40 years out, Vietnam war not in vain

Just returned from a tour of Vietnam(north and south), and Cambodia. I visited prisons in Hanoi, and in Phnom Penh. My small group interacted with people from the north( Hanoi, HaLong) , the south (Ho Chi Minh City), and Phnom Pehn in Cambodia. We spent days in the minute villages along the Mekong, and hours in street markets of small and large villages along the Mekong river and delta. I drank tea, squatting with Hanoi sidewalk squatters, was blessed by a Bhuddist monk, hugged a pertty little Cambodian street vendor, rode an elephant like a Khymer king around the Angor Wat, bought salt in a mind boggling farmers market, did not buy any of the rat testicles on sale on the street, rode tuk-tuks and rickshaws through the steets, gave pencils to smiling children who would not beg, just smile and beguile me with happy eyes, melting all resistance.
I cried the same tears that came at Normandy when I visited the killing Fields and inhuman Khymer Rouge S-21 Prison in Phnom Pehn. The War Remnants Museum in Saigon was full of photographs that produced the same response. I was saddened by the continuing legacy of both Agent Orange and Land Mines.
I luxuriated with Dar(short for Darlene) in 5-star hotels in Hanoi, Siem Reap(Cambodia, and Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City). In Saigon we drank Champagne on the 23 floor of a hotel looking down on the Rex Hotel, where in 1972, correspondants drank and waited to be flown out of a disastrous Lost Cause. From our Champagne perch, we could see the a new 67 story bullet shaped new building with a heliport at the 52nd level. The skyscraper, tallest in SE Asia, 3 years old.

I can say that during my time there, I did not meet resentment, hateful eyes, or anything other that acceptance. Remarkably, I felt truly welcomed. Herein lies the reason for the title of this post:
Recall that during the war, the Soviets, not yet "kneecapped" by that crazy Reagan, and the Communist Chinese, not yet "mollified" by that crazy Nixon, were enabling the North, and the Communists in Cambodia(soon to become the genocidal Khymer Rouge after US pullout in 1972).
After 1972 up to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the economies were ruled by an iron fist. In 1992, after collapse of Soviet control, the economies were allowed to capitalize, own property, become more like Hong Kong. The Khymer were chased out around 1979 by the Vietnamese, and, with Vietnam became more capitalist in 1992.

In 1992, Saigon(HCMCity) was population of 2,000,000. Now, under more free market, it has grown to 8,000,000. That is what my Vietnamese guide told me.

Ironically, I was told that, generally speaking, the Vietnamese now do not like either the Russians, or the Chinese, but "love' the Americans. I had cause on my visit to believe the latter, and so did Dar. I believe that these very philosophical peoples have now seen what we, the USA, Canadians, Aussies, were fighting for. It was for thier freedom. I have to believe that myself. I hope freedom continues to grow, and further justify the grave sacrifices of the past.

Avagadro602