Chapter- IV
The Impact of Detente on Sino- Vietnamese
Relations and the Politics of the HOA People
Chapter IV
The Impact of Detente on Sino-Vietnamese Relations
and the Politics of the HOA People
Forgetting the ideological conflict and giving priority to trade and
commerce after the break up of the Soviet Union, President Bill Clinton
lifted a great burden off the shoulders of Beijing by granting unconditional
extension of its most favoured nation (M.F.N.) trading status to China and
also at the same time side tracked the Human rights issues giving priorities
to economy.
This set the U.S.-China relations of a more normal track that is the
end of confrontation over such issues as market access and intellectual
property rights. While other issues difficult ones are liable for a solution
~
through the now familiar cycle of United States pressure that is Hines
1\
blust~and fmally Beijing's quiet capitulation.
1
·
With this the two great enemies of Vietnam U.S.A. and China and
very powerful ones, patched up their difference. United States after the
defeat in the Vietnam war had encouraged the Hoas to leave Vietnam.
China which had been using Hoa's to sabotage and destabilize Vietnam
1
Carl Golstein, A Thousand Thanks, Far Eastern Economic Preview, June 30, 1994, p.21.
103
which was one of the factors that led to China-Vietnam war is now
closed.
Vietnam tried to settle it problem with China long since the war.
This can be seen from the speech of the Head delegate in the VietnamChina Talk.
"In a desire to restore the traditional friendship between the
Vietnamese and Chinese people, the delegation of the Government of the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam has come to Peking to continue with the
delegation of the Government of the People's Republic of China, the talks
on problems concerning the relations between the two countries".
The delegates stressed that there had been traditional friendhsip
between the two peoples.2
In another speech it was stated that after South Vietnam was
completely liberated China initiated a border war in the South-West
Vietnam. On Vietnam's sovereignty and territory it accused that there was
provocation's and anned encourachments, creating continuous tensions on
th~
borders. "They spread rumors about an inevitable war between China
and Vietnam, they initiated a campaign to induce or coerce hundreds of
2
Speech by Vietnamese Delegate during Vietnam-China Talks. Vietnam lnfonnation Bulletin,
vol.xixi, no.28, 11 July, 1979, New Delhi, p.l.
104
thousands of people to go to China, instigated Hoas in Vietnam to provoke
troubles and riots in order to undetmine Vietnam from inside.J
With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Vietnam prefened not
to confront China but at the same time did not hope for anything from
China, instead it look towards the ASEAN countries for supp011.
These factors had an effect on the Hoa politics of the Vietnam,
Cooperation, dedication, hard work and sacrifices were needed to develop
the war tom economy in the changing world scenario (were communism
had failed in Europe).
Hoas had not laboured much in states as they did in Malaysia and
Indonesia. IN Vietnam they had played an important part in banking,
money-lending, wholesale marketing of rice, retailing of non-perishable
goods and of course they played an important part in foreign trade. Some
small groups were engaged in agriculture. In these very sectors Vietnam
needs people, so Hoas are welcome back now. Also Vietnam is allowing
foreign countries to invest. 4
3
Speech by Head of the Delegation of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Phankien at first meeting on 12 April 1979, Vietnam Infonnation Bulletin, vol.xix, n.l7, 25
April 1979, New Delhi, p.2.
4
Dennis J. Duncannes, Government and Revolution in Vietnam, Londo.
105
It was natural for the Hoas to leave Vietnam as they were the targets
of attack by the native people. The Hoas were seen as the real exploiters
and not the French as it were the Hoas who were creditors, money-lenders
and interpreters while the native people were the debtors, borrowers and
labourers. Now these issues were dead.
In fmishing the Hoas had considerable hold and preferred deep seafishing. The natives had engaged themselves only in the coastal areas and
that too only half heatedly. In 1929 the production of their fishing was
about 5,800 tones. French used to auction this right of fishing. There was a
keen competition among them and they had always kept the natives away
from the local and export trade in dried fish. Even the manufacture of Nuoc
Mann, the popular Vietnamese fermented fish sauce was monopolized by
the Chinese, Hence, this industry suffered after their exodus. 5
The industries which had suffered due to the Exodus of the Hoa
people are:
The Chinese in Trade and Industries
Hoas had boats which was used for transportation of goods on the
streams and river. It was also used as rest houses. The census held in 1921
5
William J. Duiker, Vietnam, Nations in Revolution (Colorado, 1983), p.J.
106
showed that about I ,56,000 Hoas were engaged in this occupation. Hence
river transport and tourism had suffered.
