National harmony is a consistent policy of our Party and State aimed to eradicate prejudice and discrimination against actions in the past or social background, thus establishing the great national unity bloc based on openness, mutual respect and trust, and advance towards the future together. Nevertheless, after 48 years of national reunification, part of the population remains intolerant, harbours grudges, and deepens the wounds of the past with a view to doing damage to the national harmony policy of our Party and State. These actions go against common interests of our people.

The anniversary of national reunification of April 30^th every year is the time for each person having some Vietnamese blood in their veins to rejoice to live in independence and freedom and be excited about development achievements of the country. They feel even happier when the national harmonisation process witnesses better results. Unfortunately, this is also the time for hostile forces to sabotage the national harmony policy of our Party and State, deliberately going against common interests of the people. The most visible signs are to call on people to commemorate the “National Hatred Day” and “Black April”; post many articles and images provoking hatred and sabotaging the Party and State on social networks. In addition, some people, associations, and groups that are funded and controlled by overseas reactionary organisations disseminate leaflets, stage demonstrations, and carry out acts of sabotage in some places in our country on the occasion of the reunification day. They are all deterred by law enforcement agencies.

Other regular tricks include distorting history, i.e. blaming us for not seriously complying with the article of the Paris Peace Accords of 1973 concerning national harmony; smearing the historical significance of the complete victory on April 30^th, 1975; denying the historical role of the Communist Party of Viet Nam in the struggle for national liberation and reunification. They falsely claim that the war of aggression against our country launched by the American imperialist is a civil war. They compare the way we deal with national harmony with that of the United State after its civil war or the Germans’ way of healing national rift after the fall of the Berlin Wall in order to try to criticise the national harmonisation process in our country. They ignore the reality that the reason for dividing our country and people lied in the French colonialists’ policy of divide and rule and directly the American imperialists’ new-style colonialism. They intentionally ignore the fact that the administration of the Republic of Viet Nam was merely a puppet in the drama about “democracy and freedom” directed by the United States; a pawn in the hands of American administration. They do not dare to admit the truth that they mistake themselves as fighters for national justice and American-style “democracy and freedom” while betraying the Fatherland. The more dangerous thing is that their wrongdoings drive our compatriots abroad, especially the young generation and students, to incorrect perception of the war of resistance against the U.S. for national salvation as well as erroneous perception of situation in the country. Their actions also provoke hatred, sow division, and deepen discord, which potentially lead to discrimination and prejudice against our Party and State. Why do some people still have prejudices and harbour grudges when the war has gone by, the history has ended, and our country has recorded huge achievements of significant importance under the leadership of the Party? The reasons for this intolerance are not simply individual conservative or legacy of the past, but to implement reactionary schemes of political opportunists whose aim is to do damage to the country. Evidently, they deliberately steer national harmony towards sabotaging the Party and State. Their ultimate aim is to call for pluralism and multi-party system and overthrow the regime. They intentionally beat about the bush when arguing that national harmony is the harmonisation between “people with different political views” and “democrats” and the existing government in our country. They falsely claim to be representatives of our compatriots’ interests overseas in order to make illogical demands. They criticise the national harmony as a way of paying lip service and a halfway policy if the communists remain rulers of the country, thus dubbing eradication of the communist regime an “order from the hearts”, the “future of the nation”, and so on. They also give themselves false hopes to call for removing the Party’s leadership, implementing pluralism and multi-party system, and abandoning the path to socialism of our people.

In fact, under the leadership of the Party, our country and people have broken the chains of slavery to struggle for independence and freedom. Our country is advancing firmly on the path to socialism and reaping great achievements in every aspect of social life. Our country has never had such fortune, position, potential, and international prestige as it does today. Why do they demand that our country have to relinquish the Party and follow the Western-style democracy before acceding to national harmony if they are for the people and the country? Their political opportunism has been exposed through such reactionary plots.

