Nobody Gets Off the Bus:
The Viet Nam Generation Big Book
Volume 5 Number 1-4

March 1994

This text, made available by the Sixties Project, is copyright (c) 1996 by Viet Nam Generation, Inc., or the author, all rights reserved. This text may be used, printed, and archived in accordance with the Fair Use provisions of U.S. Copyright law. This text may not be archived, printed, or redistributed in any form for a fee, without the consent of the copyright holder. This notice must accompany any redistribution of the text. The Sixties Project, sponsored by Viet Nam Generation Inc. and the Institute of Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, is a collective of humanities scholars working together on the Internet to use electronic resources to provide routes of collaboration and make available primary and secondary sources for researchers, students, teachers, writers and librarians interested in the 1960s.

"As Seen By Both Sides" Banned in St. Paul and San Jose

From a press release by the Indochina Arts Project:

Both the Minnesota Museum of Art in St. Paul, MN, and the San Jose Museum of Art in San Jose, CA, have canceled this internationally acclaimed exhibition of artwork by Vietnamese and American artists about the war, citing pressure from the Vietnamese-American communities in their areas as the reason. Some problems were anticipated in San Jose, sometimes referred to as the "city of colonels" because of all the former ARVN military officers living the area. The San Jose Museum of Art contacted the IAP to discuss strategies for a successful showing of the exhibition, but still canceled after opposition and even threats by more extreme members of the local Vietnamese-American communities.

The Minnesota Museum of Art made no contact with the IAP except to cancel the exhibition in early May. The recently appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Museum, Mr. Stephen Young, and his wife Hoa played an important role in the cancellation of the exhibition. The Museum asked Hoa Young to help make contact with the Vietnamese community. Stephen Young has long been an outspoken hawk on the war. His father was involved in U.S. policy in Southeast Asia as a diplomat in the 1950s and Stephen Young spent three years in South Vietnam as a civilian working for the U.S. government economic development agencies. (Ironically, Mr. Young, a partner in the law firm Hillstrom, Bale, Anderson, Young, Polstein and Pierson, is currently the head attorney representing Northwest Airlines in its current negotiations for the potentially lucrative air routes into Vietnam.)

Because of the short notice given by the Museum, the IAP was unable to re-book the exhibition for the canceled St. Paul slot, June-August, but was successful in re-booking the San Jose slot, September-October.

"As Seen by Both Sides" was at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI, on August 25--September 19. The exhibition was at New England College in Henniker, NH, October 1-22. As previously scheduled, the exhibited opened at Southwest Missouri State University on November 5 and continued through December 15. The long awaited opening of the exhibition in Vietnam is currently scheduled to take place at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi on January 3, 1994. The exhibition will continue there until February, after which it will travel to other museums in Vietnam. The IAP and the Ministry of Culture are working on several events to take place in Hanoi in conjunction with the national opening of the exhibition. Many of the artists from Vietnam are expected to attend the opening festivities as are several of the U.S. artists. The IAP is working with Garber Travel in Boston to coordinate travel plans for anyone interested in attending the opening. A two-week cultural trip is being planned with visits to Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hué, Da Nang, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City. Anyone interested should contact the IAP or Diane Stoler at Garber Travel, 1-800-225-4570, x.614

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Dan Xuan Hoa to be Artist-in-Residence in Boston

From a press release by the Indochina Arts Project:

Hanoi painter Dang Xuan Hoa is to become the first Vietnamese artist-in-residence at a U.S. art school since the war. Mr. Hoa will begin his residency in early 1994, at the Boston Museum School and the Massachusetts College of Art. He will spend a minimum of three months at the two schools and is expected to stay longer to pursue his own work. Mr. Hoa, at the age of 33, is considered to be one of Vietnam's leading younger artists. His work has been exhibited both in Vietnam and in many countries outside Vietnam including Hong Kong, Cuba, the United States and the former Soviet Union. His work shows both the influence of his teacher Tran Luu Hau and Vietnam's national treasure artists Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Tu Nghiem and Nguyen Gia Tri. His work also shows the influence of many of the European masters he has studied including Van Gogh and Gauguin. This residency was made possible by a generous grant to the IAP from the Asian Cultural Council in New York. The grant will also allow him to travel to other cities

in the U.S. to teach and talk with other artists. Anyone interested in having Mr. Hoa visit their area should contact the IAP. (Mr. Hoa speaks English fluently.

