What planet do you live on? Do you have any clue about the murderous, savage thugs who ruled North Vietnam? If they prevented at least 1 million North Vietnamese from going to South Vietnam during the 300-day window in 1954-1955, in violation of the Geneva Accords, how can you claim with a straight face that they would have held an honest election?
Are you aware that Hanoi's tyrants killed tens of thousands of North Vietnamese to maintain their grip on power? Is this news to you? If it is, I have to wonder what have you read about the Vietnam War.
If you want to get some idea of the murderous, vicious Stalinist police state that North Vietnam was, read Dr. Lien-Hang T. Nguyen's highly acclaimed 2012 book Hanoi's War: An International History of the War for Peace in Vietnam.
In contrast, South Vietnam, though hardly a perfect democracy, allowed considerable freedom of the press for South Vietnamese journalists, allowed opposition parties to form and hold rallies, allowed private schools to operate, tolerated a substantial amount of public criticism of the government, did not impose confiscatory taxation on the people, rarely interfered with book publishing, allowed genuine local elections, had a legitimate justice system that usually treated suspects fairly (unless they were suspected of aiding the Viet Cong), allowed a large degree of free enterprise and private property ownership, and respected religious freedom.
Read Dr. Keith W. Taylor's book Voices from the Second Republic of South Vietnam (1967–1975). Dr. Taylor, a professor of Vietnamese history at Cornell University, is the world's leading expert on South Vietnam.
Do you know who Joan Baez was? She was a famous singer and an ardent anti-war activist during the Vietnam War. Yet, when she became aware of the reign of terror that Hanoi was imposing on the Vietnamese people, especially those in southern Vietnam, she penned an open letter to Hanoi's leaders in 1979 condemning them for their severe human rights abuses. The letter was co-signed by dozens of other former anti-war activists who were dismayed at the "cruelty, violence, and oppression" being imposed by the Communist regime.
