National Pride

I have not seen a lot of overt national pride in Vietnam.

Each city I’ve visited so far has a major road named Dien Bein Phu after the major battle credited with forcing the French out of Vietnam in the 1950’s. National pride was also on display the weekend I visited the tomb of Ho Chi Minh. But other than that, this officially communist nation is not adorned with flags and banners on every light pole.

Soldiers and policemen are few and far between even in large cities like Hanoi. When you do spot one there is no sense he is looking to exert his authority on anyone. You’ll see one or two sitting together on a street corner just watching everyone go by. Sometimes they’ll be sleeping.

The only propaganda posters I saw were for sale in nostalgia shops.

This is not to say there is no national pride, only that it is not on bold display as some might imagine.