the history is far more complex than just looking at both being separate republics before the Americans went in to 'assist'
one has to go back a long long long way to see how things shaped up politically ----------- colonialisation had a lot to do with all of it
heaps of interferers had a go in there ------------ which is pretty amazing when one looks at Vietnam today -
it's in an amazingly good state compared to many African nations who have been stuffed about by colonisation - some look beyond repair.
what the colonial era did is to damage things so much that the damage will go on for centuries - if we go on for centuries, which is kinda doubtful now.
Interestingly America still does colonialisation - they do it in a shadowy kind of way ---------- but, really, that's pretty much what it is. We might as well make Oz the fifty first bloody state the way we are atm.
We really are shaping up to be the next South Vietnam.
