2003
Tran Quang Co: A Memoir
The memoir of Trần Quang Cơ (1927-2015), former member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), brings to light the intense diplomacy among great powers and regional players over the continued conflicts in Indochina after the unification of Vietnam as well as the bitter disagreements within the Vietnamese leadership over the country’s political priorities during the period of 1975-1993.
Cơ put together his memories and thoughts on “many sensitive developments” in Vietnamese foreign relations that he believed had been “intentionally or unintentionally” forgotten (rơi rụng) in the state-endorsed history “to ‘smooth over’ (tròn trĩnh) the historical record.” Completed in Vietnamese in 2001 (updated in 2003) and informally circulated on the internet, Merle Pribbenow’s English-translation makes this valuable historical source available to wider audiences.
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- Vietnam (Socialist Republic)--Politics and government
- Cambodian-Vietnamese Conflict, 1977-1991
- China--Foreign relations--Vietnam (Socialist Republic)
- Cambodia--Foreign relations--Vietnam (Socialist Republic)
- United States--Foreign relations--Vietnam (Socialist Republic)
- Thailand--Foreign relations--Vietnam
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Explore Related Resources
The Tran Quang Co Memoir: A Translator’s Introduction
Merle Pribbenow, translator of Tran Quang Co's memoir, introduces the text's background and its historical significance.
Vietnamese Foreign Relations and the Cold War Endgame in Asia
Qingfei Yin writes that Tran Quang Co's memoir brings to light the intense diplomacy among great powers and regional players over the continued conflicts in Indochina from 1975-1993.