#thread Communist-led Vietnamese victory over the third(usa) imperialist occupation in as many decades happened today 45yrs ago, the socialist north and the Vietnamese ppl finally liberated and reunified the entire country. 
#HoChiMinh, Vietnamese Communist leader passes away several years before reunification, he passes away in Sept 1969. His life story is an amazing one.
#HoChiMinh is a leading figure in the founding of the Chinese, French and Vietnamese communist parties founding.
#HoChiMinh traveled the world as a worker in ships, worked in kitchens in London and Harlem. Attends a #MarcusGarvey / #UNIA event in Harlem.
#HoChiMinh denounces anti-Black racism in July 1924 and supports Black liberation.
During the Second World War, Vietnam fights they Japanese fascist imperialist occupation successfully and liberate their country. The Brits hand-back Vietnam back to the Japanese fascists for a while because they don’t want Vietnamese communist in control.
The French colonialists are finally defeated in an epic THREE MONTH battle in 1954 at a massive French military base at #DienBienPhu. The base is overrun by the Vietnamese. Anti colonial struggle against French in #Africa and #Caribbean is electrified, esp #Algeria.
North Vietnam since 1945 is an independent and socialist republic, the south is occupied by the Japanese then French and then the usa. #HoChiMinh has near total support in 1945 across country: imperialism doesn’t support so partitions country formally in 1954.
USA imperialism tries to be covert and have back seat role in Vietnam, by end of the 1950s going into the 1960s they play a open and leading role. By 1968 there are 536,100 usa occupation troops in Vietnam.
Socialist North #Vietnam sees a terrible bombing campaign by the usa; #Soviets, #NorthKoreans, #Chinese, #EastGermans and others all assist Vietnamese defence against all of this.
The world watches on in-part in horror at the crimes of imperialism and is inspired further and further by Vietnamese sacrifice and tenacity: Vietnam defines the world for a good part of two decades.
#MuhammadAli becomes the most famous person to say “hell no we won’t go’ to kill Vietnamese. #MalcolmX openly supports Vietnamese, #StokelyCarmichael/#KwameTure visits Vietnam.
Robert F Williams, radical black power socialist lives in Vietnam making radio programs to Black usa soldiers telling them to go home and conduct the black revolution rather than killing for imperialism.
The #BlackPantherParty openly supports the Vietnamese, again: for TWENTY years Vietnam is the GLOBAL centre of resistance against white supremacy /colonialism and imperialism. It DEFINES the world at that time, defines popular culture.
#HueyNewton leader of the Panthers offers volunteers in Aug 1969 to help the Vietnamese slaughter and defeat usa imperialism and it’s soldiers in Vietnam in his ‘Letter to the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam’.
#HueyNewton Letter: “In the spirit of revolutionary solidarity the Black Panther Party hereby offers to the Liberation Front and Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam an undetermined number of troops to assist you in your fight against American imperialism...
“.. It is appropriate for the Black Panther Party to take this action at this time in recognition of the fact that your struggle is also our struggle, for we recognize that our common enemy is the American imperialist who is the leader of international bourgeois domination...”
“.. There is not one fascist or reactionary govt in the world today that could stand without the support of USA imperialism. Therefore our problem is international, and we offer these troops in recognition of the necessity for inter-national alliances to deal with this problem.”
The entire letter is here. Vietnamese profoundly thank #HueyNewton and say better his fighters stay in the usa and fight enemy from behind enemy lines. #BlackPantherParty are probably the only real reason why usa pushed to end occupation in #Vietnam.
Huey’s letter to Vietnamese and their reply is featured on a front page of the #BlackPantherParty newspaper. The coming together of #blackliberation in the west and in the ‘east’ / Vietnam on a basis of MILITANT armed #antiimperialist unity must’ve really rattled ruling classes.
#CheGuevara centres #Vietnam as THE PATH to *permanent* removal of imperialism from the planet in his April 1968 speech to the #TriContinental, perhaps his most important speech.
#CheGuevara’s speech is just amazing: “.. How close we could look into a bright future should two, three or many Vietnams flourish throughout the world with their share of deaths and their immense tragedies,...”
“... their everyday heroism and their repeated blows against imperialism, impelled to disperse its forces under the sudden attack and the increasing hatred of all peoples of the world!..”
“.. And if we were all capable of uniting to make our blows stronger and infallible and so increase the effectiveness of all kinds of support given to the struggling people — how great and close would that future be!..”
“#Vietnam is pointing it out with its endless lesson of heroism, its tragic and everyday lesson of struggle and death for the attainment of final victory.” #CheGuevara
#Fanon references Vietnam many times in #TowardTheAfricanRevolution “Every setback of colonial domination in America or in Asia strengthens the national will of the African peoples...”
#Fanon: “.. unexpected concepts.
For three years we have said repeatedly that the wedge driven into the French colonial system by the liberation of #Indochina, of #Tunisia, and of #Morocco had shaken its infrastructure.”
For three years we have said repeatedly that the wedge driven into the French colonial system by the liberation of #Indochina, of #Tunisia, and of #Morocco had shaken its infrastructure.”
#MalcolmX takes DrKing’s position further: “ If violence is wrong in America,violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending black women, children, black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to draft us and make us violent abroad in defense of her..
The Vietnamese ended up martyring over 3 million people with 300,000 missing: as MalcolmX said the price of freedom is death. The popular support and the ingenuity of its resistance stunned and awed the world and still does. It’s the antiimperialist ‘#Mecca’.
There is so so much we have left out. After liberation Vietnam was left with a country devastated by imperialism delivered death, injuries and poisoned land. Imperialism dropped more bombs on Vietnam than entire 2WW. Including the napalm and agent orange chemical warfare.
Vietnam was a terribly poor country through the late 1970s and into the 80s. Despite considerable support from the socialist camp, Vietnam was still suffering & adopted a mixed communist/socialist led economy by 1986 #DoiMoi. condition of the ppl started to improve considerably.
Since the late 1990s Vietnam has gained global recognition for uplifting its people out of poverty. It’s also a very beautiful country in terms of nature, food, people. A massive tourist destination for westerners w all the benefits and shit that comes with it.
We would encourage everyone to go and volunteer w Vietnamese govt recognised orgs, enjoy the country and serve the country and people. Loads of excellent museums about the revolution/resistance there in every town and city.
The traumas of imperialist war crimes are still evident not least in the orphanages of ppl made disabled from agent orange poisoning. Our members have visited these places and showed solidarity with the patients and staff.
We also have contacts in Vietnam for people serious about conducting a PhD research there. If you have a serious proposal and are serious in committing to this, we can facilitate your communication with a major Uni in #HCM city. Inbox us.
There also needs to be a thread on bullshit racist/colonialist usa/western-based depictions of the #Vietnamwar on film/doc film. The PBS doc series on Vietnam was the usual one sided white wash, denounced widely in #Vietnam.
