They both have a bit in common. They’re both communist Asian states that the US went to war with during the Cold War and did not win. But the messaging regarding the two states is a lot different. DPRK is treated like the worst dictatorship ever, that kills you and your family for even thinking that the Kims are less than gods, whilst also starving. But Vietnam, they say… nothing.
Why isn’t Vietnam demonized like DPRK?
There is a scoreboard, it’s zero sum. Vietnam will either support China or support America (or remain neutral, tacitly support America) in the upcoming cold or hot wars between the two. That is the scoreboard, and apparently for a lot of people in Vietnam and the leadership of the Vietnamese communist party it’s a pretty close thing, or Americans are even ahead. That it’s up in question at all is a problem for me and shows some pretty high level failures of leadership and education, and it’s pretty insulting to the millions who were killed by the Americans to just give into many of the conditions the Americans wanted and lose the peace, to allow American media and money to manipulate your economy and society and warp it into a pro-American outlook.
I was wrong about China apologizing actually, they have downplayed it and tried to make diplomatic amends in general with Vietnam but they haven’t specifically made an apologetic statement on that war that I can find. I think China should do so, it would benefit them to admit they were wrong in that instance and try to pay reparations. They shouldn’t leave open gaps that the colonizers can wedge and exploit.
Sorry for being smarmy. I don’t really mean it it’s just how I talk.