Two American writers and veterans awarded Vietnam's Friendship Medal

Poet Kevin Bowen was born in 1947, currently living in Massachusetts, and participated in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1969. After realizing the mistakes and inhumanity of the war that the US government waged in Vietnam, he joined the anti-war movement while still in the US military.

Returning from the Vietnam War, Kevin Bowen continued the anti-war movement in the United States. As a professor and poet, he began to speak out about Vietnam and called on peace-loving people to oppose the US's war of aggression against the Vietnamese people.

After becoming Director of the William Joiner Center, Kevin Bowen gathered leading intellectuals and writers in the United States to participate in the activities of the William Joiner Center in explaining the failure and crimes of the United States in the Vietnam War, and at the same time calling on the US government to lift the embargo, normalize relations with Vietnam, especially introducing literary works about the Vietnamese revolutionary war to American universities and the public.

Poet Kevin Bowen

Overcoming the barriers and difficulties of the US embargo policy, Kevin Bowen and the writers of the William Joiner Center invited nearly 200 Vietnamese writers to the US. Kevin Bowen's house became a place to welcome and live for many Vietnamese writers during that time.

Some reactionary elements and organizations in the US were very “unhappy” about this action, so they often threatened the lives of Kevin Bowen’s wife and children and asked him to stop his relationship with Vietnam. However, Kevin Bowen bravely continued to organize propaganda activities about Vietnam, organized the translation and promotion of Vietnamese literary works, and took advantage of many forums across the US for Vietnamese writers to talk about their nation’s just struggle, talk about the Vietnamese people’s desire for peace, their will for independence and freedom, and their desire to be friends with all peoples in the world.

General Secretary and President To Lam awarded the Friendship Medal to poet Bruce Weigl.

Poet Bruce Weigl (third from left) and American friends received the Friendship Medal presented by General Secretary and President To Lam.

In 1991, Kevin Bowen led a group of American veteran writers to Vietnam to conduct the first conference on the Vietnam War and the relationship between the two countries with the Vietnam Writers Association, even though all American veteran writers, especially he himself, were threatened and there were several protests in front of the William Joiner Center headquarters in Boston.

Kevin Bowen's work, which contributed to the resolution of the pain and hatred caused by war through cultural and literary activities, was finally recognized by American society. In 2015, the Massachusetts state government designated a day to honor him every year called "Kevin Bowen Day".

Medal of Friendship awarded to poet Kevin Bowen.

Poet Kevin Bowen published a collection of poems called “Playing Basketball with the Viet Cong”. Never before has the image of an “old enemy” or, as Americans call it, “Viet Cong” appeared so beautifully and humanely. The collection of poems has changed the views of many intellectuals, artists and the American public.

He, together with poet Bruce Weigl, poet and translator Nguyen Ba Chung and poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, selected and translated the poetry collection "Song Nui", which includes the best poems written about the anti-American resistance war by Vietnamese poets.

Poet Kevin Bowen was received by General Vo Nguyen Giap, former President Nguyen Minh Triet and leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during his visits to Vietnam; and was awarded a commemorative medal and certificate of merit by the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations.

Poet Kevin Bowen and poet Nguyen Quang Thieu

Poet Bruce Weigl gave poet Nguyen Quang Thieu the poetry collection "Song of Napalm Bomb".

The second person to be awarded the Friendship Medal is poet Bruce Weigl, born in 1949, currently living in Ohio, who participated in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968. After returning to the US, he joined the anti-war movement. He published a very famous collection of poems called “Song of Napalm Bomb”, denouncing the cruelty of the US military during the Vietnam War. The collection of poems has been translated into many languages around the world and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Finalist (the most prestigious award for literature and journalism in the US). The poem “Song of Napalm Bomb” alone has been taught in most American high schools, colleges and universities.

Another famous collection of poems by Bruce Weigl is called “The Man on a Bicycle”, written about ordinary Vietnamese people during the war, about his biggest dream during his time fighting in Vietnam was to end the war. On a beautiful day, he wanted to become a Vietnamese person to ride a bicycle like ordinary Vietnamese people, to live peaceful days with his family, to sow in his fields.

Poet Bruce Weigl.

In 1995, with permission from the Vietnamese government, he entered Vietnam to adopt an orphan in an orphanage in Ha Nam province. He wrote in an Ohio newspaper: “Even if we raise a million Vietnamese children with the best living conditions, we still cannot make up for the crimes we have committed against millions of innocent and pure Vietnamese children…”. Later, he published a memoir called “Hanh’s Circle”. Hanh is the name of the Vietnamese girl he adopted. The book is essentially an accusation of American crimes during the war in Vietnam and a record of the traditional cultural beauty of Vietnam.

With the William Joiner Center, Bruce Weigl is an important member in building relationships between Vietnamese and American writers in selecting, translating, and promoting Vietnamese literature. He has directly translated and introduced the works of dozens of Vietnamese poets to American readers. Americans call him a "Vietnamologist" because of his understanding of Vietnamese culture and literature. He has conducted nearly 100 poetry readings and presentations about the country and people of Vietnam. He expressed his desire to live the last years of his life in Vietnam and rest forever on Vietnamese soil.

His most recent collection of poems is called “After the Rain, Stop Shooting” (translated into Vietnamese). The entire collection of poems speaks of the beauty of the people and country of Vietnam, the desire for peace and the will to fight for national liberation of Uncle Ho’s soldiers.

Medal of Friendship awarded to poet Bruce Weigl

With the tireless contributions of two American veteran professors and poets over the past nearly 40 years, on September 20, 2024, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam signed Decision No. 943/QD-CTN to award Kevin Bowen and Bruce Weigl the Friendship Medal for "having made positive contributions in participating in translating and effectively promoting Vietnamese literary works; organizing exchanges and connecting writers of the two countries, contributing to building a bridge of friendship between Vietnam and the United States".

At 3:30 p.m. on September 22, 2024 (US time), or 2:30 a.m. on September 23, 2024 (Vietnam time) in New York, within the framework of the event "Meeting American friends", General Secretary and President To Lam awarded the Friendship Medal to poet Bruce Weigl. Professor and poet Kevin Bowen was unable to attend due to personal reasons, the Organizing Committee will send it to him later.