One of the best known humanitarians in Vietnam, a Swiss woman who has spent almost half her young life caring for orphans and the handicapped, has been accused by Vietnamese-American right-wingers of being (now let’s all say it together) a communist agent.
Showing that they cling more to their fragile and insecure ideology than they care about Vietnamese, these zealots have been making the accusation on web sites and in dozens and dozens of email being circulated around the net for a week now. 
The wild accusation is based on one person alleging that, in a fundraiser in California, the woman many Vietnamese call “Miss Heart” supposedly did not salute the old South Vietnamese flag.
“Miss Heart” (“Cô Tim” in Vietnamese) was just a young 20-year-old art-school graduate when she engaged on a trip around the world in 1992. Going through Asia, Aline Rebeaud arrived at Saigon.
As the story goes, one night Rebeaud came upon a Vietnamese boy lying in the street of Saigon, about to die of starvation.
Where thousands upon thousands of Vietnamese just walked on by, Rebeaud stopped.
She picked up the street kid, brought him back to the “mini-hotel” where she was staying, and nourished him back to health.
And she has been doing that ever since, to hundreds of other children of Vietnam, a country with no particular tie to her other than a caring heart of one human being for another.
Using money from the sale of her artwork, Aline Rebeaud bought a thatched house in the far outskirts of Saigon and began housing young orphans and handicapped there.
Thus was born the Maison Chance (in Vietnamese: Nhà May Man). Maison Chance houses orphans and the handicapped, and teaches them handiwork skills that would allow them to make a living when need be.
That was when Aline Rebeaud became known as Miss Heart, and the orphans that live with her call her Mother Heart (in Vietnamese: Me Tim).
Maison Chance needed, and was granted, a license from the communist government of Vietnam to operate in the country as a non-governmental organization (NGO). Unlike other countries, in Vietnam you’re required to have permission to do good deeds.
As Maison Chance grew, the sale of Rebeaud’s artwork wasn’t enough any more. Rebeaud began raising funds to support the expanded institution. Vietnamese around the world chipped in and created support arms for the Maison Chance in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
It was during a recent fundraising trip that the controversy erupted.
Last month, “Cô Tim” went on a North American fundraising tour, including a stop in Little Saigon, at Nguoi Viet Daily News’ community room. Rebeaud brought along a series of artwork created by the children of Maison Chance. In addition to raising funds for the organization, Rebeaud was also selling the artwork, with proceeds going directly to the child-painter, she said.
At Nguoi Viet, although it was not an official fundraiser, people still donated money and bought the artwork.
Even perennial protestor Ky Ngo had enough sense not to disrupt the Nguoi Viet event.
Elsewhere, “Cô Tim”‘s fundraising was hugely successful. At an event in San Jose, with alumni of the now-closed Buddhist university Van Hanh, she raised at least $57,000 in just one evening.
It may be the success that engendered envy and jealousy, but shortly after news of the successful fundraising spread, emails began to surface, questioning Cô Tim’s motives.
Then it was said that, at an event in San Fernando Valley, Cô Tim had left the room when the people began to salute the flag of the former South Vietnam. When she came back, she asked for the flag to be taken down, and the organizers obliged.
For that, Cô Tim has been accused of being communist spy, an agent of the government of Vietnam.
Epithets started flying.
This writer derided Cô Tim as a “big-nosed shrew from nowhere and working in communist Vietnam.” A reference to the big nose is a Vietnamese racist term to call Caucasians.
This email calls on people in Texas to “chase the Tim Aline Rebeaud wench … out of Houston.” The yellow highlight is in the original.
This writer gave the opinion that Vietnamese abroad should not contribute to any humanitarian efforts in Vietnam. “Poor, orphaned, handicapped children – let the communists deal with them,” he wrote. Vietnamese abroad should, according to him, only give money to anti-communist causes.
Now, if hundreds of orphans are counting on your status as a NGO approved by the communist government, then wouldn’t you put the lives and livelihood of the orphans ahead of the need to display a flag?
Maybe you wouldn’t. But that says a lot about your perverted sense of priority.
Putting your COUNTRY FIRST:
* If you really want to fight for freedom in Vietnam, please put VIETNAM first
Not your secret party affiliation
* if you really want a better life for Vietnamese people, please put VIETNAMESE PEOPLE first.
