Hanoi drumroll, war cries mark key Chinese defeat
HANOI - Deafening drumbeats and battle cries
rang out in Hanoi on Saturday as thousands of Vietnamese marked one
of the country's greatest military victories over Chinese invaders.
Ironically, Emperor Quang Trung's rout of Qing army troops 210 years
ago coincides almost to the day when Chinese soldiers streamed
across Vietnam's border in 1979 to punish Hanoi for toppling its ally
the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
That more recent Chinese invasion, like many during 2,000 years of
animosity between Vietnam and China, ended in a bloody nose for
Beijing's troops.
But Hanoi officials were quick to deny any lingering ill-feeling towards
the country's giant northern neighbour, which will soon play host to
Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu.
A date for the visit has not been fixed.
``In relations toward China, as well as the United States and France,
we are ready to forget the past and look forward to the future,'' said Le
Xuan Tung, secretary of the Hanoi Communist Party branch and a
member of the elite politburo.
``This (celebration) will not cause any animosity,'' he told Reuters after
burning incense below a 20-metre- (65-feet-) high statue of Quang
Trung.
While China has historically been Vietnam's chief opponent, there were
frequent uprisings against French colonial rule until 1954, followed by
the Vietnam War which pitted the communist North against the
U.S.-backed South Vietnam.
Indeed, in another quirk of history, Quang Trung's victory in 1789 was
achieved while Chinese troops celebrated the Lunar New Year, known
to Vietnamese as Tet.
For some these echoes of the past arouse memories of the ``Tet
Offensive'' in 1968, when North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces
attacked towns and cities throughout U.S.-backed South Vietnam,
catching defenders off-guard.
Wearing a traditional costume and sporting a wispy white beard,
Nguyen Mai Tu was not about to let old age stop him playing a role in
the celebrations.
``This event has real historical meaning for Vietnamese. But we have no
animosity toward the Chinese, we just commemorate the 210th
anniversary this year,'' the 82-year-old Tu said.
Vietnamese mark the battle annually, but hold special ceremonies every
five years to pay homage to Quang Trung, whose army swept up from
Binh Dinh province in southern Vietnam, gathering disgruntled peasants
along the way.
In Binh Dinh on a visit to the province, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai
joined local people to commemorate the victory, state-run Voice of
Vietnam radio reported.
Hundreds of Vietnamese took part in the Hanoi event, held under a
chilly grey sky before several thousand onlookers.
Young men wielding swords and knives jumped in the air re-enacting
the battle as women waved large traditional flags.
A group of men then placed a large ornate carriage on their shoulders
bearing a framed picture of Quang Trung's statue and wound their way
through the crowd.
Vietnam normalised ties with China in 1991. The two nations regularly
exchange official visits and some analysts have said ties are as good as
at any time in recent years despite verbal sparring over competing
claims in the South China Sea.
Reuters - February 20, 1999.
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