The example of Vietnam
The inhabitants of the villages of Florina, Kastoria and Ioannina are the first to believe that nobody is trying to rake over old hatreds and passions by opening up the doors of the theater where the terrible civil war was fought. Nor are the Greeks pioneers in this field. Many countries have made similar use of their history – and not always its glorious aspects – for the benefit of their economy. In Vietnam, for example, tourism has developed around the labyrinthine tunnels that the Vietcong excavated to use in their long guerrilla war against the government forces and the Americans. Thousands of foreign visitors from all over the world visit Vietnam, which is still a very poor country, and are guided round General Giap’s headquarters, through the maze of tunnels, to the underground hospitals and staff offices, the jungles and swamps, leaving plenty of foreign exchange behind. And who is investing money in that sector? The Americans, the former foe.
