Today, I learn about NOW in Vietnam

Dear the people of the world,
There is a story here
It is more than the poverty that we see
It is more than the sweat that we feel
It is more than the polluted air that we breathe

Vietnam,
is comprised of a history of colonization
Made up of a past filled with blood and tears
History built on the backs of those that suffered the tragedy of war
A world, left undisturbed for centuries
Known for the strife beyond their control
A past, filled with attempts of assimilation

The Vietnamese
These are people who have
Lost their freedom to think and create
people who are a part of
A nation of perpetual turbulence
People whose rights have been infringed
and seldom recognized
A society with leaders that invoke fear and hatred
They need Peace,
but the certainty it is so fragile and unstable

Beyond each mother’s eyes
Inside the heart of the Innocence
Past the suffering elderly
In the center of it all
is the beat of a baby's heart

This is a story
One about the endurance and perseverance
One about the wisdom and enlightenment
One about the strength and courage

Years later, the youth still knows their roots
Taught to adapt, but learned to critique
Underneath the silence, is a universal truth
Each soul in Vietnam strive
for the end of the battle
the end of their wars
to see the light of peace

People here have little complaints
But possess stories of challenges
and legends of success
All people here are part
Of a nation that holds on to the very soul of Vietnam

There is a soul of Vietnam
A soul that thrives on loyalty
There is a culture of Vietnam
A culture that's immersed with passion
Vietnam, one nation torn a part for differences
But united with emotions of love
Its streets blossomed with life

It is a nation that is a part of me
Whose heart will always beat in me
Whose sovereign nation's soul I will always feel
A language I am proud to speak
Underneath is a generation that see changes
But grasps onto their identity

It is today in Vietnam that
I am blessed with this experience
I now understand the roots within me
The culture
The language
The history

I am the child of warriors
those who fought the regime
Thus, I am also scarred with a past of hatred
in honor of my kin

the Vietnamese
that left their motherland
and attempted a journey and quest for freedom
I do not forget the breathless bodies in the sea
I do not neglect the memory of the heroes

Instead,
I reminisce about their misery and their anguish
I demand the reverence for the people
who left their home
who was forced to forgo all that they knew
who had to abandoned their Vietnam
and thus, let go a part of their soul
they accepted the fact
they would never again hear their home's heartbeat
all for a new world that promised freedom
their one and only desire

Its time for me to move forward
from the hatred and angst
from a history of a remorse and sorrow
I do not forget
but I reminisce and
Today, I know I am proud to be Vietnamese
Today, I identify with the Vietnamese
Today, I learn about NOW in Vietnam