National reunification warms the hearts of OVs In the days before Saigon fell, Nguyen Ngoc Lap would listen apprehensively as the sounds of gunfire and shelling — the sounds of war — exploded in the distance. There was so much chaos, so much death and atrocity, Lap a former lieutenant of the Republic of Vietnam Marine Division, recently recalled from his small home on Glencoe Road, in Orange County, California. I knew we had to flee and seek refuge in the US, Lap said as he showed reporters from Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) colourful shells he brought home from a 2014 visit to the Truong Sa (Spartly) islands. On April 30, 1975, South Vietnamese General Duong Van Minh surrendered Saigon to North Vietnamese forces. It was then that Lap – like hundreds of thousands in the days, months and years thereafter – made the fateful decision to seek asylum in a foreign land.   Nguyen Ngoc Lap However, Lap said it was the trip to the Spratly islands that shook him and awakened the concept of ‘homeland’ and gave back to him a concept of national identity, which he had really never lost. I looked into my heart and found buried deep within it the treasury of memories of the motherland intact, he emotionally uttered.  “I cried uncontrollably on the flight back to Vietnam. My sobs were so loud that two people who sat near me thought I had lost my mind. It was then I realized just how deep my love of country ran and I came to the clear resolution it was time to reconcile.” Come the end of April, 40 years will have passed since Saigon fell Lap said, and it is time to put an end to past quarrels and disputes and allow the country to move forward based on a shared national vision inclusive of all Overseas Vietnamese (OVs).   Vu Chung Vu Chung, a journalist working in the Little Saigon district of San Jose California, in turn said he shares Lap’s sentiments. “Misunderstandings and tensions, particularly in the past two decades, between the OVs community in the US and the motherland have eased.” Chung, a former Lieutenant of the Republic of Vietnam’s Army, is optimistic that given more time, mutual understanding will continue to flourish thanks to the opening of the markets and global integration, which have resulted in more contact between OVs and the homeland. He said overcoming misunderstandings in the past takes a lot of effort and the lack thereof hinders national reconciliation.  There is something magical about conversation and only positive things will come from more OVs communication with the homeland. Chung said he remains confident that an open and candid dialogue between younger generations both within and outside the country will serve as the impetus for national reconciliation. It’s fitting to recall the words of late Party General Secretary Le Duan who so said there was no victory between the north and the south, just a victory by Vietnam over the US imperialists in the war. “We share the same mother tongue, so why don’t we talk in order to reconcile. The lack of dialogue impedes our ability to unite and come together and progress as one nation united for the common good of its citizens.”   Le Thanh Du Le Thanh Du’s views mirror those of Chung and Lap and he too believes it is time for national reconciliation.  Du went to the US to study engineering in 1972 and has been a resident ever since. He emphasized that Vietnam and US – two former enemies – have set aside their differences and normalized relationships. Du strongly believes that national reconciliation among the Vietnamese people is inevitable if it is built upon a national dialogue to bring the nation together based on a shared vision for the future of the country.   Nguyen Van Tuyen Nguyen Van Tuyen, a member of the Vietnamese Business Association in the US (VBAUS), currently resides in the State of Virginia and has been involved with numerous US governmental projects supplying safe water to remote regions in Vietnam. Tuyen experienced a childhood of war and emigrated from Vietnam to settle in the US in 1984. For him, the war should not be thought about in terms of winners and losers but all Vietnamese should unite for the common good. We should never forget the sacrifices that were made during the war nor what transpired during it Tuyen said— “but neither can we let it stand in the way of a peaceful national reconciliation.” Tuyen said reunification should be predicated on a viable and legitimate national reconciliation program encouraging OVs to return to the homeland to be a pivotal part of building the nation’s legacy. Each OV person has their own circumstance but all of them share a common goal, which is to closely attach to their homeland. For them, love of nation and origin is the root of national reconciliation. VOV