Agent Orange

Last Sunday, we talked with some veterans at the People's Committee, which is the local government. The vets focused on the fact that the war is in the past, but the threat of unexploded landmines and the effects of chemical warfare in the form of Agent Orange are still present. They requested that we educate others about the dangers of chemical warfare, protest against companies manufacturing similar toxins, start funds to help those suffering from them, and devote our scientific studies to finding cures.

I did not make it to the room in the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City with photos of people suffering from the poison, but apparently there is picture after picture of people with odd deformities. I have noticed more people here in Vietnam using wheelchair-bike devices, with crossed or blind eyes, or with random growths on their faces than I notice at home, but I do not know whether or not they are birth defects caused by Agent Orange.

The man in charge of the Veteran Union, who was only about 10 years old during the war, was refreshingly kind and forgiving towards Americans. He repeatedly acknowledged that not all Americans are violent and that the War Remnants Museum tells only a scewed, evil side of the story, without examining all aspects of the war. His consideration in making this distinction went a long way with me, especially after having observed firsthand the biased nature of the museum.

Most Vietnamese people show zero bias towards us. In fact, there is American flag and "USA" merchandise everywhere you look. I think I was anticipating a bias because when Americans think of Vietnam, they think only of the Vietnam War. However, for the Vietnamese, the American War was just a small part of their long history of war. More recently than the United States, this country has been at war with Cambodia and China, and just before us, they faced France and China as well. They certainly do not seem to share the same impressions of us that we naively have of them after 40 years.