The memoir of Tráș§n Quang CÆĄ (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 countryâs political priorities during the period of 1975-1993.
CÆĄ put together his memories and thoughts on âmany sensitive developmentsâ in Vietnamese foreign relations that he believed had been âintentionally or unintentionallyâ forgotten (rÆĄi rỄng) in the state-endorsed history âto âsmooth overâ (trĂČn trÄ©nh) the historical record.â Completed in Vietnamese in 2001 (updated in 2003) and informally circulated on the internet, Merle Pribbenowâs English-translation makes this valuable historical source available to wider audiences.