The country has proactively extended hands to engage them in a harmonisation process

When President Ho Chi Minh – a hero of national liberation, a world cultural celebrity - was alive, he used to affirm that “Viet Nam is one country and one race, no one can divide it”, “Compatriots of ethnic groups, including Kinh, Tho, Muong, Man, Gia Rai, E De, Xe Dang, Ba Na, and other ethnic minorities are all descendants of Viet Nam and blood brothers. We live together, die together, share joy and sadness, and help one another at all costs”. “Compatriots in the South are Vietnamese people. Such a truth will never change, no matter what may happen”. These are sacred things and matters of principle that are inviolable and assert national independence, unification, and territorial integrity of our country. In documents from its birth, the Party has proved its consistence with those sacred things. This has been institutionalised by the Constitution and law and enforced effectively. On inheriting the national traditions of friendship, amity, solidarity, and “taking justice to triumph over brutality and humanity over tyranny”, our Party and State has promulgated many resolutions, policies, and laws on national harmony such as Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW, dated 26 March 2004, of the Politburo (9th tenure) on work pertaining to Vietnamese people residing overseas; the Regulation on visa exemption for Vietnamese people residing overseas; Directive No. 45-CT/TW, dated 19 May 2015, of the Politburo (11th tenure) on continuing to step up implementation of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW, and so forth. These documents clearly affirm that overseas Vietnamese communities are an indispensable part and resource of the nation in the cause of building the country and safeguarding the Fatherland. The Party and State of Viet Nam continue to pay attention to and soon work out suitable solutions to resolve existing issues in the spirit of openness, honesty, putting aside the past, advancing towards the future, regarding the interests of the nation and people as a convergent point regardless of ideology and individual history, including those with prejudice about the social regime, and taking amity as a way to convert misguided compatriots. The State actively reviews and improves policies and law aimed to create a favourable legal corridor for overseas Vietnamese people to invest and do business in Viet Nam; boosts administrative reform to deal with possession of property in Viet Nam and reissuing visas to people who are eligible; simplifies procedures for exit and entry, investment, transfer and use of remittances, etc., creating favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese people returning to Viet Nam to live and work, attracting investment and technology transfer, promoting export, and supporting Vietnamese investment abroad.

Additionally, the State proactively promotes engagement with all of Vietnamese nationals who are residents of foreign countries. Agencies in charge of overseas Vietnamese people actively work to help our compatriots abroad to have a firm legal status, improve their standard of living, and integrate into local communities; accelerate activities to help overseas Vietnamese people to preserve and bring into play cultural identity and tradition; provide effective support for the teaching and learning of Vietnamese to better meet our compatriots’ spiritual, cultural needs in accordance with national tradition and law of countries they are residing in. In recent years, there have been many concrete activities and practical programs such as Homeland Spring, overseas Vietnamese people with sovereignty over waters and islands, civilianisation of Bien Hoa Cemetery, organisation of grand requiems, ect., facilitating engagement with nationals. Many of them have given up prejudice and made concrete contribution to the country. Although there was time when national harmony faced many difficulties and limits as a result of subjective, objective causes, generally the Party and State of Viet Nam have made endless effort to resolve national harmony; persisted in convincing people with prejudice; managed to heal the social wounds of war and develop the country.

The war staged by American imperialists in our country lasted for over 20 years and led to great losses for many Vietnamese families. There are deep wounds that make it difficult to heal, requiring both time and patience. For the utmost goals of national independence and prosperity, the Fatherland has proactively extended its hands to engage all Vietnamese people in a harmonisation process, welcome and created all favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese people residing all over the world to visit and make investment in Viet Nam. National harmony is a legitimate aspiration of most of Vietnamese people at home and abroad and the mainstream to wash away hatred in the past. Those who remain intolerant, harbour grudges, and obstruct the national harmonisation process will commit a sin to the future of their own descendants.

PHAN NGOC PHUC, MA., Political Department, Military Region 5