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"I believe that continued engagement with Vietnam will continue to yield dividends for its people, predominantly under thirty (think also, Iran), and that the government there is scarred to death of being Islamized.

Our staying the course in the current war as well, may ultimately go a long way toward, and continue as a function of continued economic liberalization and freedom there by which we may well have ultimately won the Vietnam war."

I live in Viet Nam part of each year. You are right about the younger folks, they are in favor of making money, they do question the government, they do want more and more leeway in their lives. By and large, they work for Western companies and are receiving a wage of about 10X what other VN people earn. My former company (I'm retired) and others, I'm sure, offer some outstanding performers a loan to buy a house when they are still in their 20's - this was unheard of prior to the year 2002.

The streets of Saigon are absolutely jampacked with motorcylces plus a growing number of cars and, still, some cyclos and buffalo carts, etc.

AND, the beer is still pretty cheap 8>)

A year or so ago, the Nightly Business Report (a sane island on PBS) ran a segment on
the economy of Vietnam. The segment may have as well been subtitled:
"The War Is Over AND The Communists DIDN'T Win"

Vietnam won't turn into a colony of California soon, but change is on the way.
My naive guess the pace and extent of improvement depends on how religiously the younger
pups of the Communist regime stick to the old guards ideals.

As for Ky, he's a sad figure. He couldn't hold his country, stumbled despite help in
finding his way in the new land. While I "feel his exhaustion", his family/friends should
have coached him on the PR of making a trip back and told him he had to say the right words
and act certain wsys so as to not even be perceived as breaking faith with the past struggle.

I just hope the economics situation continues in the same direction...it'll just keep
progressively tipping the scales towards a country with more capitalists and fewer Communists.