity? First of all, we try to remind every Vietnamese in this country that we still have another country there to think about.

Nguyen Tinh: Second, ah, our relative, our countryman over there, still under oppression, and moreover, it very important point that our culture is destroyed by the Communist and as Vietnamese, we had the responsibility to do everything to defend our culture. So, we try to support the resistance movement in Vietnam so that we hope someday, that movement can topple the government in Vietnam now and we have a chance to recreate, rebuild the new Vietnam. Interviewer: What is the, uh, what is the size and nature of the resistance movement as you understand it now?

Nguyen Tinh: First of all, we have many political group right now, very act-, acting in abroad. But inside the country, we have a group we call a movement, we call, um, Nationalist Liberation Front of Vietnam, and, uh, the chairman of that Front visited the United States about one month ago, and according to his information, right now he group about 10,000 people inside and along, inside Vietnam and along, uh, Vietnam and Cambodia , uh, border to fight against the Communist regime in Vietnam. And, um, we try to support the Front because they have concrete fact about the fighting, so we try to support them. Interviewer: Now is there any, are there any significant, concrete facts that you want to share with our audience?

Nguyen Tinh: Uh, first of all, uh, uhm, about, oh um, I believe, about more than one year ago, the CBS station show about four minute of the film, they film in our stronghold in somewhere in the Southeast Asia , somewhere in Indochina . Nguyen Tinh: Of course, we do not know exactly where it is, because everything is secret in this war, but, uh during the four minute, we had the picture of the soldier, I mean, the resistance fighter, uh, acting in the stronghold. And, uh, ummm, in that, I think, that is one fact I can share with, with you. Interviewer: Is any agency of the United States government giving financial or other support to, to this resistance movement?

Nguyen Tinh: Uh, I don't know anything about that, but according to ah, the chairman, of the, the, United Front, he haven't received any, uh, financial support from any country, and only the support now he has is from the Vietnamese all over the world. Nguyen Tinh: For example, myselves, every month I contribute some money to and everything I can contribute to help that Front to fight against the, uh, uh, Communist Vietnam. Interviewer: What, uh, what do you predict, uh, will, will the future of this resistance movement and of the Vietnam government be? Nguyen Tinh: Uh, before talking about prediction, I would like to distinguish about the hope and the reality. Of course, most people hope that we can fight and topple the Communist government in Vietnam, but the reality we talk about reality because the hope do not bring you anywhere. Nguyen Tinh: According to, uh, mine experience, after spending about Four year under the Communist, I think we have a lot of chance to topple the present government. Why? First of all, I can say, I can tell you that ninety-nine percent of Vietnamese people disliked the government. Now they would like to stand up and fight against that oppressive government, but they do not have enough organization, so they wait for the time. And I believe that when a government is disliked by ninety-nine percent of its people, I don't think it can stand very long.

Interviewer: Okay. Nguyen Tinh: Uh, and, really, this question, when I talk with many American, it uh bother them because they thought that some time American had about half million soldier in Vietnam, and we had another one and a half million soldier. Nguyen Tinh: Why we could not, ummm, fer, defeat the Communist? Now, how can we defeat the Communist and, uh, uh, as I told you that, our, uh, the chairman said that he, now, right now, he has only ten thousand people. It, I think, it a little difficult to explain to the American people...

Interviewer: Hold it just a second…Pick that up, "I think it's a little difficult..." Nguyen Tinh: Hmm hmm. Um, from where? Interviewer: From there "I think it's a little difficult." Nguyen Tinh: Uh, I think it difficult for American to understand the situation because what could be done by five hundred thousand American soldier and one and a half million thousand, million, Viet, Vietnamese soldier, now, how can it achieve by a Front? Right now, we've only about ten thousand fighter. Nguyen Tinh: So let me make some comparison so that it, uh, okay. About, uh, several year ago, I was in Vietnam. I could not understand and no people can explain to me why people can force or can make a United States president to resign. Because in a country with less theory of democracy, the president is very powerful. Nguyen Tinh: I, I could not understand why with only democratic process you can force a United States President resign from the office because, eh, living in a country with less degree democracy with no doubt the president is a powerful man, he can do almost everything sometime, even he can jail the opponent.

Nguyen Tinh: Now, if even, I say even he listen to something, it not serious things, but with the democratic process, you can do everything you can do in, uh, as you know, in the history, I don't want, to, to go deep into that. So now, come back to my situation, you only be a Vietnamese you understand with only a force of 10,000 people, we believes that we can defeat the Vietnamese Communist. Nguyen Tinh: First of all, I think, now, it a psychology, uh, warfare. We, eh, most of the soldier under the Communist regime now is only forced soldier. That mean they not volunteer into the Army, but they are forced into the Army. And because they could not enjoy anything, they do not human right, they do not have, ummm, democratic privilege, all thing like that, so even the soldiers the Communist soldier, they only way for the time to turn around, that is, uh, the soldier, Now, talk about the people. The people, they run uh...

Interviewer: Start again… Nguyen Tinh: Now, the people, they are on the bottom of the hell. So only one thing they would like to change is the Communist regime. They would like to topple it, to change to the new life, but they dare not, because, as you know, the Communist Vietnamese use a very strong police force to look over the people. So you, it very difficult for you to organize a resistance movement. If you lay inside the city... Interviewer: Cut.

Interviewer: Speed. Nguyen Tinh: Now... Nguyen Tinh: Now the people are of the hole of a hell, so they want is to change to the new life. How to change it? Of course, they must stand up to do something to topple the present oppressive government, and to build another democratic government. And with all the force, I don't think the Communist government can, uh, stand for a long time. Interviewer: Would your Association want American military elements to help you in this effort to topple the government? Nguyen Tinh: Uh, right now, of course I, we, would like to welcome every kind of help, but there are some form of help harm us more than do us good. For example, now the government of the United States, just for example, would like to send some troop to Vietnam to help our side. Nguyen Tinh: It only good in a military side, but in psychology and political side, it very bad. Because all the people in the world look at us and they think that we are not, er, really tried to fight to get back my country. What we did do, just for the interest of the United States, so that kind of help harm us more than do us good.

Nguyen Tinh: Sooo, what we like right now is moral support from any people who still love peace, love, um, human right, and, um, with all the moral support, and with all the psychology... Interviewer: Okay. I think we've got it. Nguyen Tinh: Hmm hmm. Interviewer: Yup. Nguyen Tinh: Yeah. Interviewer: Cut.