Week 7: Vietnam and U.S. Relations Response

Joshua Rivera

Asian-American Studies 2 – A01

Week/Blog #7

In “Creating Identity, Defining Culture, and Making History from an Art Exhibit: ‘Unfinished Story: Tribute to My Mothers”, Professor Valverde discusses the different, multifaceted relationships that the Vietnam’s citizens have with the United States’ citizens. Ranging from Vietnamese from Vietnam to anti-Communist Vietnamese-Americans in the U.S., each group once unified through a similar culture has begun to react differently to each other after the events of the Vietnam War. I argue that as time goes on, the amount of tension that exists will continue to decrease due to the fading effects of the Vietnamese War and the improving U.S.-Vietnam relationship. Professor Valverde discussed how Vietnamese individuals in Vietnam are currently trying to bridge the relationship between Vietnam and the U.S. through their relations with the people currently residing in the U.S. This demonstrates the evolution of their perception of the U.S. because originally the Vietnamese citizens held negative opinions about the U.S. due to the bombings, the release of Agent Orange, and the mass rape that they had unleashed during the Vietnam War. Even though there are still individuals who are still opposed to the current regime of Vietnam, the constant political engagement through economic and political means between the two countries as well as the new wave of Ethnic education amongst citizens will give them the opportunity to accept the idea that both ideologies can co-exist. As shown by Huynh Chau, there are individuals who were once divided by the Vietnam-U.S. antagonistic relationship of the 1960s-1970s, but are currently understanding and realizing that both sides of the Communist and Capitalist debate can learn to live with each other.

Question: In what ways can university students help those who fall on one side of the Communist-Capitalist debate accept the idea that both ideologies can co-exist?