"As Seen By Both Sides" to open in Ha Noi, Viet Nam

Another press release from the Indochina Arts Project:

"As Seen By Both Sides" will open at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Ha Noi on January 6, 1994, at 10am. After the Ha Noi opening the exhibition will travel to other museums in Viet Nam for up to two years. The exhibition represents the first showing of contemporary Vietnamese art to be seen in the United States since the end of the war in 1975. Its purpose is to promote better understanding and reconciliation among the citizens of both countries, which have yet to establish diplomatic relations. The opening in Ha Noi will be attended by representatives from the Prime Minister's office, Ministry of Culture, Foreign Ministry, as well as many other high government officials and members of Ha Noi's diplomatic community. All twenty of the Vietnamese artists will be present as well as several of the American artists. Exhibition curator C. David Thomas and interviewer Lois Tarlow will also be in Ha Noi for the opening ceremonies.

For more information on "As Seen By Both Sides" and the Indochina Arts Project, contact C. David Thomas, Indochina Arts Project, 20 Webster Ct., Newton, MA 02159; 617/527-5670.

Group of Universities for Advanced Vietnamese Abroad

In connection with the tenth annual Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI, 1993), a group of interested specialists met at the University of Washington at Seattle to lay the foundation for a consortium of institutions promoting the advancement of research, instruction, and exchange in Vietnamese language studies. At this first meeting, the organization, to be known as the Group of Universities for Advanced Vietnamese Abroad (GUAVA), brought together representatives from the University of Washington, University of Oregon, Arizona State University, University of Michigan, Cornell University, University of California at Berkeley, and University of Hawaii, as well as observers from Harvard University, Hanoi University, and Australian National University at Canberra.

GUAVA will be housed at the University of Washington, and will hold annual membership meetings in conjunction with COTSEAL/SEASSI meetings. Officers elected to serve for the first year are Stephen O'Harrow, University of Hawaii (Chair); Julian Wheatley, Cornell University (Vice-Chair); and Nguyen Kim-Oanh, University of Washington (Secretary-Treasurer). GUAVA will first address the establishment of an annual summer program, held in Viet Nam, for the teaching of advanced Vietnamese language courses. The organization would then like to undertake other issues in Vietnamese language studies: collecting and archiving teaching materials, establishing national proficiency standards, facilitating international student and teacher exchange, and advising SEASSI with regard to the Vietnamese language program. GUAVA invites applications for membership from all North American universities with an active interest in the teaching of Vietnamese, and would also welcome the cooperation of other institutions of higher education outside North America.

Vietnam National Yellow Pages

From a brochure prepared by Burch/Asia Ltd.:

In March 1993, Burch/Asia Ltd., an independent American company operated by experienced classified advertising professionals, became the sole U.S. partner in a joint venture with an exclusive contract to publish the official yellow pages directory for Vietnam. Burch representatives signed the contract in Hanoi with Vietnam Data Communications and the Directorate, General Posts and Telecommunications of the Vietnamese Government. It provides that Burch will be primarily responsible for the sale of yellow pages advertising outside Vietnam and for international distribution of the Vietnam National Yellow Pages Directory. As this is written, pressure is building in both the U.S. government and private sector to lift a 1975 trade embargo on Vietnam. In December 1992, the previous administration issued an executive order permitting U.S. companies to open offices in Vietnam, hire staff and sign contracts in anticipation of the embargo being lifted. Informed observers now believe the elimination of the embargo is imminent. This Prospectus has been prepared to provide forward-looking advertisers and investors with insights into the exceptional commercial opportunities presented by a unique new advertising medium serving a newly emerging market.

