“It was the last time I would see them for 14 years.” Uong, who is a Vietnamese refugee, fled his home at the age of 10—being separated from his family for 14 years (Uong 2). Being a refugee is rough as it requires one to leave his home country and to start a new life in a completely different world. According to Yen Le Espiritu, a "refugee" is described as a person who harbors "a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion" (Espiritu 209). There are many variations of refugee groups since countless minority groups have left their homeland due to reasons such as persecution. Cambodian refugees and Vietnamese refugees are both minority groups in
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Cambodian refugees and Vietnamese refugees share various similarities and differences; however, when it relates to the topic of war, they share major differences. As for their differences, one difference between Cambodian refugees and Vietnamese refugees is through their experiences with war in their homeland. War in Cambodia was a product to the uprising of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge was the communist party in Cambodia which was led by Pol Pot. Due to their loyalty and training, they were able to take over various regions which include areas both inside and outside of Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge followed Pol Pot’s simple rule: “In the armed forces, use what is necessary—do not use what is not yet necessary” (Feingold). They believed that, through the use of organization and political will, they would be able to regain strength and power. Working with the Chinese on their side, they were able to obtain a sufficient amount of ammunition and weapons which aided in …show more content…
As for the Vietnamese refugees, the Viet Cong—the communists in Vietnam—took over power in Vietnam. Similarly to the Khmer Rouge, the Viet Cong overpowered the people of their home country in order to fight for power. As for the Viet Cong, they abused three traditional loyalties that influenced the life of a Vietnamese individual: family, village, and religion (Tovy 220). Since Vietnamese tradition was based around the Confucian philosophy, the Viet Cong knew that family, village, and religion were particular weak points in the Vietnamese philosophy. As stated in the article, “Concepts such as nationalism and nationality are foreign to Vietnamese peasants, since their allegiance is first and foremost to the family. The United States estimated that as many as one third of the peasants loyal to the government had relatives in the Viet Cong and would not provide information that could harm them” (Tovy 220). The Viet Cong knew that if they recruited peasants into the Viet Cong, they would become stronger and more superior while also staying safe. Since one-third of individuals in Vietnam had family members involved with the Viet Cong, most of the Viet Cong were safe from the government as family was believed to be more important than the government. In addition, since the villages were spread apart from each other in Vietnam, they were usually economically and socially autonomous. The Viet Cong knew this and
Cambodian refugees and Vietnamese refugees share various similarities and differences; however, when it relates to the topic of war, they share major differences. As for their differences, one difference between Cambodian refugees and Vietnamese refugees is through their experiences with war in their homeland. War in Cambodia was a product to the uprising of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge was the communist party in Cambodia which was led by Pol Pot. Due to their loyalty and training, they were able to take over various regions which include areas both inside and outside of Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge followed Pol Pot’s simple rule: “In the armed forces, use what is necessary—do not use what is not yet necessary” (Feingold). They believed that, through the use of organization and political will, they would be able to regain strength and power. Working with the Chinese on their side, they were able to obtain a sufficient amount of ammunition and weapons which aided in …show more content…
As for the Vietnamese refugees, the Viet Cong—the communists in Vietnam—took over power in Vietnam. Similarly to the Khmer Rouge, the Viet Cong overpowered the people of their home country in order to fight for power. As for the Viet Cong, they abused three traditional loyalties that influenced the life of a Vietnamese individual: family, village, and religion (Tovy 220). Since Vietnamese tradition was based around the Confucian philosophy, the Viet Cong knew that family, village, and religion were particular weak points in the Vietnamese philosophy. As stated in the article, “Concepts such as nationalism and nationality are foreign to Vietnamese peasants, since their allegiance is first and foremost to the family. The United States estimated that as many as one third of the peasants loyal to the government had relatives in the Viet Cong and would not provide information that could harm them” (Tovy 220). The Viet Cong knew that if they recruited peasants into the Viet Cong, they would become stronger and more superior while also staying safe. Since one-third of individuals in Vietnam had family members involved with the Viet Cong, most of the Viet Cong were safe from the government as family was believed to be more important than the government. In addition, since the villages were spread apart from each other in Vietnam, they were usually economically and socially autonomous. The Viet Cong knew this and