Vietnamese Conference – Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

www.rso.cornell.edu/hapa/conference/

e-mail cm245@cornell.edu or call 607-256-8138

4th Triennial Vietnam Symposium

Texas Tech University
Lubbock,Texas

Vietnam Babylift Panel-Saturday,April 13,2002 from 8:45-10:15 AM.

Babylift panel will include:

• Shirley Barnes,author of”The War Cradle”,
• Ken Healy,pilot of the first unauthorized Babylift flight,
• Ross Meador,fCVN’s Field Director(tentative),
• Andrew Winterbottom,Babylift adoptee,will greet Veteran participants.
• Lana Noone,moderator.

For the Symposium agenda and registration information please contact the

Symposium Web site at:

www.Vietnam.ttu.edu/vietnamcenter/2002-symposium

Mixed Race Conference – Smith College

Northampton, MA

sophia.smith.edu/misc/

e-mail misc@smith.edu

‘Borders in Cyberspace: The Digital Divide Between Vietnamese Parents and their Children Adopted Abroad Post War’, for Generations: Continuity and Conflict, Inaugural Conference and Celebration of Southeast Asia, Yale University, USA, to be held March 1 – 3, 2002. Paper by I. Williams and L. Lam

Artists who are adopted from Vietnam and interested in being part of an art exhibition please contact the project initiator Mr Dominic Golding, Viet Media Centre Footscray (an adoptee from Vietnam) at email: dominicgolding@hotmail.com

Yale University, Vietnam Adoption Online and the Digital Divide presentation by Linh Lam of Mam Non and Indigo Williams of AVI, South East Asian Studies, New Haven. A group of Viet adoptees are meeting up over this weekend, if you are interested in catching up please email: indigo@adoptedvietnamese.org

30 November-2 December 2001, QLD

Transforming Cultures / Shifting Boundaries: Asian Diasporas and Identities in Australia and Beyond

cccs.uq.edu.au/?page=16095

The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2001 Virtually Vietnamese/Australian Adoptees: Cultural Con/fusion/tributions to Australian Culture written by Anh Nguyen (MA, Harvard University) made with the assistance of Australian Vietnamese adoptees. Presented by I.Williams on behalf of A. Nguyen who had to return to the US after events in September 2001. Special thank you to Anh Nguyen for her efforts in promoting the adopted Vietnamese experience.

African American Cultural Council (AACC) of Virginia Beach
356 Dodge Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23452, (757)557-9724
Fax:(757)363-0994 fmoody@norfolk.cmr.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: October 11, 2001
Contact: Freddi E. Moody
(757) 557-9724

OPERATION BABYLIFT REMEMBERED

The African American Cultural Council of Virginia (AACC) is proud to invite you to cover its 5th annual Salute to Minorities in the Military during FLEET WEEK. Nationally prominent figures, including Congressman William Delahunt of Massachusetts, as well as local dignitaries, have been invited to participate in this important event on October 18, 2001 at 6:30p.m. at Grand Affairs in Virginia Beach, VA.

The ceremonies will honor women and minorities in the US Armed Forces, but this year will pay special tribute to Asian Americans. In particular, we will honor the people involved in the heroic effort which brought 2,700 Vietnamese children to our country after the fall of Saigon a quarter century ago, as well as the adoptees themselves, their American parents, and the dedicated individuals who keep the memory of this extraordinary event alive and educate the public about its significance.

Freddi E. Moody, president and co-founder of AACC says, “The price of freedom has never been cheap,the events of yesterday’s wars and the events of September 11th, proves that. But Operation Babylift transformed American society and succeeded in weaving the threads of America’s quilt into a beautiful garment of many vibrant, pulsating living colors. A rainbow quilt made of Ameriasians and Vietnamese children brought onto our shores to become a vital part of Americas fabrics through the families who adopted them.”

“The importance of Operation Babylift transcended what most people observed,” explains Jennifer Nguyen Noone, who was an infant when she flew to the United States during this historic mission. “The rescuing and nurturing of Vietnamese adoptees became a means of healing and reconciliation for both the United States and Vietnam.”

Jennifer’s mother, Lana Noone, will be among those who will receive an award for her activism on this issue. Other invited recipients will include Congressman Delahunt, whose daughter was part of the same rescue operation; Shirley Peck Barnes,author of “The War Cradle: Vietnam’s Children of War”; Sister Susan McDonald, a nurse who treated some of the children for two years in a Vietnam orphanage; Phil Wise, a medic of the ill-fated C5A and Bud Traynor, the pilot of the fated plane. Some of the Vietnamese adoptees themselves also will be honored. As will some of the survivors from the fatal crash of the Galaxy C5A plane that took off from Saigon April 4,1975; 154 people died in that accident, including children, military personnel, nurses and volunteers. This was the first plane authorized by President Ford to rescue these children.

