Is Patriotism the Same as Loyalty to the Party?

Cao Lê Quỳnh Anh wrote this Vietnamese article, published in Luật Khoa Magazine on Sept. 26, 2024. Lee Nguyễn translated it into English for The Vietnamese Magazine.

In Việt Nam today, a popular political slogan continues to echo: “To love the country is to love the Communist Party.” At first glance, it reads like a call for national unity. But the implications of this message are far more complex—and far more troubling.

The phrase suggests that Việt Nam and the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) are one and the same. It implies that those who criticize or dissent from the party are not simply disagreeing with a political institution—they are betraying the nation itself. This conflation of country and party is not only historically inaccurate, but also deeply harmful to Việt Nam’s democratic aspirations.

Drawing the Line Between Nation and Government

Political theory, and indeed historical reality, offer clear distinctions between three key concepts: nation, state, and government.

A nation is a community of people with a shared culture, language, and a sense of belonging. The Vietnamese nation predates the CPV by centuries. It has endured under different rulers, foreign occupations, and civil wars.

A state is a sovereign political entity with defined borders and a population. Việt Nam’s statehood evolved through dynasties that exercised sovereignty over the land and its people—sometimes fragmented, sometimes united.

A government is the current structure that manages the state. Governments are formed to administer, not to define, the state. They can change without altering the existence of the nation itself.

The party is, fundamentally, a political organization currently in power. Like every ruling entity in Việt Nam’s history—from the Ly to the Tran to the Nguyen—it governs, but it does not embody the nation.

A History of Change

Vietnamese history has witnessed many dynasties that played heroic roles in resisting foreign invasions, such as the Early Lê, Lý, Trần, and Later Lê dynasties. Nevertheless, all dynasties have inevitably followed the natural course of decline and were replaced when they reached the end of their vitality. The Communist Party will not be an exception to this rule.

In the field of international relations, there is a clear distinction among three concepts: nation, state, and government.

A nation is a group of people who share a common heritage and identity, expressed through language, culture, history, or a shared sense of belonging.

Irish-American scholar Benedict Anderson described a nation as an "imagined community" bound by a shared past and common destiny. For example, the Vietnamese people often perceive themselves as descendants of Lạc Long Quân (the Dragon) and Âu Cơ (the Fairy,) united by an indomitable spirit of defending their homeland against foreign invaders.

A state is a political entity with clearly defined territory, a resident population, and a governing apparatus that exercises full sovereignty without being subordinate to any other state.

In the West, the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 marked the birth of the modern state, characterized by absolute sovereignty and inviolable borders. In contrast, in the East—particularly in Việt Nam—a strong sense of nationhood and statehood existed long before the Westphalian milestone, even though it did not entirely align with the modern state's definition today.

The Vietnamese people's awareness of sovereignty began with ancient resistance movements, such as those led by the Trưng Sisters, Lady Triệu, and Ngô Quyền’s uprising in 938. From the Ngô dynasty to the Đinh, Lý, Trần, Lê, Nguyễn, and Tây Sơn dynasties, Việt Nam’s rulers consistently asserted national sovereignty in the face of northern empires.

Declarations of "inviolable" territorial boundaries and the autonomy of the Vietnamese people were clearly expressed in Lý Thường Kiệt’s Mountains and Rivers of the Southern Country (1077), composed during the resistance against the Song invasion:

"Mountains and rivers of the Southern country belong to the Southern Emperor

This has been clearly inscribed in Heaven’s book

Why then do you invaders cross the border?

You shall be crushed into dust."

Similarly, in Nguyễn Trãi’s Great Proclamation Upon the Pacification of the Wu (1428), he wrote:

"The mountains and rivers have been divided

Customs of North and South differ

From the Triệu, Đinh, Lý, and Trần dynasties, independence was built

Just as the Han, Tang, Song, and Yuan each ruled in their own lands."

Finally, a government is the political apparatus that administers a state. It can take the form of a monarchy, dictatorship, or democratic republic, vested with the authority to formulate and implement policies within the territory of the state.

Under this definition, each feudal dynasty in Việt Nam—whether it lasted decades or centuries, from Ngô, Đinh, Lý, and Trần to Lê, Trịnh, Nguyễn, and others—was a temporary government operating on the foundation of an enduring nation-state.

Thus, Vietnamese history is rich with examples of dynasties that rose, ruled, and eventually fell. Some collapsed under the weight of tyranny and corruption. Others were overthrown in favor of reform or resistance to external domination. None endured forever, and none were equated with the country itself in the way the CPV now positions itself.

The CPV, to its credit, led Việt Nam through wars of resistance and post-war reconstruction. But the assumption that the country cannot exist without the party is both historically and politically unfounded.

Statements from Party Leaders often Reinforce their Belief that the Country is the Party

“Socialism is the only correct path for our people to achieve freedom, prosperity, and happiness.” — General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng

“Without the leadership of the Communist Party, the Vietnamese revolution would have failed, and national independence would have fallen into the wrong hands.” — Central Propaganda Department

These declarations don’t simply celebrate the party’s past achievements—they attempt to equate its survival with Việt Nam’s future.

But this is a dangerous line to draw. The idea that Việt Nam would collapse without the CPV erases the agency of the Vietnamese people and undermines centuries of history in which governments changed, but the nation remained.

Redefining Patriotism

True patriotism is not blind allegiance to those in power. It is a commitment to the nation's well-being, dignity, and sovereignty—and to the people who comprise it.

Vietnamese citizens should not be forced to choose between loving their country and questioning their government. In fact, it is precisely because one loves one’s country that one must be willing to speak out against corruption, authoritarianism, and mismanagement—no matter who is in charge.

History shows that change becomes necessary when a government loses legitimacy or fails to serve its people. That is not betrayal. It is continuity. It is the nation preserving itself.

Looking Forward

In Confucian ethics, loyalty to the ruler was once considered the highest virtue. But Vietnamese history is also marked by the courage to resist unjust rule—even when that meant defying traditional norms.

Today, it is time to normalize the idea that loving Việt Nam does not mean loving a particular party. It means loving the people, the culture, the land—and holding those in power accountable to them.

Governments come and go. Parties rise and fall. But the Vietnamese nation endures.

And that is what patriotism must ultimately protect.