this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2026
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I'm wondering if the US retirees there also influence that?
The actual expats have their own little quarter in TPHCM and don't bother anybody for the most part.
It's the US social media, NGOs and CIA-linked schools that are doing the most damage. Going to these western schools is a sign of prestige and wealth, and you can probably guess what they teach and you'd be right.
There's something of a scandal at one of these schools a few years ago that the students were being shown hollywood movies about the Viet Nam war, and being taught to be extremely sympathetic to the invading genicodal nazis -- to the extent that Vietnamese students were literally crying about how sad it was that Amerikkkans were "forced" to kill Vietnamese.
That's not good. Are there any strong communist groups?
Not in my experience.
I live in a south-central area of the country where it's still fairly rural. Maybe it's a little better up north, I don't go to Hanoi very often. Down here, no one even knows what communism or socialism are, nor are they inclined to discuss it. Especially not openly. Saying anything political can get you arrested, so people avoid the topic entirely.
The entry point to anything ostensibly political is generally by joining the police and working you way up. The police and government officials are basically just motivated by taking bribes and making connections.
Don't let our flags, decorations and art fool you, most people here think that shit is annoying. People will roll their eyes if you speak positively of it (or mention it all, really). Uncle Ho is a mainly figure of nationalism and there's little understanding of what he believed in beyond studying his poetry (though everyone will tell you they are an "expert" about Uncle Ho). The symbols of communism are usually associated with nationalism, so positive views toward communism tend to represent an internalized sense of masculine strength.
I was recently talking to a couple kids who completed primary last year and was trying to start a business together. Neither of them knew who Marx, Lenin or Mao where. Weird since Lenin (LêNin) appears all over the place in school books. I never went to the primary schools here, so I don't know what's going on there.
The bookstores here don't sell anything related to Marxist theory, economics or history at all. BUT they DO sell hagiographies of Richard Nixon, Friedman, Trump, Trump Jr., Henry Kissinger, Karl Rove, Betsy DeVos, Netanyahu, Modi, Ronald Reagan, Papi Bush, Dick Cheney, John Bolton, etc.. I get pretty mad about it sometimes. Some of the kids here think it's really fucked up too, so maybe there's some hope. I have to order most of my books in English and from outside the country.
Primary education doesn't teach about political ideologies. Ethics and History are the subjects remotely related. Ethics use the image of Bác Hồ as an exemplar. History frames the anti-colonial war against France/Japan and the anti-imperialist war against the US as fighting for freedom and independence. At least, that was how I vaguely remember it.
The more ideological subjects are only taught in higher levels of education such as high school and university. It is here that we would learn about capitalism, colonialism, imperialism, socialism, scientific socialism, revolution, incomplete liberation, complete liberation, etc. Although, they are not super detailed.
I was about to ask why you're obviously pretending and making shit up, but then I saw the "reddit" in your name. Makes total sense now.
Initially, I engaged with you because I felt you were being too alarmist. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I thought that perhaps you was a foreigner who has no clue regarding the Vietnamese education system, that's why I explained it to you. Never had I thought that you would accuse me of spreading falsehood. I now have a good reason to suspect you of being a bad actor for whatever reason.
LMAO I'm the bad actor? My wife went to school here, as well as all my neighbors and their children. You're a fake and an obvious liar. You don't know shit. Just stop.
Vợ mày hả? Nhưng bản thân mày thì không đúng không? Mày là Tây lông à? Tao chưa chửi mày bịa chuyện thì thôi mày đi chửi tao. Định lừa ai đấy?
troi dat oi em noi chuyen giong robot qua 😂
Mày "sống ở Việt Nam" bao năm rồi mà ngay cả Telex cũng không biết cài vậy?
Thật ra telex thì thông dụng hơn với lứa trẻ, còn tụi millennial và boomer Việt mình dùng vni nhiều hơn, bạn thông cảm với cụ lão ICBM 🤭🤣😢
Ko biết telex thì đánh vni hay là viqr chứ mấy cậu đừng có đánh chữ như mấy bạn tây nhìn tếu lâm lắm 🤭😊
Holy moly. That's extremely disheartening, I can't begin to imagine how you may feel, living there.
There are good things, but I don't spend my time worrying and talking to people about the good things. Many workers, especially men, here do 10-12 hour days and spend their free time drinking heavily. Not much time for history, current events or politics. Students have more time, but social media (we have tiktok zombies too) and mobile slop games often consume it. Some of the kids who recently served in the armed forces here have pretty decent knowledge.
It's nice to at find people who are interested in the world outside their routine.
It's extremely disheartening. I was reading an article that referenced this article https://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/vietnam-war/ace-of-spades-in-vietnam-war/2838824484001 (CW, extreme desecration/disrespect of the dead in the video there) and thinking of our conversation here (source article found here: https://news.abolish.capital/post/25145)
Eta: I have worked, in my lifetime, often voluntarily, with mentally and physically disabled. I have watched family members go off for drinks, sex, drugs, or sit in the same room glued to games, Facebook, TV to ignore them to completely shirk as much responsibility as possible to whomever will assume it for pity and mercy of the ailing family member and even their pets.
I saw that too, its horrifying. Also one of the most direct examples of the imperial boomerang I can think of.
A lot of people can't understand a policy is wrong until they personally suffer under a similar policy; and looking at Zionists, not even then. 😞