From the Red River to the Sea: The Struggle to Remain Whole

By Sony Thang

I’m Vietnamese.

In 1954, Western powers decided to split Vietnam in two. Not because we asked for it. Not because it was just. But because it served their imperial interests. The South was handed to a US-backed regime we never chose, and this foreign-imposed division was packaged as a “solution.” We were told to accept it, and there would be peace. That half a country was better than none.

But we refused.

Vietnam is not a bargaining chip. We are not a piece of…