“This tribute deserves attention for many reasons: It highlights a historic event that’s far more significant than most people realize; it underscores the critical role that adoptees, especially thoseborn in other countries, play in the historic reshaping of the American family;and, coming at a time when people feel particular gratitude and respect for the military, it honors the men and women who have always been there when it mattered most,” said Adam Pertman, author of “Adoption Nation: How the Adoption Revolution is Transforming America.” Pertman will be one of our speakers on October 18.

There will be a special preview screening at the Salute of PRECIOUS CARGO, a documentary which follows adoptees from Vietnam in search of their history and culture in their homeland. And the public can meet authors of the WAR CRADLE and ADOPTION NATION, at a book signing on Oct.18, Walden Bookstore, noon – 1:30pm, MacArthur Centre Mall in Norfolk, VA.

Inclusive in the FLEET WEEK activities will be the AACC FESTIVAL of PRIDE Multi-Cultural Unity Concerts on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, October 13 and 14 at the 24th Street Stage. The highlights of this event will be the US Navy Sea Cadets opening ceremony on Saturday and the Sunday tribute to the USO.Tribute performers will include the Army Continental Band, Navy’s Atlantic Fleet Band, and the Princess Anne High School choir.

Tickets for the Awards Ceremony and Dinner are $35.00 advance and $15.00 military/veterans and may be purchased through TICKETMASTER or MWR offices.

For further information or to arrange interviews, either for advance stories or at the ceremony, please contact:

Freddi E. Moody,regarding the event itself. 757-557-9724, 757-434-0821 or femoody@juno.com

Adam Pertman, for adoption information. 617-332-8944.

INTERESTED IN PLACING AN AD IN THE SOUVENIR PROGRAM? CALL 757-213-2154.

###

(Ms.) Freddi E. Moody, President
African American Cultural Council of Virginia Beach

The Intercountry Adoptee Support Network (ICASN) held a social night at Philippe’s Foote in Sydney’s Rocks, June 2001. Attended by adoptees from Pakistan, Korea, Indigenous Australia and Vietnam the night was organised by ICASN Manager Lynelle Beveridge. AVI has continually been assisted by the invaluable network ICASN has built and its rich membership of Vietnamese and other inter-country adoptees and was delighted to be invited.

Adopted Vietnamese International (AVI) trip to Hanoi and Saigon

Adopted Vietnamese Participants:

• Kelly Jackson, PR, Vietnamese Adoptee Network (VAN), Seattle, USA
• Chris Brownlee, Co-Director, VAN, Seattle, USA
• Brent Kurkowski, Minneapolis, USA
• John Ryder, Portland, USA
• Andrea Lee, Chicago, USA
• Indigo Williams, Director, AVI, Sydney, Australia

Parents:

• Kris Lee, Ann Arbor, USA
• Annette Williams, Sydney, Australia

Other:

• James Ward, Vincent Fairfax Scholar, Indigenous Australian, Perth Australia

Meetings:

• Cultural Affairs Office, US Embassy, Hanoi
• South East Asian Children Assistance Program (SEACAP), Saigon
• Holt Adoption Orphanage, Saigon
• General Round Table – Session 1: Adoptees Session 2: Adoptees & Parents, Saigon
• Vietnam Women’s Forum, Saigon

Trip Objective:

The objective of the trip in January was to create an informal tour for adopted Vietnamese individuals and their parents to explore Vietnamese culture and landscape together, to undertake independent searches for records on surviving birth relatives and then to contribute ideas and feedback at a one-day forum.

Obstacles:

The trip was planned from June 2000 but the final registration deadline extended to October 2000. TheTet Festival is in the high season and flights were overbooked and at highest cost. Accommodation and other reservations were also heavily booked at this time. It is also a week-long holiday so many organisations such as embassies were closed in the second half of the trip.

Sponsorship had been sort from several different places but eventually, due to the heavily booked period, did not eventuate. The setting up of a trip with delegates based in Australia and the US and the main administration in Vietnam was also difficult. The trip exceeded cost planning and some important lessons were learnt about how over-priced some services can be when booking tours and meals without the benefit of local knowledge and familiarity with Vietnamese local prices.

