Spoke to source in Hanoi last evening, and she reported the
Communist 10th Party Congress tyros of Vietnam are most excited
that Bill Gates arrives this weekend for a fete with the
leadership. The sons of the NVA are looking to America and
especially to IT to lead them out of backwardness and corruption.
The theme of the 10th Congress is that every official in Vietnam is
for sale at least once a day and that nothing is trustworthy.
At the same time, another commercial source tells me that
Vietnam is most attractive compared to mainland China. The
factories are clean, the workers are quick and eager, the
management is well-spoken, English-skilled, and convincingly
pro-American.
Too many ironies to count in all this, though I am compelled to
mention that it will not take thirty years for Iraq to shake off
the label of righteous victim of American aggression and beg for
Gates to fly in to start IT plants and so forth. I mention that
there is no presence at the 10th Party Congress in Hanoi of either
Jane Fonda or the Sheehan fan club: they've moved on to fresh fairy
tales.
topics:
Iraq
