Hanoi University

Faculty of International Studies

Vietnamese – Cambodian War

In the Context of International Relations

The Rationality of Vietnam in the War

Student: Nguyen Thi Huyen

Class: IS 05

Lecturer: Professor Douglas Jardine

Hanoi - 2009
 Vietnamese – Cambodian War in the Context of International Relations

The Rationality of Vietnam in the War

1. Introduction

Few countries have experienced as much fighting as Vietnam has. Thus Vietnamese are

also the people who are hungrier of peace than most other countries. Warfare is not the

nation’s choice, but most of the time it was under the force of circumstances that they

have to stand up and fight to save their treasury freedom and peace. Vietnamese victory

most of the time was appraised by international community except for one case in which

Vietnam was alone and even criticized during fighting. It was in the Cambodia war.

This paper, based mostly on primary research and some findings from primary research,

shows that the judgment made by international communities during Vietnamese

Cambodian war has not been satisfactory. Additionally, during investigating the context

of international situations and Vietnam foreign relations, the roles of Soviet, China and

partially United States in the war are exposed, implying that the intentions of

internataional powers to spread influence in the peripheral areas had costed huge blood

and sacrifice of innocent people. From that stance, a recognition of the role of Vietnam in

saving a nation, and responsibilities of international power need considering, in order to

have fairness and ambiguity in international foreign relation history.

2. Sino – Soviet

In the socialist camp, the two powers China and Soviet Union were in competition to

spread influence in the other socialist countries, especially after the Sino - Soviet split in
1960s due to border dispute, differences in ideology and perception of communism, as

well as the struggling for influence. The two countries each attempted to manipulate

alliance and impose influence to other countries for their own. In this struggle, Indochina

played critical position in political calculation of both powers. If Soviet Union could

manipulate Indochina into its side, the country can encircle China from North to South,

and drive politics into the advantageous direction for Soviet Union under this pressure.

Noting that threat, and the expansionism long existed in Chinese for the southern part of

Indochinese region, China use its closeness as advantage to manipulate, put pressure onto

Indochinese countries in order to have a safe backyard. China kept blaming Vietnam for

invading Cambodia and plan to establish Indochina Federation, diluting the anti-genocide

aspect of the conduct1. For that reason the world boycotted Vietnam and China could

easily put pressure onto Vietnam and the whole region as a card to play in international

field with powers like Soviet and United States.

3. Vietnam – China

After the success of Chinese communist party, the two Marxist countries Vietnam and

China established close relationship. During the war with French and American, china

did give Vietnam huge support in terms of finance, military, facilities, warfare technique,

expertise etc. This is partially due to the international cause of communist nations in

which one communist nation should give support for other communist ones so as to

consolidate the power of socialist camp in international balance of power with capitalist

world countries. It also reflect the close relationship between the long lasted connection

between Vietnam and China, with the sharing borders which lasted for thousands years. It
1
Trang Quang Co, Reminisce and Thought, 2003, pp18.
is estimated that Beijing had provided Hanoi during the period of 1950 to 1978 with over

20 billions dollar2. Vietnamese warfare tactics of guerrilla were also guided by warring

experts from Chinese Communists.

During Sino – Soviet split, Vietnam signed several cooperative agreements with Soviet,

as a sign to China that Vietnam inclined to favor Soviet influence in Indochina over

China’s. Adding to this flame was the process of communize Southern part of Vietnam

after unification. A large proportion of Chinese merchants living in the Southern Vietnam

at that time were forced to give up private properties, which cause anxiety and chaos

among these people in particular as well as the Southerners in general. Many Chinese

living in Vietnam must flee to other neighbor region and China claimed it as well as the

cooperation of Vietnam with soviet as a betrayal with the common cause of the two

nations.

In 1970s, China was offered negotiation with United States and the two countries were

coming closer and closer to each other while the same thing happen between Vietnam

and Soviet Union. From the close brotherhood, Vietnam and China gradually spitted out

into two opposite side with the arms of Soviet Union and United States open for Vietnam

and China respectively.