Entry into Vietnam:

All delegates arranged Visas from their local embassies and there was no trouble in entering Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Language:

None of the participants spoke Vietnamese and an English-speaking tour guide was hired for the duration of the trip. In Hanoi this was a distinct advantage but in Saigon, the majority of businesses and hotels have English-speaking staff and the local tourism has many local shop owners speaking adequate English and Japanese while older residents in both cities spoke fluent French.

Currency:

The exchange of dong to the US dollar was around 14,000 dong to $US1 or $AUD2. Money exchanges were available at airports and in the main hotels but locals would readily accept US dollars.

Safety:

In Saigon the tourism attracts pickpockets and some bag snatching from thieves riding motorbikes so it is wise to secure valuables discreetly.

In August AVI was invited to meet over twenty adopted Vietnamese individuals from America who were meeting in Chicago to launch the US based adoptee group, The Vietnamese Adoptee Network. This event was also attended by advisory group, Mam Non who later invited AVI to attend an event for adoptive parents and adoptees in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In Minneapolis, AVI was able to meet with the Catalyst Foundation, organised by a Vietnamese adoptive mother who has coordinated annual Vietnamese culture camps for families with adopted Vietnamese, aid assistance for charity programs in Vietnam and an aid expedition to Vietnam inviting adopted Vietnamese to assist orphanages.

Overseas Adopted Child’s Names Made Compulsory

A new legislation requires that adoptive parents must keep their overseas adopted child’s original first name definitely if they’re over 12 months and preferably before that too. For more info on actual policy: www.acwa.asn.au/acwa/news/LRCGray.doc Edited from Sunday Telegraph, August 2002 ‘New Names Banned for Children Adopted Abroad’ by Katrina Creer, p26-27 Children adopted from overseas will have to retain the name they were given in their home country under new laws introduced by the NSW State Government (capital city Sydney), Australia. Under a review of the Adoption Act, adoptive parents must also try to preserve the language, culture and religious heritage of their adopted child’s birth country. Head of adoption services at the Dept of Community Services, Craig Moore, said retaining the original name would help combat loss of identity suffered by foreign born children growing up in Australia.

Vietnam Tightens Adoption Controls

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) _ Vietnam has introduced a new decree which tightens controls over foreign adoptions of Vietnamese children in an attempt to halt fraud and child trafficking, an official said in July. Under the new decree, which takes effect from January 2, all adoptions must be approved by a special foreign adoption agency in the Ministry of Justice, the ministry official said. Read more here

ROCKEFELLER FELLOWS 2002-2003: (Re)Constructing Identity and Place in the Vietnamese Diaspora

The William Joiner Center and its collaborative institutions and programs at the University of Massachusetts Boston are pleased to announce the selection of the Rockefeller Fellows in the Humanities for the academic year 2002-2003 in the initiative (Re)Constructing Identity and Place in the Vietnamese Diaspora. For the academic year 2002-2003, we are happy to announce the appointment of fifteen fellows – Ms. Mariam Beevi, Mr. Sergei Blagov, Ms. Bui Thi Lan Huong, Mr. Do Minh Tuan, Ms. Maureen Feeney, Mr. Hoang Khoi Phong, Mr. Nguyen Y Duc. Mr. Nguyen Mong Giac, Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Mr. Nguyen Vy Khanh, Mr. Pham Xuan Nguyen, Mr. Phan Huy Duong, Ms. Meridel Rubenstein, Mr. Tran Van Thuy and Ms. Indigo A. Williams. Press Release here: omega.cc.umb.edu/%7Ediaspora/diasPress2002.html

Visual Arts/Craft Australian Residencies in Asia 2003

www.asialink.unimelb.edu.au/arts/residencies/varesappinfo.htm

Applications close Friday 6 September 2002

The Asialink Centre of The University of Melbourne invites applications from artists and crafts people to spend an extended period working in an Asian country. Up to nine places will be offered in 2003. Host countries listed here are India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand but residencies are possible in other countries as well.

Aim

The aim of this program is to enlarge the experiences available to Australians in our own region, to develop projects related to the host country and to encourage on-going involvement between Australian and Asian artists and organisations. The residencies are a professional development opportunity for Australian artists and also act to foster bilateral relationships in the region.

Eligibility

Residencies are open to all artists/crafts people who are Australian citizens or have permanent resident status in Australia and demonstrate a proven record of professional activity over at least three years. They are not for academic study or research. Former Asialink Residents are eligible to reapply four years after their selection – eg. if you applied in 1998 and undertook a residency in 1999 you able to reapply in this round (for 2003).

