Tuan Khanh (VietFact) - Translated by VNCH-Ngoc Truong (Danlambao) - On the long road to the Hungtington Beach, Orange County, there are beautiful houses owned by Vietnamese. They are very young, or ordinary families but live close to themselves. My friend, a resident of the neighborhood, belonged to the first Vietnamese generation who came to the US after April 1975 (the fall of South Vietnam), saying those houses are "Viet Cong" settlement.
These homes have been bought real quick in the past few years - from $ 450,000 to more than $ 1 million, suggesting a huge source of foreign currency to move out of Vietnam, to build the American dream distinctly far away from Vietnam.
Most of these people speak the northern dialect. They have a very arrogant way of expressing themselves. A a local real estate agent and also a friend of mine, recounts the conversation with such a customer, and is told that the house was bought in cash, which the customer pronounced "fresh cash!".
Not only that place, recently has the Vietnamese community in Texas often said that the Bellaire neighborhood is growing with more and more presence of people who legally fled Vietnam. Not only do they spend money real fast to buy a house - this class of people possessed tons of money - they also buy commercial establishments. From nail salons for tens of thousands to supermarkets priced at over ten million dollars, a different generation of mindsets and way of thinking are wading into the anti-communist Vietnamese communities to look for habitation and survival. The community in the US with language and culture of Vietnamese people who are against communist government in Vietnam, Trầm Tử Thiêng, a musician once called "a Vietnam outside of Vietnam".
Thus, the billboards of immigration lawyers are growing as well as on radio and TV commercials, there are also invitations to get advice to get a green card to stay in the US permanently.
Sardonically to look back. Although the US is considered losing the Vietnam war as Vietnam propaganda, the target of destination of many Vietnamese officials is still America, not China's the so-called number one ally. Even the current red-cap(italists) officials in Vietnam spend a great deal of money hiding themselves and their children in the “hostile” country USA.
Houses at Hungtington Beach
Many Vietnamese living from hand to mouth wondered, "Who are those people, why are they so rich?" It is not easy to answer. Some would do everything come to the US or to the West – once hostile countries, to have a wellbeing life or better education ... But some also run away, to silently escape their own ideal in life- communism.
Mr. Men, a 10-year Kansas resident, witnessed the Vietnamese come to the US and buy 2, 3 houses at a time. They even bought dozens of latest iPhones to send back, compared to himself still scolding his children when he saw the waste of half the pencil in the waste basket.
"Vietnam is now easy to make money, huh?", asked Mr. Men impatiently.
There is no easy answer, millions of workers are eating up square of rotten food everyday as well as poor peasants have to apply for rice ration each year, mean while high ranking government officials are buying luxury vehicles and approved billions-worth projects to build monuments of Ho chi minh.
St. Polycarp School in Stanton City, Orange County, is one of the Catholic private schools that many Vietnamese families spend money on with expectation their children would study and learn the faith. Sometimes, there are families who bring their children and give their children a chance to get acquainted with Jesus instead of learning to believe in a leader. Last year, the car parked in front of the school to drop off a child, the grandparents got off too, they were in appearance of communist cadres from clothes to shoes and voices.
Found water spill on the way, the old lady (if she was a lady) stepped over, grumbled. "This is not possible. I have to say kids would get their shoes damaged. Seeing me as a Vietnamese, at school fundraiser, she said, "Do you work here?, you should talk to the board."
Still remember in Hcm city, Hanoi ... the days water flooded to bed. The day of school admission, parents struggled, flopped around the school for their children, even bribery. Perhaps Vietnamese people are used to hardship and sufferings, now enjoying freedom and democracy, everyone is eager to express their rights. Of course, the tap was fixed shortly thereafter, but the administration did not blame “climate change” or “shortcoming of budget”. When the family returns the next day, they will be pleased and think they are respected, unlike the days when many people back home are angry with the status quo, but find themselves always turned into a farce. The simple lesson of life for that family, the way I see it, is the self-confidence and human rights are protected, which may be very different when they were in Vietnam, stopped by a traffic police without any reason, nevertheless, search the pocket for couple of hundred thousand piastres in a hurry to bribe the dirty people’s cop.
John Mason, said in his famous book:
"You were born an original. Don’t die a copy."
Do not die a copy is probably one of the driving force, silently but intensely in the hearts of the Vietnamese for many generations. There are so many people left the country, to see themselves and their children live as they should, as an original. Years after 1975 (the fall of South Vietnam), there are still many people who have escaped Vietnam to find their original.
But why can not we be original in our country? Why do we have to live elsewhere ? I am envisioning a man with expensive cars - not leaving his car in the middle of a flooded road in HCM city where he and others could
go straight to government offices to question why. I hope the Vietnamese immigrant family would question their own government officials like they did to the US officials. Why the original, real and simple life was replaced by lifeless and nonsense copy?
Over there in Vietnam, we are told to do business only, and ignore everything else. Many Vietnamese have taken a lot of time to do that, eventually to see that it is not adequate. The rich, government officials stack up and leave for a different life abroad. The life they once defended and comdemned those who give up as enemies.
That is life. Very realistic.
Once a young, pro-communist government commentator, wrote me: "So be poor, poor forever".
That's another concept however, my question is pretty obvious:
We - Vietnamese, try to get rich and then what?
2017-12-06
______________________________________________
References:
