This talk presents the Vietnamese “memory machine” run by the Vietnamese Party-state at work. It shows by which means the Communist Party of Vietnam still tries to disseminate a carefully crafted historical narrative that highlights the wisdom of the Party’s past and present actions and celebrates socialism. It will also analyze how the Party’s gatekeepers try to “sanitize” and rewrite chapters of Vietnam’s own history and world history that challenge the orthodox triumphalist view of the past.

The talk will focus on three case studies:

• The presentation of the history of socialism and the Soviet Union;
• The commemoration of the Second Indochina War (1964-1975) and the issue of national reconciliation;
• Remembering a forgotten war: The Third Indochina War (1979-1989) and the role of veterans as “agents of remembrance.”

Martin Grossheim got his PhD from the University of Passau in Germany. He is currently Associate Professor of Vietnamese History at Seoul National University.

Sponsor(s): Center for Southeast Asian Studies