​“Looking back at history, any wise people—who know how to rely on their own strength and independence, and who strive to secure their common interests—will steadily move toward a path of prosperity. But foolish people, who sit still and rely on heaven, who wait and depend on officials, who hand over all their rights to a single person or a government to do as it pleases while they themselves take no action and conduct no oversight, will suffer misery in every way.” [1]

​When Phan Châu Trinh issued this warning in 1925, he could not have known how accurately it would describe his country a century later. Today, the people of Việt Nam continue to adapt to an authoritarian regime. Citizens dismiss news of arrested officials and corrupt businesspeople as “just another day in the district,” actively choosing silence and shielding the state from criticism.