Journey to Peace Village

There was extensive coverage of the election even here in Viet Nam. Barack Obama is very much of an "unknown" here, so there have been many articles in the Vietnamese media and on TV giving people basic biographical information.

If anything, there was more of a pro McCain sentiment among the Vietnamese--he's a known figure here. Not only did he spend more than five years in Hoa Lo prison ("the Hanoi Hilton")--he also was a key figure in normalizing relations with Vietnam in the 1990s. Above are pictures from his visit and a memorial built on the spot where his plane was shot down in 1967. Cindy McCain made a visit to Ho Chi Minh City this spring to promote aid for hospitalized children.

This isn't to say people are against Obama, they just don't know much about him. Hilary Clinton was the preferred Democrat during the primaries, she was well known from the Clinton visit to Vietnam.

After initial bafflement, I found participating in the election quite easy. I downloaded a "backup" ballot from the internet and also sent a request to the city of Cudahy. They were remarkably efficient, sending me both a federal and state ballot! So I ended up (following the instructions) sending in three ballots to Cudahy.

The expat community was quite heavily for Obama. There's a real sense of excitement and expectation of change. Meanwhile, local people try to find out more about the next president....

Labels: Viet Nam and the West, Vietnamese culture, Vietnamese history