Week 8_Janine Nguyen_ASA 150E

For Week 8, the theme of the week was the Legacy of Environmental Degradation, which is prominent when discussing the nature of the politics surrounding the aftermath of the Vietnam War, particularly in regard to the long-lasting environmental impact and the detriment to the Vietnamese population. Whether it be the lack of concern for these Vietnamese people and the U.S soldiers, the lack of compassion, or even the lack of transparency, to me, it is clear that the intention of U.S. government was to make a statement that the United States held no reservations when making the decision of dropping the bombs and Agent Orange onto the Vietnamese landscape. These are factors that I keep in mind, and these are all things that the United States has not been held accountable for, especially when considering that the levels of dioxin in the Vietnamese countryside, specifically in areas such as Da Nang, are still at an all-time high. The issues surrounding these environmental politics and the long-term birth defects that are still impacting the community even till this day. I hold a lot of contempt for the U.S. government, for how poorly this situation was handled, especially as a Vietnamese American whose family members have undergone the trauma as result of the war; it is incredibly saddening to me that they see their homeland as dangerous, and that their recollection of how children were impacted, was that many died or suffered from malformities. These are problems that I personally find to be an ongoing issue, where developing nations’ people are treated as inferior, and their lives are valued less… Fred A. Wilcox’s Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam emphasized the personal stories of those who were directly impacted as a result of Agent Orange exposure; these stories are so important in documenting historical events, that are often overlooked in school systems. The irreversible damage has had long-lasting consequences and it is crucial to address these matters in order to provide the aid that these populations need, especially since the poor, rural populations in Vietnam have been disproportionately affected as a result of Agent Orange exposure in regions such as Da Nang. To this issue, my question remains: what can we do in order to combat this problem, especially to help the disenfranchised populations? What can we do as Vietnamese American citizens who do not hold the same connection to the motherland, whilst holding the United States and Vietnamese governments accountable in making efforts towards creating solutions for these existing problems? I strongly believe that these things are a direct result of politics among the elite, the elite whose selfish acts during war, strongly impact the innocent people who are simply trying to make ends meet and support their families.
The video I’d like to link, a video I have shown in a previous presentation, is in the attachment below. This video definitely sheds a light on the perspectives of those who have been directly affected as result of Agent Orange, and are coping with the issues such as child abandonment, chronic health issues, and the financial hardship that have all arisen as a result of the exposure.