Not your private vengeance.
Then,
* Let us begin with inclusion, not exclusion.
* Let us start with a message of care, not hatred.
MILITARIZATION OF A POLITICAL PROCESS :
Who are fighting communist now ? most are Vietnamese war vets or prisoners .
* The fight for Freedom in Vietnam should not ONLY be about your military experience of the war, should not ONLY be about your past moments of glory.
* Your selection of people is flaw : Only people with past war records could be trusted. The communist utilized the same background criteria for their own regime : people with war records. How are you different from them ?
* The fight for freedom in Vietnam is for better future for all Vietnamese.
* 70% of Vietnamese population were born after 1975, these generations have little concept of the war, and have little to do with the war.
* All Vietnamese demand more social justice, not another war.
* the current militarization of a political/social process has hurt the cause, instead of broadening out to include all Vietnamese from all walks of life.
* Street protest has become daily event which creates a stigmatized image of mob rule, of radicalism for general public. More street rallies are being staged against internal Vietnamese members for local and trivial political purposes.
* So, glorifying your past with prominent display of your military uniforms and medals has very limited political appeal (25% minority).
* The more you remind general public of the past war, the further away they move from you.
* if you want to show you are just an ordinary person : farmers, teachers, carpenters, or shop owners.
DROP YOUR MILITARY FATIGUES, AND PUT ON YOUR FARMER CLOTHES.
( Only if you honestly want to fight for farmers and teachers, and carpenters in Vietnam )
Keep preaching the word.
If I were Miss Heart, I would ask those people to take down the flags as well. Why? Because it was a fund-raising event for a NPO/NGO which has nothing to do with politics. Besides, her NGO/NPO is located and operated in Vietnam, saluting those flags will give her great trouble with the communist government when she comes back to VN and therefore her main goal (bigger goal) is defeated.
A while back, I went into an online forum to raise money for Duc Son Orphanage (Hue, Vietnam). The fund-raising went very well and I sent all the money back to su co Minh Tu, a Buddhist nun who runs Duc Son Orphanage. A few weeks later she sent over some photos taken during a New Year event in which the kids received their shoes and jackets purchased by the money I sent back. In those photos, the kids were wearing school uniforms with “khan quang do” around their necks. Soon after, some people started calling su co Minh Tu a communist and accused me of being a communist agent.
It’s already very unfortunate that we need license to do good deeds in Vietnam. It’s even worse when we were accused by our own people.
One question I asked those people and still haven’t received a proper answer; that is, living in a communist country, being in a orphanage which was licensed by communist government, what those kids should have worn for the photo shoot instead? Should they have yellow flag around their necks like Ky Ngo and the likes?
I am still wondering…..
MILITARIZATION OF A POLITICAL PROCESS :
Your military fatigues should be respected and reserved for solemn military commemoration days, but not for political events where your uniform become more of a colorful theatrical charade.
* Symbol is a vehicle of communication. Your military outfit projects military means of a political struggle, your attempt to militarize a civilian movement.
* Symbol is a path of transformation, a bridge from past to future. Military regime means a “command and control structure” ( a top-down model ), certainly not a democratic model ( bottom up model ) that you claim. Military command is rigid and one way, while democracy is flexible and two way communication.
* Symbol emdobies ideas and ideals of a movement. Vietnamese people want more just and open society, different from the current communist regime , but also not a military regime like Burma Junta.
It is fundamental to a democracy that the civilian control and have authority over the military. The military of RVN killed their own elected president and seized political power. This incident had contributed to a reduction of support for RVN from the American public and other democracy loving people around the world. The military’s purpose is to defend society, not define it. A democratic military does not lead its nation but serves it. Trying to lead people with a military style to fight for democracy will certainly be doomed to failure.
* McCarthyism is being used for POLITICAL TERRORISM and character assassination for simple local election campaigns.
* communist = corruption = anti-communist
Both sides of the same coin of tyranny and corruption of ideas.
CHANGE IS WHAT WE CAN DO !
Yes, change is what we need ! 30 years of waiting for change is over, it is now time for all of us to join together and make changes.
Yes, we together, Vietnamese people will become united one, not divided factions like what we suffer now.
Yes, We can now form a grass-root movement of ordinary Vietnamese yearning for freedom.
