"The US Assistant Secretary Nguyen Co Thach told him that, after finishing lunch, the US delegation should be sent to Gia Lam Airport, where a helicopter was waiting, then they are going to say. He Thach of course. this special flight towards the camp in the middle of a forest in Thanh Hoa ".
Special Flights
Inside the cup of tea was thick, cold interrupts the story does not end because of the resumption of relations between the two countries, "former enemies", said Le Van Bang - former ambassador to Vietnam first in the US recall, about the 1988-1989 years, many Americans find enough ways to punish Vietnam, Vietnam against US troops by spreading rumors about surviving jail in Vietnam and support the Vietnamese people in the US rally, rally against ambassador Vietnam bars.
"It is the situation, for the time being, the US Internal very stressful on the issue to normalize relations with Vietnam. Organization of American Family missing resolutely oppose improving relations with Vietnam to the National Assembly US bill to allow the flag of this organization on a par with the American flag everywhere in the territory. the flag with the first icon represents the American people missing that they say is still the Vietnam detention ".
Mr. Bang recounts, in 1991 when he was still in the country, he Winston Lord, assistant US secretary to visit Vietnam, offered to allow the US to check Vietnam American POWs still detained or not.
"Mr. Lord said to my Minister of Foreign Affairs when Mr. Nguyen Co Thach it is that, after finishing lunch, the US delegation should be sent to Gia Lam Airport, where a helicopter was waiting, then they say is where to go. He agreed immediately Thach desire to build trust with the United States. this special flight towards the camp between a wooded area in Thanh Hoa. this camp has been a place of detention of prisoners of war but then was rotting and overgrown grass around, proved long ago no one in. By this time the Americans will believe ".
On the part of Vietnam, with the US at war syndrome is also very intense. In the period from the year 1995-1998, the Americans reach the embassy to express our desire to seek information on missing persons or their martyrs joined the war in Vietnam. However, when the contact, the embassy did not receive the support of domestic because then we are cautious in relations with the US.
Or the destruction of the remaining mine, the US organized to help Vietnam but we then did not want to receive. Much later, a new Vietnam in collaboration with the US, but only at one location to the pilot. Now, the issue of demining is a matter for the hands of many countries that the consequences of decades it can not all be again.
There are times, the search for missing Americans in Vietnam cemetery were very difficult, but the United States insisted that the place would certainly have resulted bilateral relations strained at times.
"There are things that the embassy had seen likely to benefit, but which can not agree. And furthermore, the fact that at that time the two sides have not emotionally strong enough to overcome the syndrome of war. But then later the situation improved steadily since Vietnam always thought the traditional pacific war, "said Pang recalled.
In 1995, when President Le Duc Anh to attend the meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations, in a meeting on the sidelines, the President has said that if the US failed to overcome his past, it was not a large water. That's the message the President wants to send to America "Closing the past, look to the future" for the good development of bilateral relations.
Mr. Pang recalled that in 9 years in America, he has seen a lot of the Vietnam protests in the United States. They throw stones, rotten eggs to sabotage the visit by Vietnam's leaders. May 8/1995, he went to Orange County, California, to talk publicly about Vietnam-US relations for Americans to hear. "Many friends in Orange County advised me not to go to safety, but I still decided to go. And the fact that, in that I always talk causing harassment to the police intervention."
He has traveled to 40 states to tell Americans that Vietnam was not war, Vietnam always love peace ... There are states like California or New York, he went to a dozen times in an effort to help heal the wounds of war, to connect Vietnam with the country, so they are always facing the country.
Clear gap
Mr. Le Van Bang said, "we have not had much success in the Vietnamese American issue. I feel that many of us have not really tried their best to this problem. Now there are nearly 2 million Vietnamese in the US, many successful business people, many of Vietnam but not the majority were actually facing the country ".
Not only is governed by the regional situation and the world, the process of negotiating the normalization of Vietnam-US relations are facing difficulties "inside" in both countries. That is war syndrome has deep in many people's minds the US and Vietnam. There are times when the smooth external conditions favorable for negotiation, the main push of this syndrome again pushed back the progress that the two countries can not come together more.
According to former Ambassador Le Van Bang, My War Syndrome is a profound issue left over by history. Many people from the North to the South in 1954; many people from South Vietnam to the United States after 1975 to bring the hate losing ground, losing relatives ... To neutralize War syndrome is a problematic and very time consuming because it was rooted in the minds human form after several decades, especially in the hearts of veterans, families of martyrs, war invalids of the two countries.
"Right how they can be satisfied with his explanation. This is an issue of ethnicity, class, antagonism ... I have to pull them up, put them on a par with them, remove pits separation of class, politics, social status, economic, cherish the emotional ties with their homeland, their country. it should open dialogue, including on the remaining points difference to help them about policies and guidelines and the innovation of the country and especially to encourage and create conditions for people to visit, do business or invest in the country ".
The first successfully neutralize is the political will of the two countries, especially leaders, the two governments must step in and plans to gradually create a good image of the bilateral relations.
According to the former ambassador, who should have come forward to say that the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and development for the benefit of all ethnic groups in Vietnam to all people everywhere though join hands toward the ground country.
Mr Pang said that he was impressed and surprised most is in the nearly 17,000 students studying in the US Vietnam. Vietnam is ranked first in the 8th South East Asia and the world in the number of students studying in the US, they will be the "ambassadors" connect bilateral relations.
