INTERVIEW – President Francois Hollande is in Vietnam on Tuesday and Wednesday. The historian Pierre Journoud * explains that France has more cards to play in its former colony. It deciphers the political, economic and cultural visit.
LE FIGARO. – France and Vietnam were closely linked in the past, when Indochina was French. Over sixty after independence, we sometimes tend to think that this country has remained as it was at the time. Why?
Pierre JOURNOUD. – The French have often led the old clichés from a colonial history sanitized, romanticized and frozen. However, Vietnam has changed a lot since independence. There is probably a flaw in the teaching of French. There is hardly a few lines on the subject in the final year history textbook, a little geography. It is regrettable: the Indochina War and the Battle of Dien Bien Phu were important events in the history of our country. Only they took place far from our soil, not called. They have largely been overshadowed by the tragedy of the war in Algeria and the titanic engagement of Americans in their war in Vietnam.
What significant developments Vietnamese society has she experienced in recent years?
The most striking is at the level of the economy. Vietnam has adopted unbridled capitalism, while the public sector continues to play a more important role. This disorder capitalism the old generation that finds it most. As young people, they feel a certain unease, torn between the rapid economic opening and clenching of power on political issues.
Advanced policies have followed?
The country is condemned to evolve. We are not in the case of China, where the regime tends to harden over time. In Hanoi, the power is much more collegial than in Beijing. He knows domestic margins dialogue with dissidents. True, some are imprisoned for example. But this is mitigated by significant parole spaces, especially on the Internet. The Vietnamese are very connected. The power could further control this window on the world, but willingly let this freedom. Today, the regime relies on two legitimacies to stay. First, the success of the war of independence against France and, above all, the victory in the war against the Americans. The Vietnamese Communist Party has built the nation state today thanks to these two events. The second legitimacy, the economic turning point that we mentioned in 1986. Vietnam was going through difficult years and its main supporter, the Soviet Union began to sway. We see the good results today. GDP has tripled in 30 years
Unlike some of its former African colonies, we do not paraissons have maintained strong links with Vietnam. How to explain it?
First, wars have robbed the regime of Hanoi against the West. Then there is the geographical distance. Finally, there is the massive weight of the administration and the massive corruption, true country of cancer. These obstacles can be unattractive to entrepreneurs. Diplomatically, the Vietnamese can sometimes accuse France of being too close to China. However, be parallel note that relations between Paris and Hanoi have never fully distended. A political dialogue has always existed. One of the highlights was the visit of François Mitterrand in 1993, the first by a French president. This has turned the page on the past and has supported Vietnam in its openness to the world. Jacques Chirac also had an important role, particularly on the issue of the Francophonie.
Why Vietnam he holds particularly out of place in the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie?
We often forget that during colonization, the teaching of french is concerned that a minority of people. However, participation in the Francophonie Summit allows Vietnam to develop its diplomatic and economic relations with African states. The authorities are always very enthusiastic to participate in these meetings. On the other hand, there Francophonie the field, which concerns less than 1% of the population. There is a new generation of Vietnamese who wish to learn our language and make great efforts. They now feel a bit forgotten in our country. Francois Hollande is expected to raise some funds for them.
What can the French president during his visit?
He may try to boost economic exchanges. If we get to spend some obstacles, Vietnam offers tremendous potential. I think of the field of environment, where France has a role to play, for example in the fight against pollution and the issue of the rising waters, especially in the Mekong Delta. There are also geopolitical issues. France is seen in this region as a credible power. We are still present with New Caledonia and are the only European power to keep it a military force since the departure of the British. Vietnam might need us: it is now faced with the question of Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. It is not a matter for us to take part, but to make themselves more visible in the debate, bringing our expertise and our knowledge of maritime law.
(*) Pierre Journoud is a historian at the University Paul-Valéry Montpellier. He is the author of De Gaulle and Vietnam (1945-1969). Reconciliation . Paris, Tallandier, 2011. He is preparing for early 2017 release of Dien Bien Phu, failover of a world , in Vendemiaire. To complete the interview, you can consult an article he devoted to relations between France and Vietnam.
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