I feel it is nonsense and no one wants it to happen. We value love and peace but we'll be ready to protect our country by any way. However,we're living peaceful and we've almost forgotten about that war and hope it wont happen again. Now, Vietnamese and Americans are friends!
- Hannah Le
To us, we wouldn't call it a war but we'd prefer to call it a resistance against foreign forces because we neither wanted to start the war nor joined it. What we wanted was peace and independence but other countries invaded ours so we had to fight against them. Many people had sacrificed themselves for the peace and independence of the country, lots of infrastructure was severely damaged and Agent Orange - and the dioxin it contained - has seriously damaged the health of those living in the areas where it was used. Though Vietnam veterans who handled Agent Orange can claim compensation for a whole range of other diseases recognised as being associated with dioxin, we still think it's not satisfactory as money can't cure the disability which dioxin has caused.
And we defended our country by fighting until the last breath. We didn't give up even though our enemies were strong and powerful. The people at the time were patriotic, unyielding, persistent and very creative. Besides, we had great leaders who set out clear guidelines which led us to victory and independence.
- Annie Kris Nguyen