3. Vietnam – Cambodia

2
King C. Chen, China's War with Vietnam, 1979 (Stanford, CA, Hoover Institution Press, 1987), 27
Vietnam during its long tradition of south ward expanding had accumulated discontent

with Cambodia in the western south border, which is claimed by Angkor Empire of

Cambodia.

However, during the unification war in Vietnam, the two countries cooperated in the

cause of fighting international imperialists. Vietnam communist Party and Khmer Rouge

established close relationship during 60s and 70s, under the huge support of the big

neighbor China.

After holding power, Khmer Rouge initiated harsher and harsher attack into Southern

Vietnam at the two countries’ border, islands and even poking deep into Vietnam’s

territory. With the deteriorated relation between China and Vietnam as noted above; the

deteriorate relationship between Kampuchea and Vietnam; and the increasing support of

China to Khmer Rouge, Vietnam perceived the situation as the scheme of China in order

to have a weakened Vietnam in Indochina so China can have more influence in the

region. It also conformed to United State’s design which exploits Sino – Soviet split so as

to manipulate more alliance in order to have advantageous position in the east relative tot

Soviet Union in the Cold War struggle.

Thus, Vietnamese- Cambodian war was a complex consists of many conflicting elements:

struggle of power between fragments in Cambodia it self, the hostile over border issue

between Vietnam and Cambodia, and the political calculations of powerful nations in the

attempt to impose influence in a strategic region. How much proportion these elements
take up is a question with no satisfactory answer. However, considering the obvious fact

can shed lights to the complicated past situation.

4. Vietnam’s Difficulties and Rationality in the War

The difficulty Vietnam was facing is numerous at that time. The mission of rebuilding

nation after wars, the deteriorating economy, hyperinflation, reducing aid from Socialist

countries, being boycotted by international community and the costly war with Cambodia

exhausted the nation. However, there was no available alternative for Vietnam during that

time. Fighting Khmer Rouge is inevitable for they would continuously initiate fighting in

border if Vietnam did not completely end them.

The most obvious fact is that China did support a power that was conducting genocide in

Cambodia. Khmer Rouge was infamous for their brutal acts to both Vietnamese as well

as for the Cambodian. According to Lao Monghay, senior researcher of the Hong Kong-

based Asian Human Rights Commission, China had given a donation of $1,000 million to

Democratic Kampuchea before 1979 and another $1,000 million after 1979 in order to

fight against the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia3. The brutality of the regime and the

deaths of people can easily be seen in numerous researches.

The second absolute fact is that Vietnam did end the massacre caused by Khmer rouge,

which could have destroyed totally Cambodia if Vietnam did not intervene. The United
3
Chan Chamnan, China Donated $1,000M to the Khmer Rouge Regime Before 1979, KhmerNews, 2008.
[Available at URL: http://khmernews.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/china-donated-1000m-to-the-khmer-
rouge-regime-before-1979//]
States Department of State – funded Yale Cambodian Genocide Project estimates that the

total deaths was between 1.2 million and 1.7 million, comprising of 21% total Cambodian

population, which is considered one of the the worst human tragedies of twentieth

century4

International community, under the propaganda of Chinese government, and hidden help

by United States’ silence, thought that Vietnam was trying to feed up its ambition to take

over the whole Indochina by invading Cambodia. However, considering just some other

obvious facts, people might have avoided this trap made by China.

First of all, at that time, Vietnam was facing huge difficulties in building its own nation

after unification. The national economy was exhausted and the domestic political

situation was in chaos. Taking up such a great ambition would not be the option of Hanoi

government. The main reason for Vietnam intervention in Cambodia was because

Vietnam was trying to save its land in the border with Cambodia. Remember that

Cambodia did initiate the invasion, which killed thousands of Vietnamese people in Ba

Chuc village of Tay Ninh Province, Tho Chu Island and areas along the border5. This was

a rough violence that need punishing. Due to the external support, Khmer Rouge survive

and continue war in such a long time, which also exhausted Vietnam, which was exactly

the design of China. This is a traditional tactic of power: sitting in the peak of mountain

4
Yale University, Cambodian Genocide Program, The CGP, 1994 – 2008, [ Available at URL:
http://www.yale.edu/cgp/ ]
5
Duc Vinh, Horrible memory about Khmer Rouge, Tuoitreonline, 2009, [ Available at URL:
http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/tianyon/Index.aspx?ArticleID=310675&ChannelID=89 ]
and see the two lions fighting, killing each other and get the subordination of the

weakened lions after that.

