call "The Vietnam War" is called "Kháng chiến chống Mỹ" ("The Resistance War Against the U.S.") or just "Chiến tranh Mỹ" ("The American War") in Vietnam. However, this war is only one of the many struggles for independence that people in Vietnam have faced. When my family or other people in the U.S. talk to me, they often ask me if anyone in Vietnam has ever treated me badly because I am American. The answer is easy: no. The people I've met in Soc Trang and other places in Vietnam are incredibly friendly. It seems like there are always people willing to help you here, regardless of where you are from. Although some people have asked me what I know or think about the wars that were fought in Vietnam, most of the people I've met and spent time with are more interested in things like their jobs, their children, their schoolwork, their friends, Kpop bands, football (soccer) and their other hobbies. Many of the students I work with, for example, spend a lot of time studying English, hanging out with friends, playing sports or video games and working part-time jobs. When any of the wars that were fought here come up in conversation, people will talk about them. Soon after that, though, folks will usually talk about something else. There are many scars from the past here--ones that you can sometimes see and ones that you usually can't--but they don't stop people from continuing to live their lives. Do you know what I mean?
In college, I had chances to learn more about Vietnam from people who came from Vietnam to the U.S. to study and work as well as Vietnamese-American friends. I also began to learn more from Vietnamese movies and literature.