Yes, We can change Vietnam with justice, with humanity, and with “tinh dan toc”. Not with weapon, not with revenge, not with hatred.
Yes, we together can change Vietnam to a democratic country.
Why did “Joe the Plumber” become the symbol of the John McCain’s campaign ?
Because “Joe the Plumber” is about ordinary working people, about daily concerns of ordinary family.
Same symbol should be applied here
* We have enough ” Dai ta Dung”, “Dai Tuong Hung”
* We need more “Dung tho moc”, “Hung tho may”
Everything starts with instilling family value and respect for principles…. with proper education.
ISRAELIS WINNING STRATEGY :
Israelis government has been so successful at containing Palestinian threats for the past 60 years. The winning strategy is rather simple :
1. Eliminate all Palestinian progressive, political, civic, and intellectual movements.
2. Support small, but most radical terrorist anti-israel groups.
The result: world’s public opinion is always with Israelis actions against Palestinian extremists.
As long as Hamas dominates the Palestinian political landscape, the future of Israel is reciprocally assured.
The same strategy is being used be the communist Vietnam now, by supporting the most extreme anti-communist groups.
The anti-communist’s radicalism will ultimately lead to longer reign of communist regime in Vietnam, so that some can enjoy another day of street protest.
* Who remember the name of a communist spy that worked as national security advisor to President Nguyen Van Thieu in Dinh Doc Lap ?
@ Country First.
Huy`nh Va(n Tro.ng, Special Assistant for Political Affairs for president Thieu.
@ Tien Huynh,
My hat off to you, Mr. Tien Huynh.
How you know his name could be more interesting, if you don’t mind sharing.
@ Country First.
I was already a college student in 1969 and graduated from Saigon Univ. in 1973. Somehow I still remember some big names in the news during the period of 63-75.
Might you be blessed for living in an interesting time ( Chinese proverb ).
Then and now ! ! !
Or is it a curse ?
Policy Formulation in a Democracy :
In a democracy, ordinary people decide national priorities and policy directions, such as foreign policy, domestic economic programs etc…
* McCain and Obama offered two contrasting policy on Iraq: however, only one policy was chosen by the people in the last election. People hold the ultimate power of arbitrator.
* In the Vietnamese community, groups of professional street protestors dictate WHAT is patriotic, and HOW to be patriotic. Any other forms of opinions or actions are considered unpatriotic. They are the LAW , the PROSECUTOR , as well as the JUDGE.
60 years ago, the Nazi Gestapo imposed same brutal street justice on the Jews in pre-war Germany. The Jews were considered not patriotic enough, not white enough, not following stricter Aryan nationalist codes of business practices.
Nazi Storm troopers would stage daily protest in front of Jewish-own business outlets, and calling for boycott. We all know the end result of this tragedy.
Please practice democracy before preaching democracy ! ! !
Those who do not study history (world history) are condemn to repeat it
Please stop this insane practice of throwing your brothers into the lion’s den.
Correction :
“Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it”
@ Country First.
Thank you for your wisdom. Your efforts to educate people are highly appreciated! The democracy loving people of Vietnamese descent and I are proud of you.
Mr. Tien Huynh,
I humbly extend my two hands out to accept your complements, a witness of history.
CHARITY, American Style.
* Yesterday, executives of the three American auto makers flew to Washington in their private jets begging congress for a 25 billion dollar bailout from taxpayers. The cost of each flight is about $25,000 and we will eventually pay for them. That is American style of charity.
* Why should any one buy an GM car instead of a Honda?
* Who are getting charity money from taxpayers, Henry Paulson’s 700 billion rescue package : Goldman Sacks ( his old boss ), Citigroup ( his Saudi friends ), Morgan Stanley ( his Chinese friends ), and Merrill Lynch. That is American style of charity.
* Six months ago, Henry Paulson called British bailout plan of government buying bank stocks : socialist way of nationalization of private financial institutions. Now He wants to use part of his rescue plan to do exactly the same thing : to buy US banks. Folks, that is partial nationalization of banking system. That is a fundamental shift of capitalism, American style.
* 4 millions are now out of jobs just within 12 months.
* 12 trillions ( approximately ) dollars of asset values have evaporated in the past 6 months.
* Most retirement accounts have lost half of it’s value.