Not any attention on the region at this time, and without international support, Vietnam

struggled long to get rid of Khmer Rouge. While international communities need

reconsider themselves letting the situation gone too long and too far, they blame Vietnam

for occupying Cambodia for such a long time, which implies Vietnam’s great ambition in

Indochina region. With timely international support to end genocide in Cambodia,

Vietnam would have not stayed so long and being blamed such crime. But that was not

the case.

A general of Vietnam, Colonel Nguyen Van Hong, called the war “The War under the

force of circumstance”6 because Vietnam had no choice but to protect itself from alien

rivals. The slogan during that time, according to him, was protect ourselves by protect

Cambodians. Vietnam perceived the intervention if Cambodia as the two unseparatable

missions: national mission to protect territory of farther land, and international mission to

protect Cambodian from genocide; the two missions meet in one point: destroy Khmer

Rouge. However, as noted above, due to the distortion of information of powerful

nations, Vietnam still get bad reputation in the war with Cambodia, while other nations

who supporting evil regime still not have any responsibilities in front of history and

international conscience. More fair judgment must be made without influence of political

constrain on the responsibility of international communities when keeping blind eyes in

6
Nguyen Van Hong, Cuoc chien tranh bat buoc, Memoirs in www.quansuvn.net, [ Available at URL:
www.quansuvn.net]
front of genocide and problems in poor regions, and the responsibility of nations

sponsoring for the regime of evils. That is part of double standard which long exist in

international relations, causing catastrophic consequences in poor nations which need

more attention of international conscience.

5. Vietnamese veterans’ voices

With the primary research conducted with two veterans from Cambodian war who are

from a village in the suburb of Hanoi by interviewing, the findings show that the

relationship between Vietnamese soldiers and Cambodian people was very good and

collaborative; the soldiers were very proud and enthusiastic to help protect people in

neighbor country as if they are in same nation and family. During the presence of

Vietnamese troops in Cambodia with the mission of protecting the fledgling government

from remnants of Khmer Rouge’s sabotage, Cambodia had grown rapidly and rebuilt the

nation at a surprising pace, which many Vietnamese soldiers found the country became

more developed than Vietnam herself.

According to the stories of the two solders interviewed, Khmer Rouge soldiers were at

any ages: from thirteen, fourteen to sixty, seventy years old. Khmer Rouge poured into

villages and force men to go with them and fight against Vietnamese soldiers. Their

tactics were guerrilla and furtive attack. Khmer Rouge troops scattered in jungle and

fought. They never have face-to-face fighting with Vietnamese troops.

According to the two interviewees, the weapons that Vietnamese soldiers collected after

fighting with Khmer Rouge troops was all have sign of Chinese and American. Khmer

Rouge’s tactic of guerrilla is also known as being taught by Chinese military experts

when Khmer Rouge generals went China to study Military7.

Within short time entering Cambodia, Vietnamese troops soon overthrow the regime of

Khmer Rouge. According to the soldiers, when they enter Phnom Penh, there capital was

absolutely empty. The urban people had been forced to rural areas, the rural people fled

into forests and practice primitive communism as infamously being known.

Entering the country in ruin, Vietnamese soldiers started to help Cambodian rebuild the

nation. Each platoon was responsible for a certain area, which was very large and has no

division of bureau levels. The soldiers Nguyen Khac Tu was responsible for reconstruct

the large area into a province. He investigated the area, finding some people who have a

certain education to arrange them into bureau agents, and schools. Vietnamese troops also

train people become nurse to serve in local hospital. The soldier Nguyen Khac Tu says he

looked the whole large province and found only one doctor to serve in local hospital,

because of the intellectual purging policies of Khmer Rouge as we all know.