Volunteer Opportunity In Hanoi (Open 2002)

The Movie & English Club of New Star ELT Center Vietnam in Hanoi is seeking ‘native English speaking’ volunteers in Hanoi who are interested in helping Vietnamese students/English learners on either Saturday or Sunday afternoon to practice/improve their conversation English, while joining us in viewing the best Hollywood movies — all come with English subtitles.

The Club is fun and educational and it’s a chance for volunteers to make friends with ‘English speaking’ Vietnamese students/learners in Hanoi.

Club members meet every Saturday or Sunday afternoon from 3:00pm to 6:00pm at New Star English Language Training School (217 Doi Can Street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi).

For more details concerning the volunteer opportunities, please contact RICHARD by email or at the following phone numbers:

0903-999-123 (mobile)
04-775-2616 (office)
info_newstarelt@yahoo.com

A DNA Bank Project (Open date)

An ambitious project yet to prove practical, it is however a milestone idea in the process of adoptees searching for the birth parents. The Seeker, in conjunction with DNATesting.com is considering a project with DNA Banking to help reunite adoptees with birth parents.

Want to help out the Vietnamese soccer stars of tomorrow?

The Sunshine Sports project organized by the CNCF foundation to assist street kids in Vietnam has six football teams. Boys ranging in age from seven to eighteen years are able to participate in these games. The SilkRoadsters are the most advanced team, playing regular friendly games against other teams around the city. As part of the Sunshine Sports Project, a ‘Role Model Programme’ was established, providing the children with the opportunity to talk with professional and well-known athletes. This provides an opportunity for the children to meet their sporting heroes in person, thus inspiring the children to reach higher level of personal achievement.

Meanwhile, we know they didn’t make it to the World Cup in Korea and Japan but “If passion for football counted for anything, Vietnam would be world champions by now.” Vietnam was once a leading force in the game and won the 1959 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. They also made the final rounds of the Asian Cup competition in 1956. A decline in form followed for some years but in recent times, they have emerged from the days of being considered an easy team to one that must be treated seriously. In the 1997 SEA Games, Vietnam stunned once Asian giants Malaysia 1-0 in a group match and advanced to eventually finish third overall after beating Indonesia in the playoff. The following year, Vietnam finished behind Singapore in the Tiger Cup final. For the background on Vietnamese Soccer in the new millennium check out here or at www.sports.com/football/ce/multi/0,2911,3025259,00.html

New Coalition Seeks Discussion on Ethics in Adoption

The Coalition for Responsible Open Adoption Reform and Education (ROARE) has been launched in Australia but calls for international support. The adoption community is invited to participate and share their opinions.

The interim web site: www.ethics.qut.edu.au/index_roare2.htm

Further information contact:
Collette: 0418 889225
Trevor: 0409 647 660
Electronic mail collette@futureweb.com.au or t.jordan@qut.edu.au

August 2002 – Vietnamese adoptees audition for “The Beautiful Country”

A Feature Film – The Beautiful Country, in production recently called for Amerasian actors to play the role of Binh, a 25 year old. See character description below. The filming starts September and will visit South East Asia, New York and Texas. Its main stars are Nick Nolte and Harvey Keitel. Producer: Petter Borgli, Ed Pressman, Tomas Backstrom, Terrence Malick; Director: Hans Petter Moland; Writers: Sabina Murray Larry Gross & Terrence Malick; Casting Director: Avy Kaufman

BINH – (25 years old) Half Vietnamese, half Caucasian. Not attractive- a real human being who’s oddity could manifest itself in abnormal height, a harelip, uneven teeth, a large nose, small mouth, big ears, etc. Only an infant when the American troops withdrew from Vietnam, Binh was taken away from his Vietnamese mother as punishment for her fraternizing with the American enemy, and dumped upon his Aunt. Treated as a second class citizen, no one in the village has ever given any consideration to his misery or abandonment; consequently he is very shy, has little self-esteem, is probably a virgin, and has few hopes for change. He departs from his Vietnamese village after he is kicked out of his foster house. He leaves to find his parents and his strength on route.

The production company will have a meeting about this film and they would like input from the Vietnamese and adoptive communities. I have asked them to create an Advisory Panel (suggested by Linh Lam), to address the concerns we all have about the script. Please consider sending an email message to Elizabeth Greenberg at: avykaufman@mindspring.com or contact Lana Noone about the advisory panel noone@mailbug.com