This dissertation addresses the subject of noncommunist political and cultural
ideology in urban South Vietnam during 1954-1975. It contributes to the historiography
of the Vietnam War, specifically on the long-neglected Republic of Vietnam (RVN) that
has received greater attention in the last decade. The basic argument is that the
postcolonial ideological vision of most urban South Vietnamese diverged greatly from
that of the Vietnamese communist revolutionaries. This vision explains for the puzzling
question on why the communist revolutionaries were far more effective in winning the
minds and hearts of Vietnamese in countryside than in cities. At the same time, this
vision was complicated by the uneasy relationship with the Americans.
The dissertation examines four aspects in particular. First is the construction of
anticommunism: Although influenced by Cold War bipolarity, anticommunism in urban
South Vietnam was shaped initially and primarily by earlier differences about modernity
and post-colonialism. It was intensified through intra-Vietnamese experiences of the
First Indochina War.
More information: Abstract by Tuan Hoang, Ideology in urban south Vietnam, 1950-1975), Tuan Hoang 2013 All rights reserved
