[jjr69] Re: Vietnam's Women Of War
- From: Dat Duthinh <dduthinh@xxxxxxxx>
- To: jjr69@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2003 10:04:48 -0500
Ouf, I am glad I added that word. Seriously, the topic of domestic
violence in VN (against women and children) needs to be discussed. The
creation of shelters would be a worthwhile project for VHI. I have observed
a lot of behaviors among VN in VN and the US that made me aware of the
situation. Thanks, Annette, for pointing it out.
At 10:56 PM 1/23/03, you wrote:
>Da.t,
>
>< in VN, at least officially, the revolution that
>these women fought for advocates the emancipation of
>women and the equality of the sexes >
>
>Note from reader: the word "officially" is very
>important and makes a big difference in this sentence.
>
>Dear Da(.t,if that word were not there, I would have
>to disagree with you.
> From my heartrending observations, after 4 times
>visiting VN, I come to the depressing observation that
>most women are mistreated, looked down, mentally,
>orally abused by men. Educated or not educated, they
>have to put up with their husbands'abusive behavior,
>mostly due to the Vietnamese cultural obligations, AND
>due to the lack of protection from the law.
>
>P.S I'm reading Catfish and Mandala. Yes, it's
>poignant, truthful, and also entertaining. Thanks for
>recommending it to me.
>
>Annette
>
>--- Dat Duthinh <dduthinh@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Dzung:
> >
> > Thank you for a most poignant article. It is
> > particularly fitting that
> > you, a former officer of the ARVN and re-ed camp
> > "student" would choose to
> > distribute it. We look at the enemy, and they are
> > us. We are all VN, our
> > heroes, our values are the same. We are all humans,
> > and war is horror for
> > winners and losers alike.
> >
> > In reading the story, I kept thinking of the black
> > and white picture of a
> > young teenage girl, in a broad-brimmed guerilla hat,
> > playing the guitar on
> > the Ho Chi Minh trail, by a camp fire. I saw this
> > photograph at one of the
> > photo exhibits in Washington DC last year. She was
> > beautiful, innocent,
> > full of promise. The caption says that a few days
> > after the photo was
> > taken, she stepped on a land mine, and there was no
> > piece of her left that
> > could not fit in the palm of one hand.
> >
> > The situation in VN is not different from that found
> > in many other
> > countries. Eritrea fought a war with Ethiopia that
> > lasted several decades
> > and involved many women fighters. Although women
> > achieved a certain parity
> > with men in war, when peace came, they had to come
> > back to more traditional
> > and subservient roles. Another similarity is the
> > black soldiers returning
> > to the US after WW2 to second class citizenship. In
> > VN, at least
> > officially, the revolution that these women fought
> > for advocates the
> > emancipation of women and equality of the sexes.
> >
> > I did not see any reference to Duong Thu Huong in
> > the article. Also the
> > ratio of women to men is in fact lower, not higher
> > than normal. Overall,
> > there are 52 girls born to 48 boys worldwide.
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
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This information is confidential and pre-decisional.
Dat Duthinh
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