In Defense of a Vietnamese Writer, Change

* I am writing in response to the two articles, (“Hostile Fire in Little Saigon,” and “Expatriates Vent Anger at Author, Movie Portrayals,” Jan. 16).

It is very sad and unfortunate that the protesters of the works of Le Ly Hayslip should harbor so much ill-will for this remarkable woman who has suffered so much but has managed to rise above it all. It is obvious that these protesters do not see Hayslip for what she really is: for one thing, she is not a communist, of which many in the Vietnamese-American community accuse her.

The work that her organization, East Meets West, provides for the people of Vietnam is a humanitarian mission, one which transcends all political barriers. Her desire is to help the ordinary citizens of Vietnam, and those who oppose her work just don’t get this.

If collaborating with the Vietnamese government makes her a communist, then the people in the government of the United States must also be communists for having normal relations with the People’s Republic of China.

Historically, the voices of both Northern and Southern Vietnam have been heard. With the emergence of Hayslip’s autobiographies and Oliver Stone’s movie, “Heaven and Earth,” it is imperative that we listen, and listen hard, to the voice of someone who was caught between it all: North and South, East and West, Vietnam and America.

Those who have read Hayslip’s two autobiographies, and have read them with open hearts and minds, should applaud her for her extraordinary strength, endurance, compassion, and vision. As for the movie, much can be said for the American public if “Heaven and Earth” became as popular as the first two movies of Stone’s trilogy on Vietnam.

HUE LIEU HUYNH

Midway City

* Instead of being criticized for her political views, Le Ly Hayslip should be praised for her accomplishments as a human being.

First of all, she has an incredible will to survive. She was brutally tortured by the South Vietnamese, raped by the Viet Cong, abused by her American husband. She had to turn to prostitution and street peddling of goods in order to feed herself and her illegitimate son. Yet, in spite of these horrid experiences, and living in a schizophrenic Catch 22 situation where the Americans and South Vietnamese ruled by day and the Viet Cong ruled by night, she didn’t give up, and not only survived but flourished.

Secondly, despite growing up as an illiterate country girl, she taught herself and wrote two books about her life experiences, which were made into the movie “Heaven and Earth.”

Thirdly, she is a humanitarian and a visionary, transcending beyond the triviality of politics. While many Vietnamese and Americans are still reliving the Vietnamese War, Le Ly has put it behind her, and is looking into the future. She is helping to build medical clinics to help the rural Vietnamese. She wants to feed the starving Vietnamese people. She wants normalization of relations with Vietnam to help improve its depressed economy, which will help the plight of all Vietnamese people, including those living in the United States.

Though her fellow Vietnamese protested her appearance in Orange County, criticizing her lifestyle and her seemingly pro-communist stance, I would be ecstatic about meeting her, as I think she is an incredible human being, one who faced unbeatable odds and won.

The Vietnam War was not just a battleground between deeply divergent political philosophies. It was also a battleground between human beings, where untold suffering took place on both sides. When we finally realize that people are human beings and not just political creatures, we will finally learn to live in peace and harmony.

The Vietnamese people have suffered enough. It’s time for their suffering to end and for the rebuilding of their lives to begin.

KENNETH L. ZIMMERMAN

Huntington Beach

* On Sunday, Jan. 9, a small group of Vietnamese gathered to protest Le Ly Hayslip and Oliver Stone’s movie “Heaven and Earth.” I was in a shop in the same shopping center and was informed by the shopkeeper that he was told that “a communist is meeting the press upstairs.”

This shopkeeper represents thousands of Vietnamese who are part of the population who can barely read and understand English to find out for themselves what is really happening in the world; who are being brainwashed by dozens of daily and weekly papers, financed by advertisers and distributed free of charge, and by a few Vietnamese local TV and radio stations, which include their personal bias, editorial comments while their so-called “newscasters” are reading the news.

I am writing to express my feeling and to point out that there are many of us who are educated, well-read, who have kept up with the current events and fortunately are able to think and judge for ourselves to feel that things are changing. We all must be open-minded, as well as to stop the hatred, to allow progress and betterment to happen to our people and our country, Vietnam.

Changes in Vietnam cannot happen overnight. Look at what happened to the Soviet Union. Chaos, uproar and more chaos. Vietnam must change gradually. If we want the current communist government to disappear, then by what way? The protest group is doing the protest purely for the sake of waving the old flag, walking around the streets, yelling ineffective words. And what for? The U.S. government will lift the embargo whenever it sees that it is convenient and the time is right, not because they will listen to a tiny group of Vietnamese they have not paid attention to.

The irony is that the extreme anti-communists are just a small group of people. But it is a popular view right now. Anyone with a different view, although there might be more people who hold this view, dare not voice their opinion because they are scared of protest, of being harassed or sometimes a death threat.

We already saw the sad but true reality that a few people who voiced their opposite view were immediately labeled “communist,” or “pro-communists.” People such as Dr. Co Pham, Westminster City Councilman Tony Lam, Frank Chao, to name a few.

I admire Dr. Pham for being courageous to stand up and speak out his view. Later, he was forced to stay silent and mind his own business. His offices, however, are still filled with patients. A proof that a lot of people are not extremists and the whole Vietnamese community does not ardently believe that he is a communist.

It is too late to spread the red scare because communism is no longer a powerful force. The same people who protest against communism are acting the same way the communists do, trying to stop others from speaking freely. People should not be labeled “communist” because they think the embargo should be lifted. I think Le Ly Hayslip should not be treated the way she was treated. She was a victim of a war-torn country, no more, no less. It is time for all of us to forget the past. The wind of change is coming and we all should adapt our actions and our thoughts accordingly.

THANH PHAM

Westminster