After watching the documentary American Experience: Vietnam War, "America's Mandarin 1954-1963," I learned how oppressive and cruel of a dictator Diem actually was. He cancelled the country wide elections and made himself the leader. He also forced his fellow Vietnamese to practice Catholicism over their traditional religions. Another oppressive tactic he used was relocating people to protected towns and villages where he could keep North Vietnamese from influencing them to fight for their cause. He used a secret police force to enforce his laws and polices. This government sounds almost exactly like the oppressive governments that the United States was trying prevent not encourage and support.

The short story "A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain" by Robert Olen Butler is about an old man named Dao reflecting on his life during his last few days. During this reflection period it is Vietnamese tradition to invite all of a person's family members over so final goodbyes can be said. While Dao's son in law is visiting, Dao learns that he played a part in the murder of a Vietnamese newspaper reporter who acknowledged communist Vietnam. Later during the next few nights Dao is visited by his dead friend Ho Chi Minh whom he met while he was working in a pastry shop in London. In the visits Ho Chi Minh seems preoccupied trying to figure out how he used to make a glaze for pastries while he lived in London. However, this is symbolic for how he us unsettled with how the war in Vietnam played out. It seems that even though the war is over and Vietnam is unified there is still oppression of certain types of Vietnamese and constant fighting as shown by the murder of the reporter. Even though both groups shared similar goals and are both Vietnamese they cannot get past their hatred for each other even though the war is over. They brought their feelings with them to a new country and continue to fight for their respective sides.