What The Hell America!

It was a profoundly moving evening. John Terzano and I were both deeply emotional, and we decided to take a drive on my motorbike to the Long Bien Bridge. [Long Biên Bridge is an icon of Vietnam’s wartime resilience, it was knocked down multiple times by U.S. bombing and each time quickly rebuilt so that this vital supply link was maintained.] Standing there, feeling the breeze from the Red River, was a cathartic experience. We were deeply inspired by the Vietnamese speakers’ unwavering resilience and their unshakeable commitment to continue their humanitarian work, with or without US support. It was a truly beautiful and unforgettable evening.

Indeed, my visit to Vietnam for the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the American War and the celebration of the fruits of our reconciliation and partnership provided much reason for hope—for Vietnam, if not for America. The massive outpouring of patriotism and national pride in the anniversary celebrations was remarkable. I flew from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City the evening of April 29, expecting to be able to find a good spot to watch the ceremony and parade on the actual anniversary, April 30. The crowds, which must have been in the millions, filling the streets and gathering to sleep on the sidewalks to secure places for the next morning were so huge and widespread that it took more than two hours to reach my hotel from the airport. Throughout the downtown (District 1) were large groups of families and friends, with food and drink, all wearing patriotic clothing and carrying small Vietnamese flags.

My hotel was at least a kilometer from the parade route, but when I set out at 5:30 a.m. to find my spot to watch the parade, the streets all around my hotel were filled with people. It was already extremely hot. I was only able to make it a few blocks and never got anywhere near the parade route. So, I just hung out and enjoyed being in this joyful crowd for a little while and then repaired to my air-conditioned hotel room and watched the parade on TV. It was a spectacular show, including beautiful floats, dancers, dragons, and many marching units of police, army, mass organizations, men and women, young and old. There were flyovers by fighter jets (with cameras in the cockpits for the TV coverage) and helicopters towing big Vietnam flags. Troops from Cambodia, Laos, and China also marched in the parade. China and Vietnam are ancient enemies, a fact overlooked by the policymakers of the American War, but currently major trading partners despite their continuing dispute over the islands of the East Sea. The Trump policies could well be bending Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” (seeking to play both sides to its advantage) more in the direction of China.

Trump’s actions may not (yet) have turned ordinary Vietnamese people against the United States. Clothing with American flags and the New York Yankees logo remain ubiquitous and, in my observation and experience, the Vietnamese people remain very friendly and welcoming to Americans. I talked with Mr. Độ, a veteran of the North Vietnamese Army who was enthusiastic about meeting an American advisor to the ARVN (South Vietnamese Army) he had fought in the bloody battle of “Charlie Hill” in the Central Highlands in 1972. I also visited the grave of the father of my friend and colleague Khuất Thị Hải Oanh. He commanded the NVA troops in that battle. Both sides have portrayed this battle as a victory and the veterans would like to learn about each other’s strategies and their interpretations of the outcome. Dialogue among veterans can nurture mutual respect and contribute to reconciliation. As veterans age, the opportunities for such meetings and dialogue diminish.