European and Asian companies have already become active in the Vietnam market, and at the end of 1992, some 500 investment projects valued at more than $7 billion were already underway in Vietnam. This impetus, and the prospect of additional projects funded in part by The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are expected to contribute to rapid expansion of the country's economy. U.S. travel, tourism, lodging, hospitality, import/export, financial and business services companies have already begun to dispatch representatives to Vietnam to make firsthand assessments of the business climate there. While not yet able to actually "open for business," it's clear they're hoping to have a head start on the competition the moment trade restrictions are eased. Other industries expected to be on the leading edge of Vietnam's economic transition include agricultural equipment, fertilizers, commercial construction, transportation and communications. Many are businesses whose products and services are essential to the rebuilding of the country's physical and commercial infrastructure. However, many experts on the economic situation in the Far East believe there is so much pent-up demand for goods and services of all kinds in Vietnam, there are certain to be major opportunities both short-and long-term for virtually every kind of consumer product and service.

Burch/Asia Ltd. has obtained a limited number of copies of the Vietnam Business Handbook. The 408-page handbook provides detailed historical, political and economic data and includes listings of governmental and commercial contacts.

The Handbook is available through the Indochina Project for $100: 202/483-9222.

The Vietnam Investment Series

Kingship Limited, in cooperation with the State Committee for Cooperation and Investment, is producing a series of monographs on foreign investment in Vietnam. The series will help businessmen and investors better understand the foreign investment system. The Series consists of nine monographs:

• The Investment Environment in Vietnam: An Assessment
• The State Committee for Cooperation and Investment: Its Roles and Procedures.
• Overview of Foreign Direct Investment: Joint Ventures; 100% Foreign-Owned;
• Build-Operate-Transfer; Business Cooperation Agreements; Establishing Representative Offices>
• Banking and Finance
• Labor and Wages
• Property and Housing
• Taxes and Duties
• Export Processing Zones
• The Government of Vietnam

The first monograph will be available in October, 1993. Individual issues are $150; the series is $1200 (US dollars) For more information or to purchase monographs, contact Kingship Limited, Vietnam Consultants, 203 Fu Fai Commercial Centre, 27 Hillier St., Hong Kong; 852/541-9068; FAX 852/805-1288.

Vietnam Veteran Peace Archive at UCSC

From a press release sent to us by Gerald Nicosia.:

The Vietnam Veteran Peace Archive, located in a special collections library, has been created at the University of California at Santa Cruz to compile and preserve research materials for a book in progress called Home to War: A History of the Vietnam Veterans' Movement. The author, Gerald Nicosia, who wrote Memory Babe: A Critical Biography of Jack Kerouac, conducted over 350 interviews in the late 1980s with Vietnam veterans and others involved in Vietnam veteran readjustment all over the country. The tape transcripts of these interviews are an important and unique feature of this "Vietnam veteran peace collection." Help is needed to finance the creation of these transcripts.

The focus of the book, Home to War, is on the activism of Vietnam veterans and the many different ways that they undertook to heal from the trauma of war. The author interviewed members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW); vets and psychologists involved in the recognition, definition and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); members of veteran self-help groups like Swords to Ploughshares and Viet/Now/; participants in the universal and unconditional amnesty movement of the mid-Seventies; the doctors, lawyers, and vets who worked to obtain treatment and compensation for Agent Orange poisoning; the founders of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA); those involved in the creation of the Wall in Washington, DC, as well as those who organized the ensuing Welcome Home parades; Vietnam veteran artists and writers who have channeled their activism into creative work; those who traveled to do peace work in Central America, the former Soviet Union, and Southeast Asia, including the ongoing work toward normalization of relations with Vietnam.

Contributions to this project are tax deductible. People can contribute by writing a check (or even using a credit card) to UCSC Foundation, Carriage House, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064. For credit card or other kind of donations, call Rita Bottoms at the Special Collections, University Library, UCSC. Her number is 408/459-2414.

--Gerald Nicosia, Corte Madera, CA.

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