Communism in Vietnam, as it had existed since the early 1930s, he even said at one point, “is nothing more than a means of arriving at independence.” And Americans could feel confident about the DRV’s economic program: “The communist ministers … favor the development of capitalist autonomy and call on foreign capital for the reconstruction of the country.” U.S. firms could expect to get special privileges, Thach went on, including tax and other concessions, and American tourists would find postcolonial Vietnam “an ideal place” to visit.