President Bush’s policy with Vietnam:
John D. Negroponte, US Deputy Secretary of State
Recent trip to Vietnam in September 2008
I was really struck by what I found in Vietnam: tremendous PROSPERITY, particularly in the south, although in the north as well; a great — no rancor, no animosity towards the United States, either towards our people or towards our government; and I think a great interest in increasing the interchanges between our two societies, at all different levels, especially the educational level. I cannot tell you how many people, both in the government and in the private sector, that I met who talked to me getting American universities or American courses to Vietnam. Many would like to have turnkey projects where major American universities would install themselves in one way or another. At a minimum, Vietnam wants U.S.-style curricula will become a part of the regular diet of the Vietnam education system. So I found this extraordinarily encouraging.
http://www.state.gov/s/d/2008/110567.htm
Mr. John D. Negroponte was the Director of National Intelligence, who speaks Vietnamese fluently.
He was the head of American Counterintelligence agency in Vietnam.
President George W. Bush signed into a bill law on Dec 20, 2006 that extends normal trade relations with Vietnam.
In signing the bill Wednesday, Bush said: “Trade is an engine of economic growth” and the best way to increase global prosperity is “to open markets to free and fair trade.”
Bush also said amazing changes were under way in Vietnam and he hoped that economic reform would lead to political modifications in the communist-ruled Asian nation.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/20/america/NA_GEN_US_Trade.php
Can someone tell the anticommunist crowds in Santa Ana that they are supporting communist regime in Vietnam ?
It’s almost impossible for the ignorant anti-communist mobs to understand that they are supporting the communists. In order to understand that issue, some minimal knowledge are required…
The horn of Africa has been ungulfed in civil wars for the past decades. Poverty, famine, and bloodshed have been part of life. So many factions and tribes: each taking turns capturing central power for a period of time, long enough to pillage the country.
Caught in between these conflicts are the people. Both sides use international food relief as weapon to weaken the other side. Government troops would attack villages that receive food aids from the rebel sides, who in turn would retaliate by raiding government controlled villages.
The people become victims of both sides of the war. Poverty and famine being used as weapons of war.
Are we better than those gun-touting primitive tribal factions ?
Those primitive tribal people and those Vietnamese people who advocate for no-ending wars are just the same. They don’t have morality.
The Fundamental difference between communist regime and a democratic society is the rule of laws:
Communists always arbitrarily and randomly persecute innocent citizens by using power of the state to rape powerless victims.
Democracy has to be different. Rules must be clear and fair for people to understand.
Democracy requires people to be submit to majority rules, not mobster intimidation,
Democracy provide a platform for people to discussion different opinions to reach an acceptable solution for all sides.
Not standing on street and to use bullhorn to scream accusations and innuendos, a Nazi storm trooper tactics.
***
This forum is becoming a slaughter house for some Vietnamese to neutralize other potential Vietnamese running for any office.
This forum provides a black market for slandering good Vietnamese for one owns political ambition.
Anti-communism does not mean against the government in Vietnam but a way to destroy Vietnamese here.
I am growing more cynical of this forum, and have enough of this charade.
Official US_Vietnam Relation by the Bush Administration:
* President Bush is the main and strongest supporter of the communist regime in Vietnam.
Press Conference by Deputy Secretary Negroponte in Hanoi, Vietnam
John D. Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State
Hanoi, Vietnam
September 12, 2008
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: [In Vietnamese. Laughter and clapping].
I want to thank you for joining me today as part of my trip visiting both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Reflective of the close partnership between the United States and Vietnam I have a full schedule of meetings covering a broad range of issues.
In Hanoi I had the privilege of meeting with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Khiem, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Nhan and many others. During these meetings we focused on areas in which we can strengthen our relationship. The United States aims to deepen our economic and commercial ties, to expand our diplomatic cooperation, encourage reform, and broaden our cooperation to enhance regional peace and security. Our Joint Advisory Committee on Agent Orange and Dioxin is also meeting here in Hanoi this week. Its work is another example of successful cooperation that is producing positive results.
Education is a high priority for us. In the coming weeks members of the Education Task Force will meet to discuss how we might strengthen our work together in this area. This task force will examine ways in which we can increase the number of Vietnamese students in the United States and Americans studying in Vietnam and what can be done to increase exchanges between United States and Vietnamese universities. We also want to link American companies and Vietnamese universities to help graduates acquire the skills that they need to find good jobs in the new and growing Vietnamese economy.
