I was reading this post by Alrenous. Why did the Vietnamese win the war against the American backed south?
One word: Asabiyyah.
Vietnam is a country of enormous diversity and dense population relative to its small size. It stretches from the far south on its Cambodian border right into disputed Chinese lands. The people of Vietnam are different from locality to locality, with different approaches to religion, different cultural mores, and different foods. But they all share an incredibly strong cohesion nonetheless.
The Vietnamese victory over America and South Vietnam is one example among many. China has thrown its weight against Vietnam countless times over the millennia, the most recent one being 1979. The Chinese forces, massively outnumbered the Vietnamese, attempted to advance by brute force, but were thrown back by the much smaller and more able Vietnamese forces.
This is a recurring theme. Vietnam rarely has material parity, never mind an advantage. Yet time and time again they are victorious. Their asabiyyah allows them to cooperate and bear enormous social costs for the sake of victory, and it shows.
I expect the Vietnamese Communist regime to last well into the future. They have a history of skillful realpolitik, they know the proper use and value of a military, and they always seek to ally with the far threat against the close threat, as we see with their entry into the anti-Tianxia alliance. Simply put, the Vietnamese never make a wrong move.
They are a people I admire, with a state I admire, and the west could learn a lot from analyzing the social cohesion of the people and the history of the state. Imitate the best, leave the rest.
Asabiyyah is imperfect. Better words are old english “gemænscipe” and modern english “fellowship”. Best is probably esprit de corps.
Asabiyyah means what leftists mean when they say “solidarity” – “social solidarity with an emphasis on unity, group consciousness and sense of shared purpose, and social cohesion”.
Gemaenscipe means what reactionaries mean when we say “community” – “community, fellowship, union, common ownership”
While “esprit de corps” means “the common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honor of the group” and, as such, is nearly perfect.
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The key feature with the VIetnamese was asabiyyah in the sense of common purpose. As far as the Vietnamese were concerned, they’d been fighting a many decades long war. First against the Japanese, then the French, then the Americans, then the Chinese. The common purpose and near religious devotion to that purpose is the key part that makes asabiyyah what it is. Vietnamese fellowship and honor are also important and can’t be denied, but a civilization wide devotion to a Vietnamese state was the key factor.
This isn’t new either. The Vietnamese have always been this way. It’s why they’ve thrived in such a dangerous environment. Ibn Khaldun’s asabiyyah seems better to me, if only because Espirit de Corps lacks the same religious devotion to a common purpose so common in discussion of asabiyyah.
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“I know the other guy has my back.” Which one means that?
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Interesting post, where can I learn more about this Vietnamese strategy?
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Hi Dien,
That’s a great question. Vietnam has an abundance of its own literature but unfortunately very little of it leaves the country and what does tends to go through foreigners. There whole libraries of materials, giant stacks of texts, waiting to be translated from Vietnamese into English! But alas, that’s beyond me. Nor can I offer you the tutelage I received, as I learned directly from former Vietnamese politicians and power brokers.
I recommend reading The Diplomat for regular Asian news. They are much better than stratfor or anything comparable. The Strait Times sometimes has good work, but keep in mind they are practically a mouthpiece for the Singaporean government. Strategy in particular simply concerns realpolitik. To get a grasp of it look at Chinese foreign policy and their strategies, then think of all the ways to beat that. That’s the Vietnamese strategy, one that has been employed in more or less the same fashion for centures.
If you speak and read Vietnamese, I strongly suggest going down to a Vietnamese library or trying access Vietnamese sites. There is lots of historical literature, I just can’t read it, and have to rely on direct conversation.
If you find something, let me know. If you speak and read Vietnamese, even better. I’d love to have access to that stuff.
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Thanks for the great response as well as the pertinent post. I haven’t thought about or read about Vietnam for a very long time, it was all very interesting.
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My pleasure. Vietnam is one of my favorite countries to study, and one I have high hopes for in the future. I encourage you to continue your own readings on the matter, it’s worth looking into!
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[…] not quite ready to declare it to be our positive duty to smoke, but I’m getting closer. Also Why Vietnam Wins All The Wars. Mitchell says, “Asabiyyah”. I’m a bit skeptical. The standard narrative for […]
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