Viet Cong have addressed the controversy surrounding their name, claiming that they “never intended for [it] to be provocative or hurtful”.
The art-rock band’s moniker, which refers to the military force that fought the south Vietnamese government and the US during the Vietnam war, has been criticised in some quarters for its lack of sensitivity. A recent Viet Cong show at Oberlin College’s Dionysus Disco in Ohio was cancelled because of their name, with the promoter apologising for “inviting a band with a name that deeply offends and hurts Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American communities”.
The band have now addressed the controversy in a statement, which admits they were “naive about the history of a war in a country we knew very little about”.
The statement continues: “We now better understand the weight behind the words Viet Cong. While we don’t take any concerns about the name lightly, we feel it is important to let you know that we never meant to trivialise the atrocities or violence that occurred on both sides of the Vietnam war.”
The band have not been without their defenders. Gang of Four’s Andy Gill, whose own band name could be considered offensive, said: “We can all think of dozens of bands with really quite offensive names and as soon as you get into being the guardian of public morality, taking it upon yourself to decide what’s OK and what is not, you’re acting in an illiberal, undemocratic and anti-progressive way.”
You can read the band’s full statement below.
Our band, Viet Cong, has existed for a little over three years now. When we named ourselves, we were naive about the history of a war in a country we knew very little about. We now better understand the weight behind the words Viet Cong. While we don’t take any concerns about the name lightly, we feel it is important to let you know that we never meant to trivialise the atrocities or violence that occurred on both sides of the Vietnam war. We never intended for our name to be provocative or hurtful.
We truly appreciate the seriousness of the feedback we’ve received, and we will continue to be open to listening to issues and concerns from all perspectives.
With love from the band Viet Cong.