Hoas were also skilled artisans and handicraft workmen hence
handicrafts had suffered. They had also created job oppmtunities for
natives and had employed them as workers and apprentices. They had also
worked as tailors, shoe-makers etc. 6
In Cholan they manufactured many articles such as food pastes,
basketing, books, paper, brushes, cnadles, etc. Therefore, these had
suffered and Cholan after their exodus had looked like a ghost town and
was completely deserted. In animal husbandry they practised duck raising,
kept the eggs into incubators and when hatched they sold them. They had
also made bowls, bottls, lamps, manufactured cloth, ceramic etc. Machines
and ships construction, owned most of the saw-mills and mills preparing
rice for export. Hence labourers and export of _rice suffered. They had also
owned sugar refineries on the plains of Cochin-China. The Chinese rice
merchants had rice mills or Husking mills where the paddy was - processed
husked blended, packed - on behalf of exporters. They quite often
combined both functions in which case they were known as miller exporter of rice. Miller exporters were concentrated at Cholan. 7
6
7
Victor Purcall, The Chinese in South East Asia, (London, 1966), p.l94.
Ibid., p.J95.
107
In mining the law had not pennitted the Hoas to participate. In trade
unlike industries the Hoas had found themselves in true colour. They got
the support of the guilds and cooperatives. They could very well adjust
with the natives and had not needed the same standards of hygiene and
comfort which the European needed and Vietnamese did not have the same
Perservance and qualities which was needed in trade in which the Chinese
were engaged such as cotton, sugar condiment silk and tea.
8
Hoas also got malasses that were processed at their refineries only.
Hence the credit system and sugar plantations that had flourished before
unification had suffered. Condinment, ceramics work and cardamon tarde
were all in the Hoas hands and they exported it. Hence their export had
suffered. At Saigon and Hanoi silk and textiles were manufactured. Hence
trade in so many commodities had suffered and at the time when Vietnam
needed to build itself and when America was against. These had led to
unemployment of natives. Hoas were very hard working and had
entrepreneurship, hence, they enriched themselves and had strengthened
the economy. Not only the entire import and export trade but also internal
trade had been managed by them. These must have suffered and Vietnam
must be fmding the needs of the Hoas. 9
8
9
Ibid., p.l97.
Ibid., p.l98.
108
An example of how the capital was transfened from Vietnam when
capital was needed in Vietnam is that
certain Tran Thanh, a Taiwan
Chinese who had financed a ve1y lucrative sodium glutarak factmy in
Saigon with 48 ·per cent of Taiwanese capital and the rest by himself.
Shortly before the liberation of Saigon Tran Thanh transfened his capital to
Peking and returned to his native district in Kwantung province. Such
factories were closed and the capital transferred, while such factories and
more investment was need for the regeneration and development of the war
tom economy.
10
Unemployment problem increased with the exodus f the Hoas due to
the anti-capitalist drive and cun·ency reform '"A Nhan Dan editorial in July
admitted that though in the past two years some 1.4 million people had
been given jobs in the South, but still hundreds of thousands of people
remain jobless. Hence, Vietnam is opening up its economy and is now
feeling the need for the Hoas and so it has, changed its policy for their
return.
11
This is also evident from the Vietnamese President Le Due Anh' s
~~~
visit to Indonesia from April 26-29, when he and Suhaico had agreed for
,......_
10
Wilfred Burchett, The China. Cambodia Vietnam Triangle (London, 1982), p.l8.
Pham Van Dong, "Vietnam, Social Affairs", Far Eastern Economic Review, Asia Ycar Book,
1979, p.318.
11
109
speedy repatriation of some 8,000 Vietnamese boat people now living in
Galong island.
12
With the end of China-Vietnam war and fall of Soviet Union,
Vietnam's aid by Russia would go reduced. China might help, though
Vietnam is not very optimistic about it.
It is to be noted that the Chinese merchants had already built up a
business empire in Vietnam before the French came and the French had
come to a conclusion that the Chinese merchants were indispensable to the
Vietnamese economy.
After unification, the Hoas help and cooperation was mot needed
but instead of building up the economy they had left the country and the
whole economic system had been paralysed. Now the Hoas who are willing
to come back shall be accommodated and the Vietnamese Government
called them the overseas Vietnamese, not the Chinese. 13
In countries where resettlement took place in great numbers,
namely, the U.S., Canada, France and Australia, the profiles of Indo-China
refugees· were investigated. In the U.S. Indo-China refugees numbered
approximately 846,000 persons in 1991. 35 per cent arrived in the U.S. in
12
13
Regional Briefing, Far Eastern Economic Review, 12 May 1994, p.l3.
