The author said Vietnamese and foreign people support Trump because he has expressed anti-China sentiment.
Never have the Vietnamese been divided by a US president as they are now. Different views about Donald Trump are making it difficult for many Vietnamese to accept each other.
The 45th president of the US has been the subject of debate between Vietnamese people at the same level as the quarrel between the nationalists and the communists from 1975 to the present.
“Don’t write about my President anymore“
Last week I was told by an older friend who lives in the same city to break up and delete our friendship with me on Facebook. The reason, he repeatedly reminded me, “Well, you do not write anything about my President anymore,” but I still did not follow his request.
This is not the first time I have been stopped talking and unfriending after I wrote about Donald Trump, although before that we were quite close in real life, matching on many topics from politics, history, and culture, society, to faith.
On Facebook, I have friends from different regions, countries, religions, not the same way to fight, dont share the same hobby … I used to talk to each other about many issues to learn from each other. But knowing that I think of Trump differently than them, there are many of them stopping interacting with me and canceling friendship.
Not only individuals, but also groups and organizations are drawn into this debate. Diverse Democracy Coalition, a political organization having members in many countries that has lost a member in Australia for more than 20 years. The reason is because he supports Donald Trump, while the majority of the other members of the group are not.
The split between the Vietnamese for the 45th US President is most evident through the case of Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh who posted her opinions regarding Trump’s administration on Facebook. This is a personal statement about Donald Trump, about the US when the Covid-19 began to break out in this country in the second half of March.
The things Ms. Quynh wrote were true to that fact at that time and after that.
However, no matter what Quynh wrote right or wrong, many Vietnamese people hated her and kicked her in social networks. They said she was indebted to Donald Trump who took her from Vietnam’s prison to the US, they slandered her as “a Communist.”
Advocacy events in support of Mr. Trump’s second term election continue during the Covid-19 pandemic
Many Vietnamese political dissidents and social activists also followed suit saying that Quynh was not right about Mr. Trump and the US personally. Others launch individual differences to add attacks her.
They have “denounced” her because she criticized the 45th US President and say the country is not great in contrast to what Trump boasted.
Some went further to collect signatures calling for her deportation back to Vietnam.
This was completely contrary to Quynh’s warm welcome less than a year ago when many Vietnamese Americans invited her to speak after she was expelled from the prison by the Vietnamese government.
Many Vietnamese who support Donald Trump also make a list of those who do not like Trump to attack, similarly to Vietnam’s government supporters making a list of activists for their online attacks.
People who dislike Trump, often face accusation by Trump’s supporters “Communist,” “sabotage the US,” “Working for China’s Intelligence,” and “Receiving money from the Chinese Communist to work against the US.”
To many Vietnamese, Donald Trump is like an absolute truth. They say supporting Donald Trump means loving America and Vietnam, and vice versa. It is like loving the Communist Party and Socialism means loving Vietnam!
Support Trump for not liking China
Mr. Huynh Ngoc Chenh, a well-known activist based in Hanoi said “I tend to support Trump, because he weakens China. Other factors can be considered later.”
Similarly, Huynh Thuc Vy also admitted, “Whoever suppresses the eternal enemies of my country, I like it.” Donald Trump is like that, so she likes and supports.
Overseas and domestic Vietnamese who support Donald Trump meet at the point that he demonstrates a strong anti-China sentiment without considering the effectiveness and ways of the White House owner.
US-China tensions in many fields
This is an understandable psychology of most Vietnamese people regarding China for thousands of years because China just wanted to conquer and control Vietnam. Therefore, the Vietnamese easily support anyone who opposes China.
The tense dispute in the East Sea (South China Sea) has further reasons for the Vietnamese to expect Donald Trump to curb China’s greed and aggression.
Many Vietnamese put their trust in ease, that Donald Trump’s trade war with China will make this giant country collapse. As a result, the current Vietnamese government will also disintegrate toward a free and democratic society.
Many Vietnamese Catholics and Protestants who support Donald Trump have more reasons, because he opposes abortion and gay marriage.
Someone gave a reason to support Donald Trump, because he made the President only get one dollar salary/year. This thinking is of the way the US people lack money to pay their president.
Others support the incumbent US President because he speaks bluntly and responds quickly. In fact, Trump behaves emotionally, in a big ego, heavier than losing, lacking a strategic vision.
Vietnamese in America support Donald Trump because he is a Republican. For many Vietnamese leaving their homeland after April 30, 1975, the Republican party was like a “marriage” of politics.
Ignoring the truth
Because supporting Donald Trump, many Vietnamese do not look at the truth that is happening to the US for nearly half a year. A US that has just passed a legal crisis with the impeachment of the President in the US House of Representatives and the Senate, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
After more than three months of outbreaks, the US was still at its peak with tens of thousands of new cases every day. While most countries have outbreaks with a shorter time to control the disease.
The Trump administration is awkward in dealing with the pandemic. Daily press conferences in the White House have shown a “drum blowing backward” situation between the President and health professionals, between the federal government and state governors, between the issue of social distance and reopen businesses.
When the pandemic is not over, George Floyd incident in late May sparked a smoldering fever about police violence and discrimination against blacks.
While many Vietnamese support Trump in spite of the facts, there are signs that the support for the President is declining.
A series of military officials and former security advisers openly criticized Trump for trampling the Constitution.
Within the Republican party, the Lincoln Project was formed to prevent Mr. Trump from winning another term.
This summer promises a few books containing elements that are not happy to Mr. Trump such as the memoirs of former security adviser John Bolton or the grandson of President Mary Trump.
Support but please do not ignore the facts to defend in any way.
In order to support Donald Trump, many Vietnamese are trying to poison themselves and the community with fake news.
From Joe Biden kneeling in front of George Floyd’s trunk; four policemen were killed by protesters; smashing cemeteries and memorial steles; nail salon owners were raped by blacks; or Trump’s campaign in Tulsa had hundreds of thousands of attendees, etc.
Support or not with Donald Trump that is normal in a democratic society. But do not support or oppose by spreading false information, fabricating, proving by conspiracy theories, slandering, and denouncing people with other thoughts.
Doing such things will only bring about gloating because of humiliation, disdain, and crushing others. However, it is not shown that one who respects the truth, acts civilized, behaves democratically distorted and does not aim for a good society.
There is a need for the truth to be exposed, Donald Trump’s policies and ways of working need to be analyzed from many perspectives.
All to see whether the current US President has put the health, benefits, and safety of the people and the US first or not. And the number one world power like the US is also responsible for international affairs.
Do not let the elements of Donald Trump make supporters and oppositing individuals not to accept each other, do not make the gap between these two groups in the Vietnamese community widening.
In the middle of a divided America, many people say the slogan “America first” is not equal to “Donald Trump first.”
Thoibao.de (Translated)
