"The 2 Sides Project”, a feature documentary that follows the journey in Vietnam of six US sons and daughters, who had all lost their fathers during the war in the Southeast Asian country, was screened in Hanoi on November 27.
The poster of
documentary "2 Sides Project". (Photo: 2sidesproject.com)
As part of a project of the
same name, the documentary, filmed in 2015 and completed in 2017, captures the
story of US and Vietnamese sons and daughters, who shared the loss of their
fathers during the war and met for the first time in December 2015.
The screening in Hanoi attracted the participation of 17 Vietnamese and six US
sons and daughters, who shared the story on the screen.
The event took place as part of a trip to Vietnam by a US delegation from the
"2 Sides Project” (2SP) to enhance the people-to-people exchange between the
two nations. Launched in 2015, the 2SP aims at connecting children of fallen
Vietnamese and US soldiers on the Vietnam – US war, encouraging exchanges
between them to share losses and difficulties.
Earlier, the 2SP delegation led by founder and executive director of the
project Margot Delogne met with Nguyen Tam Chien, head of the Vietnam-US
Society.
During their Vietnamese trip from November 25 to December 10, the delegation is
scheduled to visit a high school in Y Yen district in the northern province of
Nam Dinh, which was bombed by the US on October 10, 1967. They will plant trees
in commemoration of victims of the raid, visit a site in Nghe An where the
father of a member in the delegation went missing, and visit a number of
Vietnamese martyrs’ families. They will also tour scenic locations in Quang
Ninh in the north, Thua Thien – Hue, Quang Nam and Da Nang in the central
region, and Long An and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
Vietnam-US relations have developed significantly since the two countries set
up diplomatic ties in 1995. From enemies at war, the two nations improved their
relations to become comprehensive partners in 2013, opening the way for
expanded cooperation in multiple fields – from politics, diplomacy, economy,
trade, and investment, to security and defence, culture, education, science and
technology, to the settlement of war aftermaths, and people-to-people exchange.
Since 2015, the two sides have accelerated the exchange of high-level visits,
which have deepened the bilateral Comprehensive Partnership and fostered the
development of ties on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and with
respect for each other’s independence and political regime.
Two-way trade between the countries soared from 500 million USD in 1995 to 50
billion USD in 2017. Vietnam is the US’ biggest export market in Southeast
Asia, meanwhile the US remains in the top 10 investors in Vietnam.
Coordination in addressing the aftermaths of war is of special concern to the
two sides, contributing to trust-building in their Comprehensive Partnership.
Vietnam has worked effectively with the US in searching for missing US soldiers
in the country while the US has also taken steps to assist in the clearance of
unexploded ordinances (UXOs) and Agent Orange/dioxin detoxification.
Vietnam and the US have also expanded cooperation in the fields of culture,
education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchange. It was
estimated that about 30,000 Vietnamese are currently pursuing degrees in
universities and colleges in the US.
Source: VNA
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