Dear Mr. Kissinger:
Why, do you suppose, is it difficult for some folks to use the name "Viet Nam"? It is the recognized label imposed by the historical Viet lords who wanted to unify the warring regions(oh, was it Lord Nguyen or Lord Le who did that?). It is the official name of the country. It is a title recognized by the UN. It is an honor for millions of Vietnamese - born abroad or in state. Why, then, does the name conjure up -- at least in the American history books and mindsets -- so much negative energy?
Before proceeding, I must thank you for not referring to Viet Nam as "Nam." That term conjures negative connotations and alludes to a whole pantheon of stereotypes, archetypes, and discriminatory ideologies. Not to mention very different political agendas, as well as radically different social and cultural histories.
It must be b/c you were the perpetrator responsible? How does "infamous" calculate into your dictionary of personal descriptive adjectives?
I do, however, find it interesting that you keep referring to Viet Nam as "Indochina." In the late 19th and 20th centuries, up until our last emperor, Bao Dai, capitulated and went into exile, the term Indochina referred to many things, the least of which is a complex history wrought with colonialist manipulations. The violent and war-laden histories of the Vietnamese peoples (we are a rather mixed up bunch of folks) cannot be recounted w/o the chapters on French colonialism. The French term "l'Indochine" is attached to much more than just Deneuve's movie. The power struggles. The political upheavals. The cultural slanderings. The economic deteriorations. The governmental puppeteering. The Emperial overthrowings. Etc, etc, etc.
I offer an alternative: the American War. Actually, it is not I who offer this alternate option but the millions of Vietnamese who, whether or not swayed by the politicking of their government, believe that the conflict was decidedly American as opposed to Vietnam since it was afterall the US "mechanisms" that instigated the ordeal.(This I leave for another day since we've so much to discuss.)
What does Indochine mean to you, Mr. Kissinger? A method of erasing your mistakes? A manner of blame? A deferral? A red herring?
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