Left-Communist Group of Vietnam

  One would be hard pressed to find a country that is more hated, more despised on the Left of Capital, than Israel. This is not a sentiment without reason of course. The State of Israel is a puppet of American imperialism, a virtual apartheid state colonizing Palestinian land. The American bourgeoisie, among others, is quick to label anti-Zionist dissent as “anti-Semitic”, as Israel is one of America’s most committed allies. Surely the mighty Socialist Republic of Vietnam has taken a stand against them then? Surely it has joined other countries in restricting Israel’s power and influence, in an anti-imperialist show of solidarity? Unfortunately for Vietnam’s cheerleaders it has not. In fact Vietnam has been more than happy to be an ally to Israel The relationship between the two is rich, but it has not always been this way. In fact it has only recently started to become more intimate. Vietnam recognized Israel as independent in 1993, lagging behind other countries by a few decades...

  Recently, Vietnamese activist Will Nguyen appeared on a digital town hall with the organization Now! to discuss Vietnam and it’s democracy movement. One of our members and a sympathizer had the opportunity to watch the town hall on Zoom. That experience and an analysis of it has been compiled into this article. Before we begin, let us address the organization that held this meeting. Now!, founded in 2019, describes itself as “the global movement pushing for humanity to work as One, to solve the biggest challenges of our time”. Vague wording, to say the least, however, we can still draw some conclusions from it. Such as a doubtless class collaborationism with their appeal for a united humanity. Looking at the actual content of the town hall and Now!’s facebook page, it is clear that they’re a very liberal organization. Joe Biden apologia, along with calls for a “coalition of democracies” to form and help defend (bourgeois) democracy and it’s “freedom fighters” doesn’t make this a ...

  Recently there has been a vivid display of reactionary sentiments and views by those in the Vietnamese diaspora in America. At a rally in Biloxi, Mississippi, one of many, a crowd of Vietnamese flew the flags of various reactionary groups with reactionary slogans accompanying. Prominently featured was the three striped flag of the Republic of Vietnam (“South Vietnam”) and the Trump 2020 flag. This show of support for the American regime is the result of numerous components, which we have attempted to identify below. Yellow Red Scare The most prominent factor we have to take into account is the diaspora’s relationship to present Vietnam. The ideological and legal predecessor to the modern “Socialist” Republic of Vietnam was the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (“North Vietnam”), which many Vietnamese tried to escape from during the American War in Vietnam. This was largely due to its allegedly communist characteristics, and the fear of suffering under the regime. The resulting inter...

  Islam is one of the largest religions in the world, boasting almost two billion faithful across the entire world. It’s no wonder, then, that it has also reached Vietnam, even if it’s a minority in the cultural tapestry. This essay hopes to give a short historical account of how Islam got to Vietnam, and the characteristics of modern Islam in the country. Background Among the regions that make up Vietnam, Islam’s presence was first found in the region of Champa, comprising the central and south parts of the country. The Cham, who occupied the region, are widely associated with Islam and vice versa, since they were the first to convert to Islam, doing so as early as the tenth and eleventh centuries. Although some records place conversions at the twelfth century. The religion only started to gain popularity around the seventeenth century, however, when the royalty of Champan kingdoms converted.[1] Crucial to this development were Muslim traders, especially those from the Malay peopl...

  Vietnam, being the equivalent of a social democracy, places prime importance on “workers rights” (officially anyway). That’s why the government allows the existence of party-approved trade unions who can only legally be represented by one party approved national organization. This organization, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (V.G.C.L.), is not truly representative of the proletariat. It is more representative of the capitalist “Communist” Party and its running dogs.  First off, let’s address what it means that Vietnam has an organization of trade unions. These trade unions, of which there are several, negotiate with Vietnamese capitalists over working conditions and wages. Their main reason for existence is to deal with problems which are characteristic of capitalism. This is not a fabrication we have made up. They openly admit this in a video by the International Labor Organization (an arm of the United Nations). They say: “In Vietnam’s fast growing economy wage...

  Nowadays, it is not uncommon to hear someone compare Council Communists to Anarcho-Syndicalists despite the vast gap which exists between the two tendencies. Thus, we thought we should clear the air around the subject and explain the differences between Council Communists and Anarcho-Syndicalists. Unions The most obvious point of contention regards unions. Council Communists, such as ourselves, completely disregard unions as revolutionary organizations. Unions have only ever been, and can only ever be, pseudo-reformist bodies. They exist to get concessions from capitalists (i.e. higher wages, shorter working hours) in essentially the same fashion as social democrats. This was true even in their heyday. In the present day, though, they have been almost completely integrated into the capitalist state, and won’t ever vouch for real revolutionary action. The programme of the Communist Workers Party of Germany said it best: “ [I]t is necessary to resolutely reject the trade unions, an...

  One of the most fundamental concepts of Marxism is that of the dictatorship of the proletariat. The dictatorship of the proletariat is the political and economic power of the workers made manifest through organs of the class, especially through workers councils. It is the State wielded by the proletariat, to put it shortly. The dictatorship of the proletariat is crucial for the revolution and the transition to Communism. Unfortunately, it seems one is missing in the “Socialist” Republic of Vietnam. Rather than a congress of councils or soviets, as was typical in genuinely communist experiments, the highest organ of power in Vietnam is the bourgeois National Assembly. It is only a break from bourgeois democracy aesthetically, i.e. in that it has red flags everywhere and many “commissars”. Functionally, however, it is no different than the British Parliament or the American Congress. Makeup The only requirement to run for the National Assembly is age related. You have to be at leas...