CLAUDE BLANCHEMAISON – The bridge builder for France-Vietnam relations

He spoke passionately. The time arranged for him to introduce his newly released book to a large audience of both French and Vietnamese, as determined by the L'Éspace Center, was only limited to 40 minutes, but his presentation lasted more than an hour. Yet the entire L'Éspace hall was dead silent. At first, I was somewhat puzzled: what love motivated a foreigner in his sixties, who had been away from Vietnam for more than 20 years, to still maintain such enthusiasm and passion when recounting his memories of that country? But then, after listening to what he confided, especially when having the opportunity to carefully read his memoirs,Years as ambassador to Vietnampublished by the National Political Publishing House in Hanoi in March 2016, I gradually realized: it is true that Claude Blanchemaison must have had such a strong love for the people and country of Vietnam to speak with such beautiful feelings.

My generation, some Vietnamese people from more than 20 years ago, when the country was still facing many difficulties (the 90s), still remember the French Ambassador with a very "funny" name:White House Ambassador. Knowing that is enough, but saying that we understand the thoughts and actions of a foreign politician, especially one from France, which had previously had some “chipped” relations with Vietnam, is even more difficult. During the 2 and a half hours listening to him confide, and reading the book he had just introduced, many of the audience at that presentation were amazed:How can there be a foreign ambassador who loves Vietnam so much?

In fact, Claude Blanchemaison did not boast about his “achievements” in his presentation, nor in his book. What he said and wrote was very simple and sincere. Blanchemaison officially arrived in Hanoi in the spring of 1989, when Vietnam was still under embargo, the economy was extremely difficult, some friendly countries were “coldly ignoring” it, some even turned their backs on it as “hostile”, France at that time was one of the few countries that “broke the fence” and shook hands with Vietnam. Indeed, during his tenure as French ambassador to Vietnam, Blanchemaison could not fully imagine the “complexity” of the country he came to. He recounted that in the first year of his term as ambassador, which coincided with the solemn celebration of the 200th anniversary of the 1789 Revolution in France, the new ambassador overcame all difficulties and organized a reception for Vietnamese and international friends in the not-so-spacious space of the French Embassy at 57 Tran Hung Dao Street, still warm and attentive, true to the French style. As for me, I still remember that, along with some colleagues from the University of General Sciences who attended the ceremony at that time, I enjoyed glasses of authentic French wine in wooden barrels, which the ambassador said in his memoirs that he had taken the trouble to order from Tourraine, his hometown. He recounted that in the first days in Hanoi, despite having identified the difficulties beforehand, the ambassador was still “extremely worried. I had only been in Hanoi for a few days, with the general directive to create conditions for the two countries of France and Vietnam to come closer together”.

More than 20 years later, since the first day he set foot in Vietnam, Claude Blanchemaison has written two books about Vietnam. The first book he wrote about General Vo Nguyen Giap. It was not until this second book that he devoted all his feelings to the people and country of Vietnam that he loved so much. The book is less than 160 pages long. An elderly audience member (who probably worked at the same time, when Blanchemaison was ambassador) complained, "he was a bit disappointed because he thought it would be 4 or 5 times thicker than that". But co-speaker Pham Quang Minh affirmed that, although the book is thin, it carries the weight of the entire career of that ambassador. He explained that, although it is only a memory of a 4-year term, Blanchemaison began his ambassadorship at the most difficult time. At that time, Vietnam had only been through the renovation period for about 3 or 4 years, with many difficulties piling up, and many events happening: the Gulf War, the collapse of the socialist system, led by the Soviet Union, the betrayal of a great friend and neighboring country, Vietnam was surrounded and embargoed by the world. The difficulties were so great that Claude Blanchemaison told a very interesting detail: right at the Embassy, ​​the telephone used for communication was only a hand-cranked machine, and there always had to be someone on duty, not as modern as it is now. Even though he was the Ambassador of a Western country that was no longer poor, the Ambassador still could not do anything else.

Years as Ambassador to VietnamA collection of 23 interesting and touching stories that the “White House” ambassador not only experienced during his 4 years as ambassador. Rather, in addition to the 4 official years in Vietnam, Claude Blanchemaison also returned to Vietnam a couple of times. And moreover, it took more than 20 years of looking back from afar, and a heart that loved Vietnam so passionately, for a Frenchman like him to reveal and express such good feelings about the land he lived in. Those who were lucky enough to attend his discussion with Associate Professor Dr. Pham Quang Minh at L'Éspace on the night of June 29 must have fully understood Blanchemaison's “true heart” and passion for his work during these years. In the memories told by the person involved, I know that the stories written and retold by him are completely trustworthy. Those are his sincere thoughts. Blanchemaison revealed that, at first, when he had just had the idea of ​​going to Vietnam, he did not know much about this country, and many people discouraged him, but he still decided to go. He explained his decision, which at that time was considered "crazy" by some people, very simply: "And that choice was quite logical in my journey to explore Asia, because two years ago I was appointed Deputy Director of the Near East Department to the surprise of most of my colleagues, and the classic choice was decided. I will leave, and the destination will be Vietnam".

That choice he later confirmed was completely correct. At the time of 1989, Blanchemaison was not exactly young, but he was certainly not old: 45 years old, although not quite 20, but a soul of someone who loves a bit of adventure and risk (of those who work in diplomacy), who likes to "spin in the storm" is also understandable. Blanchemaison recounted that on the first day he arrived in Hanoi,transitfrom Bangkok by Tupolev (a very old aircraft made by the Soviet Union) of Vietnam Airlines, before that, attending the party "missing the champagne bottle of his friend the French ambassador here", he could not help but feel a little emotional. Was that "a bad omen"?

