April 30th every year is the anniversary marking the end of the Vietnam War. There is not a single family or person in Vietnam who did not lose a loved one. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives / made sacrifices for this war.
The Vietnam War (North–South) was a war that had a purpose, had meaning (without commenting on right or wrong), had ideals on both sides, had ideology, had leaders, and had a longing for an end and a determination to achieve victory.
After 44 years, one thought that war had ended in Vietnam, and suffering had been reduced. It turns out we still have a much more terrible, extremely unjust, and far more costly war. And it has no ideals or ideology whatsoever.
This war is created by the ignorance of all classes of people: from politicians, officials, intellectuals, professors, doctors, businessmen, and ordinary citizens, to farmers, workers, housewives, and motorbike taxi drivers. And there is also no family in Vietnam without relatives or friends who died in this war. Every year, more than 20 thousand people die.
That is the war against traffic accidents, especially traffic accidents caused by drunkards and alcohol/beer.
Not a single Vietnamese person among us lacks friends or relatives who have died or suffered severe injuries from traffic accidents. I also have no fewer than a dozen relatives who passed away and suffered severe injuries because of traffic accidents, and among them were two family members severely injured because of alcohol/beer and participating in traffic.
One person almost completely lost his mind and is now a burden to his wife and children, after just one night out drinking, falling, and lying unconscious on the road. Another suffered all kinds of injuries, also after a boisterous drinking session before riding home and crashing his vehicle. Both were business leaders, capable, and educated. Another associate of mine, whenever alcohol entered him, could not control himself and swore wildly. And in the end, no matter how close we were, we had to part ways.
I have been back in Vietnam for over 12 years, having had the opportunity to work, do business, learn from, and interact with all classes of people—from the wealthiest entrepreneurs and top politicians to social acquaintances and close friends. And I can assert that it is absolutely not necessary to rely on beer and alcohol to build close relationships.
My go-to phrase is: “I cannot drink much” and “I have a stomach ache.” No matter who it is, no matter how big they are, or how much you need to ask a favor from them, do not be afraid to say that phrase. Just remember that after the 3rd glass, hardly anyone remembers anything anymore, so do not fear people mocking you. And no one has ever forced me to over-drink. Never!
My principle is that whenever the brotherly toast drinking goes on too long, I slip away. I go out to the counter, pay the bill, and ask permission to leave or just leave like that (without asking permission), giving reasons of dizziness, drunkenness, or fatigue. Nobody complains at all because those men/women are still busy drinking and remember nothing. As for when I cannot leave immediately, I find a spot at the establishment to lie down for a moment and then vanish. I know many politicians, successful entrepreneurs, and people in showbiz who drink alcohol extremely in moderation. They never allow their image to be tarnished by a few bottles of liquor. And they know that just one instance of losing control will make them lose all their image and the respect of their employees, friends, wife, and children.
The war against traffic accidents and against drunkards is a war that will be even larger than the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War lasted from 1954 to 1975. Meanwhile, the war against the plague of drunkards and traffic accidents will drag on for dozens more years if all of us do not change policies, awareness, and attitudes toward this permanent danger.
Drinking a lot of beer and alcohol does not make us more successful, happier, or closer to one another. A drunkard who drives a vehicle approaches closer to the level of animals and a barbaric species than that of a civilized human being.
Nguyen Quoc Toan
