Cherry blossoms and the post-war win-win era

1. In the minds of many, the war is not easily over. I remember in 2002, when visiting a community college in Seattle, I was unexpectedly invited to meet the president.

He had fought in the Vietnam War, and this was the first time he had met a Vietnamese person from within the country. He asked me about the changes in Saigon and shared his war memories.

Since then, whenever I meet Americans from the "Vietnam War generation," or younger, I often hear similar questions.

Quite a few people, like Kelly and Eric – my education colleagues born in the 1970s – have asked me about my memories of wartime, my impressions of Americans then and now, and my views on the prospects for bilateral relations.

I would like to say that in 1975, I was just a 13-year-old boy in Saigon, and I did not witness the horrific moments of the fighting.

My last image of Americans in the war was of helicopters circling in the sky throughout the evening of April 29th, evacuating Americans and Vietnamese.

Looking back, they also erased a painful chapter of history; however, the consequences of the war remain heavy and not easily forgotten.

One major consequence of this is that it is not easy to immediately establish empathy and trust among those involved in the conflict from various sides.

2. However, time and circumstances are a miraculous remedy. People of both countries – whether from the war generation or the post-war generation – are witnessing a transformation that brings them closer together, normalizing and upgrading multifaceted relations to the highest level of comprehensiveness between two countries that were once distant and confrontational.

Most notably, in the last decade, we have seen unprecedented summit-level visits. Bilateral trade and investment have exceeded hundreds of billions of US dollars, particularly the three latest enhanced cooperation programs in semiconductor industry, rare earth mining, and renewable energy.

Even in education, it was once hard to imagine that a university sponsored by two governments would be established in Vietnam – named after Congressman Fulbright and offering American-style education.

The current number of Vietnamese students studying in the US is among the top 5 international students, with over 20,000 people, more than double the number of students from South Vietnam before April 1975.

Returning to the US this time, I was surprised to see that in some places, a wealthy America is still suffering from the severe socio -economic consequences of the "post-COVID" era, with soaring living costs, an increase in the homeless population, and many businesses closing down.

The debates leading up to the presidential election have added many new and complex issues. Relations between the US and the two superpowers – China and Russia – are extremely tense. The flames of war have been ignited in Ukraine, Gaza, the Red Sea, and the Middle East, and could potentially erupt in many other oceans.

The United States, or any nation currently struggling to overcome uncertain challenges, increasingly needs more political and economic "allies."

On my way back home after two weeks visiting educational partners and friends in the US, the image of the vibrant cherry blossom season kept coming to mind.

But along with it, perhaps not just me, but everyone is harboring an underlying worry – the world is no longer peaceful, with many natural disasters and human wrongdoings unfolding.

3. Throughout the flight, I sometimes found myself lost in thought about different periods of world history. In every era, in every country, when engaging in diplomatic relations, regardless of the level, it's always geared towards protecting one's own national interests.

Countries can only "cooperate" with each other when they recognize a shared interest that is harmonious and mutually beneficial. Every country, especially smaller ones, wants to avoid security and economic conflicts, and to avoid being bullied, having its territory invaded, or experiencing racial and religious unrest.

Since Vietnam returned to a market economy, opened up to investment, joined ASEAN, and integrated into the international community, making more friends and fewer enemies was inevitable.

In contemporary business and international relations, this is called a win-win situation – all parties benefit, with everyone working for mutual advantage.

Post-war relations between Vietnam, the US, and other countries inevitably had to conform to those realistic and pragmatic "rules of the game."

Meanwhile, the relationships between Vietnamese people with differing views on the war, nearly half a century after the reunification of the country, also had to change.

In my opinion, it is time that, in every way and everywhere, we should all think and act in a win-win manner for the ultimate common good of our nation: prosperity, civilization, independence, and freedom.

Only when the Vietnamese people agree on that goal can they truly enjoy the post-war peace and the strength of a unified nation.

Furthermore, it instills in new generations of Vietnamese people, both at home and abroad, a belief, love, and pride that their country must prosper, progress, and avoid calamities.

Vietnamese people must agree on a common goal: a prosperous, civilized, independent, and free country. Only then can they enjoy the post-war peace, the strength of a unified nation, instill in new generations of Vietnamese people both at home and abroad a sense of love, pride, and confidence, and avoid future calamities.

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