By Samantha Pak Northwest Asian Weekly Singapore Noir Edited by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan Akashic Books, 2014 For many people, when they think of Singapore, a few words and phrases may come to mind: caning, chewing gum, no littering, fines, and new-money wealth. But as clean as people think the streets may be, there is more […]
“Representing our views” — A perspective on how much a flag can have significance
By Tom Vu Special for Northwest Asian Weekly It was a joyous moment June 22 that the Seattle City council passed the resolution to recognize the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag as the symbol for the Seattle’s Vietnamese community. Kshama Sawant voted against it with two full pages of argument. She had strong arguments though. […]
‘Napalm girl’ photographer returns — with iPhone, Instagram
By Ted Anthony Associated Press TRANG BANG, Vietnam (AP) — He stands in the northbound lane of Vietnam’s Highway 1, traffic swirling around him, horns honking. He is pointing. Right there, he says — that’s where it happened. That’s where the screaming children appeared. That’s where I made the picture that the world couldn’t forget. […]
Poem commemorates US war and Vietnam anniversary
April 30th marked the 40th anniversary of the end of the U.S. war in Vietnam, when American forces abandoned the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, leaving millions of people in peril. Ngô Văn Diệm reflected on the chaos and terror of April 30th, 1975 for those who were left behind in his poem, “Saigon Dying.” […]
COMMENTARY: Journey to Freedom — Revisiting the long journey from Vietnam to Camp Murray
By Tung Vu For Northwest Asian Weekly It is important for members of our Vietnamese community to honor those who served and sacrificed in Vietnam. We wish to remember them for defending the republic and the cause of freedom and finally for all Vietnamese Americans to remember the struggles to reestablish our lives in America […]
Vietnam war photographer dies in US
By Julie Watson Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — Le Minh Thai, a photojournalist who covered the Vietnam War for The Associated Press and Time Life, has died. He was 93.
EDITORIAL: How the West failed 2,000 Vietnamese
The American war in Vietnam wreaked well-documented havoc on the lives of so many — not only innocent civilians, but on those South Vietnamese who trusted the United States and its many empty promises. After the massacres, the poisonous chemicals, and the country-wide devastation came the betrayals as Vietnamese citizens and even some soldiers who […]
Relics transform small California Buddhist temple
By John Rogers The Associated Press ROSEMEAD, Calif. (AP) — Although he’d been a practicing Buddhist for 20 years, until 10 months ago Dharma Master YongHua hadn’t even seen so much as one of the sacred relics known as shariras that are so important to his faith.
Vietnam general who shaped war dies at 102
By Margie Mason and Chris Brummitt The Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, the commander who led the outgunned Vietnamese to victory first over the French and then the Americans, died Oct 4. The last of the country’s old-guard revolutionaries was 102.
US, Vietnam far apart on human rights
By Chris Brummitt and Matthew Pennington The Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese authorities seeking to stop a well-known democracy activist from meeting an American diplomat last weekend deployed an unusual weapon — a group of elderly ladies.