Shiny, happy people laughing…
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- December
- 8
In the weeks since we’ve returned from Vietnam, many readers have asked us how the people of Vietnam really feel about Americans, especially U.S. veterans.
Obviously, we didn’t understand what people were saying when they were speaking Vietnamese, and maybe we’re naive, but it certainly seemed we were quite warmly welcomed everywhere we went, even at a former Viet Cong guerilla’s restaurant and an orphanage where children have disabilities linked to Agent Orange exposure and other remnants of the Vietnam War.
It was fairly obvious that my father was an “American War” veteran, given his age and the fact that people either asked outright or he told them in response to the frequent question of “have you been to my country before?” But still, everyone had a big smile and a peace sign – a frequent greeting gesture, though perhaps just to Americans! – for us.
Here are some lovely ladies my father wanted a photograph with while we were waiting to get into part of the Cu Chi tourist complex. (By the way, our guide told us the girls were giggling infectiously because it’s considered very odd to have three people posed like this – maybe it’s an unlucky number, or just uneven? Can anyone out there in the blogosphere explain this?)
So, the people on the street definitely seemed to feel very good about Americans. As for the feelings we got about being Americans … a bit of a different story. Check back later for more on that.
[...] Shiny, happy people laughing…By Nicole NerouliasIn the weeks since we’ve returned from Vietnam, many readers have asked us how the people of Vietnam really feel about Americans, especially US veterans. Obviously, we didn’t understand what people were saying when they were speaking …Return to Vietnam – http://vietnam.lohudcrime.com [...]
Many thanks to you and the NY Journal News for this outstanding blog and articles.
Recent Vietnam “OPeration Babylift” News:
I recently received a Humanitarian Award from the African-American Cultural Council, Virginia for my work as a Vietnam Babylift Living Historian/Archivist.
I also completed a film script treatment for my family’s Babylift story, based on our book “Global Mom: Notes From a Pioneer Adoptive Family”, by Lana Noone, with Byron, Jennie and Jason Noone.
The script treatment will be shopped on Ebay and other venues soon.
I was also interviewed for thenupcoming Babylift documentary film, titled “Operation Babylift-The Lost Children of Vietnam”.
And…I will soon post the Babylift Memoirs of Retired Colonel Robert Kane of my website at:
http://www.Vietnambabylift.org
Colonel Kane was instrumental in allowing The Presidio, at which he was Commanding Officer, to become the US Point of Entry for 1,500 Babylift adoptees, including my daughter Jennifer Nguyen Noone.
I invite your readers to visit my website and read about:
the Babylift archives at the Gerald R. Ford Museum, the audio file of my recent Babylift radio interview and upcoming programs.
Best regards,
Lana Noone
http://www.Vietnambabylift.org
[...] I’ve explained in previous posts, the people of Vietnam are very welcoming to Americans today, but all the one-sided memorabilia of [...]