Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn: Israel & Vietnam

Reuven Rivlin and Trần Đại Quang

Israel, by helping develop industry within the “Socialist” Republic, ensures it has another market to trade its goods in. Not only that, but factories like the one mentioned prior help create a flow of capital from Vietnam to Israel, directly benefiting the bourgeoisie. — Left-Communist Group of Vietnam

One would be hard pressed to find a country that is more hated, more despised on the Left of Capital, than Israel. This is not a sentiment without reason of course. The State of Israel is a puppet of American imperialism, a virtual apartheid state colonizing Palestinian land. The American bourgeoisie, among others, is quick to label anti-Zionist dissent as “anti-Semitic”, as Israel is one of America’s most committed allies.

Surely the mighty Socialist Republic of Vietnam has taken a stand against them then? Surely it has joined other countries in restricting Israel’s power and influence, in an anti-imperialist show of solidarity? Unfortunately for Vietnam’s cheerleaders it has not. In fact Vietnam has been more than happy to be an ally to Israel.

The relationship between the two is rich, but it has not always been this way. In fact it has only recently started to become more intimate. Vietnam recognized Israel as independent in 1993, lagging behind other countries by a few decades, and only opened up an embassy in Tel Aviv in 2005.1 However, from this point the relationship flowered.

Medical Assistance
Medical assistance provided by Israel was the first stepping stone. In 2006 and 2007 Israel sent a team of 54 doctors and nurses to the more remote areas of Vietnam, areas which lacked developed health infrastructure. Their mission was to give medical care, clothes, food, and also farm animals to those in need. The farm animals were to help provide a solid economic base in the region.2 Agricultural moves like this remain a staple of the Israeli-Vietnamese relationship.

Defense Sector
Following this, the two found each other to be remarkable partners. It wasn’t long before needs in the defense sector were addressed. Both were small countries defending against larger superpowers after all. And, in 2012, after a visit from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, that is exactly what happened. Israel Weapon Industries Ltd opened up a light arms factory in Thanh Hóa (Factory Z111), producing small arms for the Vietnam People’s Armed Forces. Subsequently, the Vietnamese military stocked itself with an Israeli air defense missile system.

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Pictured: Weapons made in Factory Z111, featured in a report on the Viet Nam National Defense (Q.P.V.N.) channel.3
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Defense cooperation has gone further than just weapons though. Diplomatically things are looking up for both sides. The two countries recently signed a memorandum of understanding (M.o.U.) concerning “bilateral defense” in Hanoi.4 The details of this memorandum are fuzzy but it certainly doesn’t look like the two countries will be abandoning each other any time soon.

Agro-Technology
Defense is just one side of this coin, however. Agriculture is a large motivator on Vietnam’s part, especially since it makes up for ~13% of Vietnam’s G.D.P. and a third of it’s employment.5 This is a need Israel is happy to fulfill. The State of Israel is an innovator in agricultural technology, and often exports its expertise to other countries. Indeed, technical experts and modern technology have been sent to Vietnam in order to boost production in various industries.6 Vietnamese students have also been sent to Israel to learn these innovations and bring them back home.7 8

Consequences
What does this mean for each country's respective bourgeoisie? Well first let us address the Israeli perspective. Israel, by helping develop industry within the “Socialist” Republic, ensures it has another market to trade its goods in. Not only that, but factories like the one mentioned prior help create a flow of capital from Vietnam to Israel, directly benefiting the bourgeoisie. Weapons sales, like the aforementioned missile defense system, are also a part of this. This means more funding for it’s imperialist ambitions, and the further security of American hegemony in the Middle East.

The relationship is arguably more beneficial from the Vietnamese perspective though. The development of industry in the country means the development of the capitalist mode of production. Thus the further development of the bourgeoisie is inevitable. However the growth of the Vietnamese proletariat is also inevitable, as industrial firms grow larger and must employ more workers.

The contradictions of capitalism are only deepened by this, and the writing is appearing on the wall for the Vietnamese bourgeoisie and their “Communist” Party. The international proletarian revolution will clash against them and topple their power, building a dictatorship of the proletariat on its ashes. The whole of capitalist production, both in Vietnam and the world, will be smashed to a dozen pieces. And atop it will be built a new communist world!