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To: Redwood71; angkor
Also, I am not throwing around a statement, I'm aiming it at a particular group that has brutalized thousands of their people. I thought I was being kind with my word because Mr. Robinson would have slashed me for calling them what they were and still are. I haven't forgotten that there are still MIA's they claim don't exist and we continue to find out information on a little at a time.

The way your post was written, there was no distinction between Asians, Vietnamese, NVA, or any others. I am sure you can see where it could be assumed that you were using it very broadly.

In the past ten years, I have traveled extensively around Southeast Asia. This includes traveling around Vietnam and Laos. When I first went to Vietnam in 1996, being an American, I was very worried about the reaction I would get. At first I hesitated to say I was American, but I let it slip when talking to a group of high school children. As soon as they heard it, their eyes grew very wide and smiles broke out from all of them.

After that, I told everyone I was American and had no negative reaction at all. Everyone, without exception, welcomed me including going so far as buying me meals and drinks. This is not only from children but from adults including soldiers and veterans who I have no doubt fought against US forces. Again, they showed incredibly hospitality towards me.

I have had the same experiences in Laos. This includes a run-in with a very hardcore ex-Pathet Lao officer. In all my travels, this individual was one of the scariest people I have met, but again, was quite warm towards me and payed me the utmost in respect.

Having had these experiences has caused me to really wonder about the outright hostility shown by American Veterans. If these people are willing to forgive, why can't we?

73 posted on 02/14/2005 7:48:46 AM PST by killjoy (Michael Jackson is proof only in America can a poor black boy grow up to be a rich white woman.)
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To: killjoy; ThanhPhero; Redwood71
Everyone, without exception, welcomed me including going so far as buying me meals and drinks. This is not only from children but from adults including soldiers and veterans who I have no doubt fought against US forces.

Same here, although most of my experience is in the Delta and Saigon rather than the north (but I had a great time visiting Hanoi and detected no animosity).

I think ThankPhero will confirm that the Vietnamese are generally pretty welcoming of Americans, and no matter what, they want to forget the war and move on.

I will say that the Hanoi government can be pretty bizarre; policemen are to be avoided at all costs; instant "village justice" is public, fast, and furious; and speaking badly of the government can get you a 24 hour deportation (also in bad taste, like someone making awful jokes about one's problem-drinker uncle).

I had a great moment in Nov 2003, when the USS Vandegrift docked at the Port Of Saigon, and sailors were taking leave in uniform in downtown Saigon. We (the US) had to make some concessions to (North) Vietnamese pride (e.g., Port Of Saigon is directly behind Ho Chi Minh museum) but I think symbolically even Hanoi could no longer assert a warlike mentality. Oddly, that takes away some of their political power.

74 posted on 02/14/2005 11:17:27 AM PST by angkor
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To: killjoy
If these people are willing to forgive, why can't we?

The question is not even forgiveness. Most Vietnamese do not see that there is anything to forgive. America was fighting for at least some of the Vietnamese people and that is understood by almost all of them. America was never seen as wanting to colonize or dominate. War is a natural condition. When it is over you get back to doing business and the Vietnameswe, along with the Koreans, are the natural businessmen of Asia.

Neither the people nor the "Communists" bear any ill will toward the Americans. The government-the bureacurats- are looked upon with disdain by pretty much the whole population. Old VC and NVA vets suggested to me or outright told me that they were on the wrong side in the war or that the war was foolish on their part.When you ask about My lai, they just say that those things happen in war and in their part of the world it is more like how war is done, at least in the past.

As for government reaction to improper talk, in summer 2003 I had political/philosophical discussions with individuals and with one group of 20 or so with no one looking over his shoulder. At one point I commented on it and was told that "one year ago we would not have spoken like this but things change". I did feel that I had been foolish then and was more careful after that, but consider, in any Communist country any group of 3 or more will include at least one who will repeat conversations to the police. I know that was still true in Sai Gon when the neighbors of the fellow whose apartment I was staying in ratted out the foreigner to the bo dois which got me a forceful bribe solicitation and induced me to move upcountry forthwith.

76 posted on 02/15/2005 5:54:01 AM PST by ThanhPhero (di hanh huong den La Vang)
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