President Bush claims to have learned something during his first visit to Vietnam. (this actually would’ve been his second visit had his father not been able to keep him in the country during the war). Bush drew parallels between Vietnam and Iraq, saying; “It’s just going to take a long period of time for the ideology that is hopeful, and that is an ideology of freedom, to overcome an ideology of hate.” He added, “We’ll succeed unless we quit.”

Sadly, it would seem that Bush missed the true lesson of Vietnam, that foreign military force is not conducive to freedom and democracy. Does Bush know that America lost the war in Vietnam? It seems the true lesson would be that America needs to pull out of Iraq so that country too may have a chance to recover. The president’s comments must’ve been a sort of rude condescension to the Vietnamese - for it was they and not the Americans who brought about an “ideology that is hopeful” within their country.

The president’s welcome here was much less enthusiastic than the rock-star treatment afforded President Clinton when he came in 2000. Happy crowds thronged Clinton, who normalized relations with Vietnam. But Bush encountered a country where many with long memories deeply disapprove of the U.S. invasion of Iraq — even as they yearn for continued economic progress to stamp out still-rampant poverty.

Bush’s motorcade sped through a capital past crowds that seemed more curious than devoted. With all traffic halted, many Hanoi residents merely gaped from their motorbikes. Other clusters appeared to have been drawn out of storefronts by the rarity of many-vehicled convoy. But while a few waved and smiled, most looked on impassively.

Huynh Tuyet, 71, a North Vietnamese veteran who fought against the French and later had his hand blown off fighting the Americans, recalled his own lesson about that time of war. “Even though the Americans were more powerful with all their massive weapons, the main factor in war is the people,” he said. “The Vietnamese people were very determined. We would not give up. That’s why we won.”

Bush met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet and then with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, sitting under large bronze busts of the victorious communist leader Ho Chi Minh each time. The irony of Bush’s “we’ll succeed unless we quit” statement was furthered as he attended the ruling Communist Party’s headquarters to see the general secretary and partake in a state banquet.

However, Bush’s arrival was a disappointment as he did not come with a new pact normalizing trade relations with Vietnam as Vietnamese officials had expected. Congress failed to pass the bill this week, citing bitterness over the Vietnam War, a large trade deficit, and the country’s human rights record. The legislation is needed for US firms to take advantage of the low tariffs that Vietnam will enact when it becomes the newest member of the World Trade Organization.

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Update: Ted Koppel summed up Bush’s visit very well in his interview with Jon Stewart. He said, “35 years ago he joined the Texas International Guard to stay out of Vietnam, and now he’s going to Vietnam to stay out of Washington.”