On Anniversary of Normalization: Leaders Create New Images of U.S.-Vietnam Relations Vietnam, for Americans, is a series of images. The change in the relationship between the two erstwhile battlefield enemies is closely linked to the change in these images – a fascinating, yet laborious process of adapting mentally to the discovery that what one once believed about the other is no longer true. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) described his mental voyage at an Asia Society event last month. He described three images of Vietnam, all surrounding a girl in an ao dai, the tight-fitting, national dress. First, she bikes to school on a rusty bicycle, with a cheap ballpoint pen and schoolbook, wearing a cheap polyester dress. In the next picture, she rides a motorbike, heading for English classes, which, she knows, will give her a heads-up in the emerging market economy that begins to engulf Vietnam. In the last mental picture, he sees a young woman, her ao dai expensive silk, with a laptop … [Read more...] about On Anniversary of Normalization: Leaders Create New Images of U.S.-Vietnam Relations
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U.S Grammy-winning group to perform in Vietnam
Hard work, persistence and maybe a little bit of luck have paid off for Pasadena's 22-member Southwest Chamber Music, which in March will embark on the largest-ever cultural exchange between the United States and Vietnam. Members of Pasadena's Southwest Chamber Music are getting ready for the upcoming Ascending Dragon Music Festival and Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, coinciding with the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of Hanoi. The group was was one of just three nationwide to receive a State Department grant for cultural exchange programs (Courtesy Photo) In its third attempt, the Grammy-winning group was awarded a highly competitive $300,000 U.S. State Department grant for its six-week Ascending Dragon Music Festival and Cultural Exchange. For three weeks in March, 19 members of Southwest Chamber Music will travel to Vietnam, while 19 Vietnamese will come to Pasadena for three weeks in April and May. "It's a big deal," Artistic Director Jeff von der Schmidt said. "Playing in … [Read more...] about U.S Grammy-winning group to perform in Vietnam
U.S. cruise ship arrives in Sai Gon
U.S. luxury cruise ship Azamara Journey with 750 tourists and crewmembers on board arrived at Sai Gon Port on Monday to start a six-day exploration of Viet Nam. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing and public relations manager of Saigontourist Travel Service Company, reported strong growth in international arrivals on cruise ships handled by her enterprise this year. Under an agreement with Malaysia’s Star Cruises alone, Saigontourist from October to March next year would serve 58 trips of the cruise ship SuperStar Gemini carrying more than 70,000 tourists and crewmembers. The ship mainly carries Chinese visitors on the scheduled routes Sanya-Danang, Sanya-Halong and Sanya-Halong-Danang. Currently Saigontourist is serving visitors from international cruise lines such as Costa Crociere S.p.A, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Phoenix Cruises, Saga Shipping, Orion Expeditions Cruise and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. The firm has welcomed over 170,000 international visitors on cruise ships this … [Read more...] about U.S. cruise ship arrives in Sai Gon
A strategic opportunity to advance U.S.-Vietnam relations
This week, the United States and Vietnam will open a new chapter in our history as General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong travels to Washington, the first visit by Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary to the U.S. since our two nations established relations 20 years ago. This year, we are hard at work on one of our most ambitious and important efforts yet: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal that, if achieved, will establish high standards on labor, intellectual property, and the environment. It will unlock vast new markets, promote investment, encourage innovation, and support higher-paying jobs. It will level the playing field between state-owned enterprises and private companies. And it will have strong, enforceable provisions that uphold the rights of workers, prohibit forced labor, and protect our forests and oceans. But this trade agreement is about more than economic dividends. It is a strategic opportunity for the entire region - an unprecedented chance … [Read more...] about A strategic opportunity to advance U.S.-Vietnam relations
U.S student group travel to Vietnam to provide basic health care, promote education
Pierced in Steven Pham’s mind is the surreal sight of a physically disabled caretaker who drags herself around with her hands. The woman, in spite of her disability, cares for a two-week-old Vietnamese orphan who was abandoned by impoverished parents who couldn’t feed him. Dressed in girls’ clothing, the infant boy and his circumstances enveloped Pham with anguish. “You look at this child – he was sleeping, this woman next to him. You think, that’s going to be his family, that’s what he’s going to know,” said Pham, a second-year biochemistry student who traveled to Vietnam for the first time last summer with a medical outreach student group. Pham, a pre-medical student, has already acknowledged that American medical professionals can only do so much to heal the grief of a desperate Vietnam. But the thought of Vietnamese orphans who are unable to reach their full potential continues to kindle Pham’s passion to serve the … [Read more...] about U.S student group travel to Vietnam to provide basic health care, promote education