King C. Chen, Vietnam and China 1931-85, Princeton, 1969, p.IO.
110
the peak years 1980-81. The major group of refugees which constituted for
90% of the early refugee atTivals in the period 1975-1980 were Vietnamese
refugees.
Presently, about 55% of the refugees population in the U.S. are
males, 45% are females. It is a young population: in 1987, the average age
was 25. 34% of refugees are Buddhist and another 34% are Catholics. It
was noted, that educational achievement of the first was high. 5 I% had
secondary education: 25% had primary or no education: and 19% had
higher education. More than half of the adult refugees have some Englishspeaking ability, while one third have made some claims about speaking
French. I 0% were former military men. About 38% have worked in some
U.S. related jobs. Regarding education, their years of schooling decreased
gradually. Those who arrived in the early year had more education and
spoke better English. 14
France Tene d' Asle conducted a survey of Indo-Chinese refugees
from 1975-1979. 15
It was discovered that there were more male than
females. Young adults aged 20-35 contributed 61% of the Active
14
Supang Chantavanich, Refugee Flows From Indo-China: Mass Movements and Challenges for
the 1990s, Indo-Chinese Refugee Information Centre (IRIC) Bangkok, occasional paper series
no/006, p.l7.
15
U.S. Office of Refugee Prettlement. Report to the Congress 1993, 23-25 and Office of Refugee
Resettlement, Report the Congress 1988, pp.ll2-l33.
Ill
population and 39% of the total population. Vietnamese refugees had the
highest language competing.
In Canada, the city of Vancouver Task Force on Vietnam Refugees
reported in 1979 that the Vietnamese in Vancouver were largely from
urbanized middle class backgrounds with little· or no experience in
farming 16 80% were ethnic Chhiese and many spoke both Vietnamese and
Chinese, some spoke English, only the Vietnamese elite could speak
French. Their vocational skills were wide ranging with a number of
refugees having become technicians, electricians, dressmakers, food
processor,s etc. Some were students.
In
Australia
the
1986
census
gave
some
.
.
socio-economic
characteristic of the Indo-Chinese refugees. 17 The Indo-Chinese refugees in
Australia were a young population whose sex ratio showed a greater
number of males than female. Also, there were more single men than
married. The massive outflows fluctuated according to the socio-political
changes in the countries of origin. The level of migration peaked in 1979
when there were 600,000 asylum seekers. In the subsequent years this
16
City of Vancouver Task Force on Vietnamese Refugees, Background paper on the ietnamese
Refugees Vancouver (1979). Given in Occassional Paper Series No/006. Supang Chantavanich,
Refugee flows from Indo-China, Mass Movements in Challenges for the 1990s, p.l5.
17
James E. Coughlan, "A Comparative Study of some of the Socio-Economic Characteristics of
Indo-Chinese Born Migrants in Australia: A Preliminary Analysis of 1986 Census Data" (Center
for the study of Australian Asian Relations, (Brisbane, 1989) in Refugee flows from Indo-China.
112
number decreased by more than 60%. From 1981, the migration rate had
1
become stable until 1986 when it decreased again. x
Vietnam nevertheless suffered a lot due to the loss of its developed
manpower that is the Hoas and it would take at least one generation to
compensate the loss of human capital. This is· realized by the Vietnamese
government.lhe world scenario has changed, the Soviet Union has fallen
apart, there is a detente between America and China, in Cambodia there is
an elected government, Vietnam and China are not in any mo~ at war with
each other. Vietnam is trying to open its
command economy. Despite
Vietnam' ;s high literacy rate it faces acute shortage of skilled personnel
which ae needed in its march from a rigidly planned economy to the free
market economy. Managers and those having skills in marketing, laws,
banking, accounting, administrative and services are now in high demand.
Also the United States has lifted its trade embargo on Vietnam. This
signals that Vietnamese will nto be treated differently from other asylum
seekers and its is to be noted, that most of the Vietnamese in Asian camps
are believed to
~e
/\
economic migrants not refugees. This has also
discouraged the Haos from leaving Vietnam. 19
18
Supana Chantavanich, Occassional Paper Series, No/006. Refugee Flows from Indo-China:
Mass Movement and Challanges for the 1990's, p.2.
19
Regional Briefing, Eastern Economic Review, 3 March, 1994, p.l2.
113
As such now Vietnam has to see to the Rehabilitation of the Hoaj
people willing to come back and to ,inculcate confidence in them.
114