From the “Dark Side of Transnationalism” to Socialist Globalisation: Eastern Europeans and the making of modern Vietnam

The talk with Mate Rigo examines how the Cold War and decolonisation forged previously non-existent ties between Southeast Asian and East European societies.

Whereas it is customary to focus on state-sponsored encounters between communist Vietnam and East European regimes, the era also gave rise to spontaneous interactions that flew under the radar of governments. Transnationalism also had a “dark side.” The presentation shows why tens of thousands of East Europeans fought against Vietnamese independence during the Indochina War as part of the French Foreign Legion, how state socialist regimes tried to silence this experience and promote ties via music, films, and the arts, and how they tried to rally the youth behind the idea of socialist solidarity with Vietnam during the American War, thus reinvigorating popular support behind these regimes following disillusionment after 1956 and 1968.