In Ho Chi Minh City, where I am going next, in addition to meetings with government officials I will meet with local business leaders to learn first-hand about Vietnam’s economic growth. The United States is one of Vietnam’s largest investors, but increased transparency, dedication to tackling corruption and a commitment to combating inflation and maintaining stability will facilitate even more investment.
Throughout my trip I have underscored the importance the United States places on a candid and productive human rights dialogue. Enhancements in governance, the rule of law and the protection of human rights will forge an even deeper United States-Vietnam relationship and should contribute to Vietnam’s own goal of greater integration with the international community.
In conclusion, I would like to say that my brief visit to Hanoi has confirmed my optimism about the prospects for United States-Vietnam relations in the years ahead.
Now I’d be pleased to answer a few questions.
QUESTION: Hi, I’m Ben Stocking from the Associated Press.
You mentioned the work of the Joint Committee looking into the Agent Orange issue. Some Vietnamese have expressed a little bit of disappointment about the amount of money that the U.S. has devoted to this issue. They’re pleased that the Congress set aside $3 million, but there seems to be agreement that the cost of cleaning up dioxin is going to cost a lot more than that. So I guess my question is do you think the United States should or might consider setting aside more money for the cleanup of dioxin here?
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: First, by way of a general response to your question let me say that I think that while it is important that we focus on the future of the relationship between our two countries, and that is the area of activity that takes up most of our energies, we also must deal with the legacy issues from the war. Those are issues I’m pleased to say we are working on cooperatively with the government of Vietnam, whether it has to do with Agent Orange or POWs and MIAs, or with the removal of mines, for example, that were laid during the war. I think we have a positive and a constructive dialogue and positive and constructive activities in all of these areas.
You asked about the specific amounts of money and whether they are adequate for this problem. Our approach has been, in our discussions with the government of Vietnam, to first of all have important exchanges between the experts on this subject, and that’s what’s been happening this week here in Hanoi, so that there is an adequate exchange of information.
There are remediation measures that are being taken, and I think the focus there is to try and find the areas of priority. So, for example, one of the priority areas is around Danang. There are several other places that have also been identified for priority action.
In addition to remediation measures I would also mention that we have provided resources for treating disabled Vietnamese people regardless of cause over a long period of time now. We have spent some tens of millions of dollars to help assist disabled Vietnamese, regardless of what it was that caused their disablement.
QUESTION: I’m from People’s Army Newspaper.
The Vietnamese and several U.S. companies have cooperation contract in the South China Sea we call the East Sea here. But there has been abuse of the territorial sea water, often by China. So when such things happen, what legal grounds does the U.S. Department of State use to make statements about those cases?
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: My answer to that question would be as follows. First of all, the question of maritime jurisdiction between countries, especially when there are disagreements, is something that ultimately must be settled by those countries themselves in accordance with the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention.
We ourselves don’t take a position on the merits of these particular disputes, but we do believe they should be dealt with peacefully and without resort to any type of coercion. We do believe the companies that you refer to, the American companies you refer to have the right to engage in the activities in which they are engaged.
QUESTION: I am from Agence France Presse.
You talked about the human rights dialogue. Could you tell us, did you raise any specific case on behalf of the U.S., and if so, which ones?
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: The answer to your question is, first of all, yes, we did discuss human rights issues in several of my conversations including, in particular, my meeting with the Foreign Minister as well as with representatives of civic society with whom I met yesterday evening. But I did not get into any particular specific cases. As I said in my opening statement, this is an issue that we believe is important. The degree that the human rights situation in Vietnam is dealt with adequately and effectively, we think will be to the benefit of Vietnam’s standing in the international community and it will also, of course, in our view be to the benefit of the Vietnamese people.
QUESTION: I’m from Vietnam Television.
My question is, yesterday you had a meeting with Vice Prime Minister Nguyen at the Ministry of Education and Training. What do you think about education cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S., and can you be more specific on the educational cooperation between our two countries?
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: Yes, absolutely.
Oh, sorry.
Give me one more week and I can interpret for you. [Laughter].
