Radio Free Asia
Two groups of Vietnamese scholars, attorneys, and representatives from civil society organizations voiced support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invading army, striking a markedly different tone than their government, which has largely been silent on the war.
In a letter to Nataliya Zhynkina, Ukraine’s top diplomat in Vietnam, three dozen Vietnamese declared themselves to be “freedom lovers” and urged Ukrainians to resist Russia in defense of their “young democracy,” which emerged from an authoritarian past.
Among the signatories were members of the Civil Society Forum, Nguyen Trong Vinh Club, Le Hieu Dang Club, Lap Quyen Dan, and Vietnam Independent Writers Initiative.
They noted that while Vietnam is a communist country, many Vietnamese believe that independence and democracy — values that Ukrainians are protecting — are important.
The letter and a second one a group of attorneys wrote to Russia President Vladimir Putin circulated among closed groups on Facebook. They stand in sharp contrast to the Vietnamese government’s overarching passivity to the conflict.
As Russia’s closest partner and ally in Southeast Asia, Vietnam issued a tepid call for restraint, after the invasion, although state media have been extensively covering the conflict, without much of their usual pro-Russia bias. News reports include quotes from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and points of view of both nations and their allies.
Mac Van Trang, an expert on sociopolitical issues in Vietnam, told RFA that he had signed the letter to Zhynkina because Vietnam can relate to Ukraine’s plight: a small country defending itself against a much larger one.
China occupied and colonized Vietnam for years and initiated the 1979 war between the two nations. China also took Vietnam’s Paracel Islands and Johnson Reef in the South China Sea from Vietnam, Trang noted.
“Therefore, when witnessing Russia, led by Putin, threatening, harassing and bringing tanks, cannons, and missiles to invade Ukraine in order to establish a puppet government and turn Ukraine into its vassal state, we found this war to be unjust and meaningless,” he said.
“As they are bravely defending their sovereignty, independence and freedom, the government and people of Ukraine are great examples for us to admire and learn from,” he added. “We have to support them.”
The group of lawyers in Vietnam in their open letter to Putin also called for an end to what they said was an unjust war.
Attorney Tran Dai Lam told RFA that the great losses and horrible consequences of war that the Vietnamese had experienced during past conflicts prompted him to sign the letter.
“Our Vietnamese people have been through a lot of wars and along with them were death, economic destruction, and consequences for the future,” he said. “As a result, I don’t want to see Ukrainian and Russian people fire at each other.
“Ukrainian children are innocent, and they should not bear the devastating consequences of war like what we, Vietnamese people, had experienced,” he said.
By sending troops into Ukraine, Russia breached international law, Lam said. He said he feared Vietnam would face a similar threat from China in the future.
“In my viewpoint, Russia invades Ukraine, and this is an unjust war,” he said. “Russia has violated international laws and conventions. I strongly denounce Russia’s act of invasion of Ukraine.”
‘Stupid and narrow-minded’
The two letters also criticized Vietnamese who support Putin’s actions in Ukraine.
Read more
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/two-letters-03012022173701.html
