Bruce Weigl first came to Viet Nam as a soldier. Now he returns as an established writer. He spoke with the Viet Nam News about his outlook on life.
How has your outlook on Viet Nam changed since you first came?
I was sent to Viet Nam in December 1967. I had never travelled outside of the US before, let alone to Asia, and I felt at first like it was another world.
I knew nothing about politics. I was 18 and did not sit around dreaming of revolutions. During the war, the longer I spent in Viet Nam, the more and more I felt that something was wrong, that we didn't belong here.
When I returned home after the war I immediately became active in the anti-war movement.
How did the idea of sponsoring a Vietnamese child come into being?
I was taken to visit orphanages in and around Ha Noi. I just wanted to gather in my arms as many of these beautiful children as I could. I wanted to take them home and give them the opportunities that I knew that war had taken away from them. I wanted to give something back to Viet Nam and I thought that by adopting a Vietnamese orphan and giving him or her a life, I could make some kind of contribution to Viet Nam in general. I think I was right.
I adopted Nguyen Thi Hanh. I found a Vietnamese teacher for her. We believed that it was essential that our daughter speaks her own language and learns about her own culture. From the beginning, Hanh's presence was a blessing to our family. She brought us closer together and gave us the opportunity to share her culture.
When did you decide to write the memoir The Circle of Hanh?
Writing is always hard because one has to find the right words. Writing about Hanh was a way to tell a larger story, a story about myself and my particular experiences of war. I felt all along that it wasn't my story alone, but a larger story about Americans and the Vietnamese and how the war brought us together in history.
How did your experiences in Viet Nam influence your literary career?
My experience as a soldier in Viet Nam changed my life forever. First of all, it took me out of my shell. I had grown up among working class people. It forced me to come to terms with other cultures and other kinds of people, all of which makes one a stronger and more compassionate person.
I was also not the kind of person who would ordinarily have become a writer. The war forced me to go into myself for answers to questions no one else could seem to answer. Without it, I doubt that I would have become a writer. Without it, I would never have adopted a Vietnamese child who has made my life richer and more meaningful.
Viet Nam, the Vietnamese people, and my experiences made me the man I am today. I feel I am a stronger and a better person because of these experiences.
Has Vietnamese literature become more available in the US since 1975?
Since the end of the war, more and more literature from Viet Nam has become available to American readers. Because I'm a college professor, I have had the opportunity to see the impact some of that writing has had on my own students and I can say that they are extremely interested in learning about Viet Nam from a Vietnamese perspective, and about broadening their cultural perspective by learning about this faraway country that we are inextricably bound to. The more literature from Viet Nam that becomes available to US readers, the stronger the bond will become between our two countries. — VNS