We had a very good meeting. This is one of the areas of cooperation between the United States and Vietnam that I think is particularly exciting. The Education Minister spoke about the desire of Vietnam to graduate 20,000 more PhD students over the next 12 years — 10,000 with PhDs from abroad, from other countries, and 10,000 trained in Vietnam itself. So one area that we talked about was ways in which we could increase the number of Vietnamese students going to the United States to help fulfill the goals of this program. That I think is something we will want to pursue upon my return to the United States.
Another area that we spoke about were the plans of the Ministry to have universities established here in Vietnam that use the curriculum of foreign universities. He mentioned the example of a German university that’s being established in Ho Chi Minh City at the moment. He expressed a strong interest in United States universities engaging in the same kind of cooperation with Vietnam.
One last area I might mention since you asked for specific examples, was the desire on the part of the government, and I’m sure that others share it, of trying to improve the quantity and the quality of English language training in this country.
QUESTION: I’m from Prensa Latina.
Given the human rights situation and the importance of progress here, what are the [inaudible] now [inaudible] at a time of war, and Agent Orange and all those things. [Inaudible] nothing about Vietnam [inaudible]. And now we are talking the same [inaudible].
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: I’m sure if you asked most Vietnamese they would tell you the situation today is substantially changed and substantially improved over what it was in the 1960s. Just to cite one example, this is an economy here that has consistently grown at a rate of seven or eight percent a year for a decade or so and is considered one of the real miracles of economic development. It has lifted the Vietnamese out of poverty, giving them more space and opportunity to develop their personal lives. So that would be my first observation in response to your question.
While personal opportunities for development and personal space have increased significantly, there are still issues, as you mentioned and as I have also mentioned, particularly in the area of political rights. Our views on that subject are well known. It’s an area where we don’t necessarily see matters eye to eye with Vietnamese authorities, but I think we are appreciative of the fact that this is a subject that is on the bilateral agenda between us. We’ve actually had a human rights dialogue with our Assistant Secretary for Human Rights visiting here recently to hold in-depth discussions with the Government of Vietnam.
So this will be, I expect, an issue that will continue to be one of discussion between our two governments, but it will be in the context of an expanding and improving and friendly relationship between our two countries.
QUESTION: I would like to ask you what did you discuss with the Vietnamese government about corruption?
And the second question is, I like your Saigon accent — [Laughter]. What feeling do you have when you return to Vietnam after 35 years?
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: On the first question, one of the subjects that has been a constant issue of discussion between our embassy and the government of Vietnam has been the rule of law, questions related to corruption, and how strengthening the rule of law, in our view, will enable the Vietnamese economy to prosper and develop and the Vietnamese people to prosper and develop even more. So we think it’s in the self interest of the government and people of Vietnam to tackle the matter of corruption and improve the rule of law.
As for my Saigon accent, I’m very happy to be back after 35 years. I sometimes ask myself why I took so long to come back. I’m very optimistic about the future of our relationship. I certainly look forward to visiting Ho Chi Minh City, which I will be doing after this press conference. We’re leaving for Ho Chi Minh City and I will spend about two days there, so that will be an opportunity for me to see how much things have changed in Ho Chi Minh City.
But perhaps what fills me with the greatest optimism is the fact that our two countries fought a bitter war. It was a bitter and difficult war for both sides. And yet I find that on both sides there seems to be a tremendous amount of goodwill, to want to develop the relationship in a positive way in the future. I think that is almost a universal feeling. That’s certainly the way I feel about the relationship.
So as I mentioned, we have to now go and catch an airplane. I thank you very much for this opportunity to meet with you this morning. Thank you.
http://www.state.gov/s/d/c21460.htm
Released on September 12, 2008
Boy, old vietnamese men are so dense. NEWS FLASH! VIETNAM IS A COMMUNIST COUNTRY!
Co TIm never ordered the old Vietnam flag to be taken down, that was a lie
As a humanitarian, you have to play you diplomatic cards very smartly, if she is an agent for anybody, it is the for the west. She is Swiss, funded by the west entirely. However in order to further her Humanitarian work, she has to respect that Vietnam is a communist country, or else she would have gotten no where with Maison Chance.
These old vietnamese right wingers are victims of the ghosts that live on in their own minds, what have they accomplished? besides accusations, libel, slander, and defamation. Keep on sitting around, smoking your cigarettes, drinking your beer, and complaining, while real philanthropists invoke change and make a difference.