Vietnamese troops go from this area to another, and then come back to support and

supervise local people reconstructing their regions. Mr. Nguyen Khac Tu says, after

several months leaving the region, they were too surprised because they no longer

7
Huy Vannard, The Khmer Rouge Division 703: From Victory to Self-destruction, 2003, pp43
realized the local people. They had just been so pale, thin and sickly, but after only a

short time, they became ruddy and energetic.

Soldier Nguyen Khac Tu is twinned with a Cambodian man and they have really good

brotherhood until now. The man taught Tu Cambodian and Tu taught him Vietnamese.

Every message delivered to the Cambodian people was transfer by the twinned man

through which Tu have closer relations with the people in the village.

The scout Pham Tam often had creation activities with the local people. Especially

Vietnamese soldiers were often called son and Cambodian old women called themselves

mom. They sang, dance and shared harmonious feelings with each other as family

members.

On the whole, the relationship between Vietnamese soldiers and Cambodian people

during the period was harmonious and cooperative. They both had good impression on

each other and solidly contribute to the mission of reconstruct the whole nation.

6. Conclusion

As combining international context with internal affairs of nations, it is easy to see the

influence of powerful nations’ policies towards the fate of people in weak nations. The

struggle for influence between international powers can in this way or another cost

millions deaths of other nations. Being under the strong pull and push of many forces,
diplomats of small nations must be so subtle to avoid bad impacts on the fighting.

According to Vietnamese diplomat Tran Quang Co, Vietnam had many diplomatic errors

during 70s and 80s periods8. However, the rationality of Vietnam in Cambodian war still

need reevaluated and recognized by international communities, at the same time the

nations which are responsible for the war crimes should also be exposed in front of

history. That is a respect to history, a sign of international conscience and a lesson for our

children in the cause of saving peace.

8
Tran Quang Co, Reminisce and Thought, 2003, pp19.
 Reference:

1. King C. Chen, China's War with Vietnam, 1979 (Stanford, CA, Hoover Institution

Press, 1987), 27

2. Nguyen Van Hong, Cuoc chien tranh bat buoc, Memoirs of Nguyen Van Hong in

www.quansuvn.net, [ Available at URL: www.quansuvn.net]

3. Chan Chamnan, China Donated $1,000M to the Khmer Rouge Regime Before 1979,

KhmerNews, 2008. [Available at URL:

http://khmernews.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/china-donated-1000m-to-the-khmer-rouge-

regime-before-1979// ]

4. Tran Quang Co, Reminisce and Thought, 2003.

5. Huy Vannard, The Khmer Rouge Division 703: From Victory to Self-destruction, 2003

6. Duc Vinh, Horrible memory about Khmer Rouge, Tuoitreonline, 2009, [ Available at

URL: http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/tianyon/Index.aspx?

ArticleID=310675&ChannelID=89 ]
 Appendix

I. Interviewees’ background:

1.

Name: Nguyen Khac Tu

Age: 57

Address: Doi 1, Cat Que, Hoai Duc, Hanoi

Current job: Head of Hamlet

Position in Military: Vice Head of Platoon, Scout

Military service period: from October 12th 1977 to August 1981

Area of service: Tay Ninh - Vietnam, Cambodia

2.

Name: Pham Tam

Age: 60

Address: Doi 6, Cat Que, Hoai Duc, Hanoi

Current job: Barber

Position in Military: Scout, Warrant - Officer

Military service period: 1968 – 1975

Area of service: Tay Ninh – Vietnam, Cambodia

II. Interview Questions:

1. Background information questions

2. What is your position in military?

3. Where is your field of action: in forest or in village?

Did you often have many interactions with the local people?

4. What are your main missions?

5. Do you see any sign of foreign appearance or support in Cambodia?

6. How do you describe the relationship between Vietnamese soldiers and local people?

7. Your own comments.