Revolution on the South China Sea

Bay of Nha Trang

The business of Vietnam is business, as American communist Tom Hayden found out during a recent visit. Being a founder of sixties radicalism, Chicago Seven defendant, a California state congressman for 18 years, and ex-husband of superstar (Hanoi) Jane Fonda didn't count for much over there. The Vietnamese were much more excited when billionaire Buddhist Bill Gates made a 2006 visit.

I did my 12 months in Nha Trang in 1968-69 and saw several ex-servicemen return to the "French Riviera of Vietnam" and establish businesses in this tropical paradise. But - as we all know- the Vietnamese like to do things their own way so we had to leave.

It must have broken poor old Tom's heart to see what the revolution has come to; fancy cars, nice clothes, luxury apartments. He didn't mind those things for himself and Hanoi Jane, before she dumped him for real man Ted Turner, but surely feels that the rest of us would be happier as generic government serfs.