Mending Old Wounds Between People and Nations: Return to Vietnam (2005)
Undergraduate: Anh Ly
Faculty Advisor: Peter Coclanis
Department: Journalism & Mass Communication
The fall of Saigon in April 1975 marked the death of thousands of Vietnamese, the loss of a place to call home and a humiliating defeat for the United States. Three decades later, many Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) are returning, and relations between the U.S. and Vietnam have steadily improved. Trade became normalized between the two nations. Reunification Palace, the former presidential palace of South Vietnam, transformed into a hot tourist destination for war enthusiasts. And Nguyen Cao Ky, vice president of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1971, returned to Vietnam in 2004 for the first time since he fled prior to the fall of Saigon.
On the surface, time seemed to have healed the scars left by the war. But a closer examination reveals that resentment and hostility still reside toward the Viet Kieu and the U.S. government. Some Vietnamese are genuinely pleased to see Viet Kieu returning. Others, especially the older generation, look at Viet Kieu with an air of condescension, bitterness and enmity. However, the younger generation is anxious for Vietnam to be seen as more than just a war.
The tensions not only existed with the Vietnamese people, but with the government as well who always eyed Viet Kieu warily and demanded higher fees for the same services.
The country is still considered one of the poorest nations in the world. However, Vietnam has made enormous economic strides in recent years. But with this growth comes the inevitable collision of traditions with Western ideals. This is something Vietnam is still struggling with: how to move forward economically while still retaining their culture.
The goal of my independent study is to tell the Vietnamese-American experience: their return to a still war-torn country, their reunion with friends and family members and the emerging second-generation culture in Chapel Hill that is unique blend of both Vietnamese values and American ideals.