But that was not the case. When he arrived in Hanoi and started working as an ambassador, “a mountain of worries” left him no time to worry about anything other than his duties. He said that the French Embassy then and now was made use of an old facility that was very poorly equipped, lacking and inadequate in all sorts of ways. Even in early 1989, the capital Hanoi was still facing many difficulties. To buy or sell anything, some foreign ambassadors in Hanoi had to go all the way to Bangkok. “There were very few cars on the streets, no taxis, many cyclos and thousands of bicycles”, “the electricity was often cut off, even at the embassies”. The people of Hanoi had long been accustomed to living in poverty. “Thirty years of war had exhausted the entire country”. But the ambassador, despite being used to working in full comfort, was not discouraged. He went everywhere, did everything he could, and even “staged” an inspection team from his home country. Thanks to that, the Embassy campus was equipped with essential items for work. But the most important thing, according to Claude Blanchemaison, was that it was the Vietnamese people who gave him confidence and enthusiasm for his work. The first person he respectfully mentioned with excitement was General Vo Nguyen Giap. He had known this general's name for a long time, but it was not until he arrived in Hanoi, in his position as French Ambassador, that he had the good fortune to meet him. He said: "Immediately, the man I met impressed me with his small body, his lively eyes, his broad forehead standing out under his white hair -volcano under the snow, journalists said so”. During his 4-year term, Claude Blanchemaison witnessed the heroic General not only once, on the occasion of France celebrating the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, but in the following years, perhaps because he loved Victor Hugo's country so much, the General came here every National Day, July 14. He talked intimately with the new Ambassador and everyone. He even once offered to borrow the French books he liked to take home to read. The admiration for the hero of Vietnam fueled the fire of enthusiasm in the French ambassador at a time when he was only in his 40s. Perhaps that was why he began to love Vietnam and wanted to do something to help the small country that had suffered many painful losses from war caused by big countries.

That's right! In the 23 stories of the memoirYears as Ambassador to VietnamClaude Blanchemaison also recounted many other touching stories, which I can hardly tell in just one short article. For example, the story of his connection with French politicians to help bring the Vietnam-France relationship closer together; the story of how during his 4-year term, 3 French film crews came to Vietnam to make films that helped everyone have the opportunity to look back at the historical years of the France-Vietnam relationship (3 filmsIndochina, Dien Bien PhuandLoverof French cinema was completed during this time). Most notably, perhaps it is worth mentioning the first visit of a Western politician, President Francoise Mittérant, to Vietnam, in the last year of Blanchemaison's term, early February 1993. This important trip would also lead to the consequence that for the first time Vietnam was honored to host the International Conference of Francophonie in 1997 with the participation of 75 foreign heads of state, raising the international status of the country, after a period of embargo and blockade...

Auditorium view

And there are many other stories, the most impressive of which is the story “The country that gave birth to wonderful women”, in which the author mentioned the heroines in Vietnamese history (Ba Trung, Ba Trieu). Speaking of this, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Quang Minh humorously compared France as “so great” but having only one heroine, Jean d'Arc, while Vietnam has “Two Trung Sisters”. And more, the Vice President of Vietnam during Blanchemaison’s term as ambassador, Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, who could speak and listen to French fluently, whom he had wholeheartedly admired; and the graceful women in Ao Dai that Blanchemaison had the opportunity to meet and interact with over the years…, causing Associate Professor Dr. Minh to ask: what is the deep reason that makes the French Ambassador “love Vietnamese women so much?”.

It is a pity that one evening at L'Éspace was not enough time for the ambassador to express all his feelings about the country and the Vietnamese people he had the opportunity to meet and interact with over the years. At the end of the discussion, an elderly audience member asked a "sensitive" question, whether because he was a diplomat, his "subtlety" made the ambassador not say everything, only keeping the beautiful things about the country and the Vietnamese people in the book. The ambassador did not answer this question directly, but I thought to myself: life is always like that, when in love and truly in love, people only see the good things. Well, that is also a normal thing. But if I read the last lines of Claude Blanchemaison in the conclusion of the memoir, I think those "doubts" will no longer have a reason to exist. Claude Blanchemaison truly loves Vietnam. He affirmed:

“To conclude my book, I would like to share with readers the reasons why I love Vietnam so deeply.

First of all, I respectfully bow to the courage that the Vietnamese people have demonstrated throughout their history, whether those pages of history are painful or glorious. And it is a little more special when thinking about all the women of this country, in the chaos and rebellion of war as well as in the development of peacetime, they have all known how to demonstrate their admirable strength.

Next, I would like to pay homage to the country’s deep culture, which has linked the development of its own identity with a great deal of external assistance, bringing modernity and economic development. This is evident in its literature, as well as in the arts of theater, music and cinema.

I also want to express my admiration for the wisdom and wit of the Vietnamese people, whose humor and criticism have brought laughter to them as well as to me and my friends through each story.

Also because of the rich heritage and cuisine. Of course also because of the alluring power of the landscape, the poetic space of the countryside as well as the city.

But among the reasons I have given above, I would like to confess one thing to my readers, which those who know me will probably confirm. I am truly fascinated by the intelligence, beauty and sensitivity of Vietnamese women.”