50-30: From War to Peace in Vietnam and the United States

Hosted by Global Vietnam Studies at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, working with co-sponsors the Columbia Journalism School, Columbia Global, and the School of the Arts, this multi-day commemoration explored the contested history of the war and of the peace, addressing conversations left unsettled in the arts and culture, and drawing lessons for the future of U.S.-Vietnam relations and for conflict resolution around the world. 50-30 brought top historians, writers, filmmakers, and artists as well as veterans and historical actors of the war and of reconciliation, to Columbia for these milestone anniversaries.

Slideshow: 50-30: From War to Peace in Vietnam and the United States (12 images)

(Hover over the lower part of each image, above, to view the accompanying caption.)

Scroll down the page below or use the jump-down links for the complete schedule of events, lists of participants, more photos, and complete videos of nine panel discussions.

(Please note: Full-screen is unavailable for videos on this page. To view full-screen, click on the "Watch on YouTube" link in each player. All of the videos are available to watch in our 50-30 YouTube playlist.)

Day One • Day Two • Day Three

DAY ONE: RISE FROM THE FALL

I: Opening Remarks and New Histories of the Republic of Vietnam and the South Vietnamese Diaspora

Opening Remarks:
Lien-Hang Nguyen, Director, Weatherhead East Asian Institute
John Phan, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures
Duy Linh Tu, Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of Journalism, Graduate School of Journalism

Chair:
Lien-Hang Nguyen, Columbia University

Moderator:
Edward Miller, Dartmouth College

Speakers:
Mai Elliott, Pomona College (emeritus); Sean Fear, Leeds University; Adrienne Le, Columbia University

II: Beyond Legacy, Beyond Memory: South Vietnamese Literature from the Fall into the Future

Chair and Moderator: John Phan, Columbia University

Speakers: Thuý Đinh, editor, literary translator, critic; Co-editor, Da Màu, Editor-at-Large, Asymptote; freelance critic, NPR Books
Olga Dror, Professor, Department of History, Texas A&M University
Trinh Luu, U.S.-Vietnam Research Center, University of Oregon
Nu-Anh Tran, Associate Professor, Department of History & Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, University of Connecticut

Video appearances by:
Phan Nhật Nam, soldier, writer, critic, former officer in the Republic of Vietnam’s Airborne Division and author of War's Embers (Dấu binh lửa), among other works chronicling war and exile

Nhã Ca, poet and novelist, author of Mourning Headband for Hue (Giải khăn sô cho Huế), among many other works

III: Sartorial Retrospective on the Republic of Vietnam: First Ladies’ Ao Dai

Chair: Lien-Hang Nguyen, Columbia University

Moderator: Laurel Kendall, Columbia University; Curator, Asian Ethnology, Curator-in-Charge of African and Pacific Ethnology, American Museum of Natural History

Speakers: Ann Marie Leshkowich, College of the Holy Cross
Martina Nguyen, Baruch College
Tuong Vu, University of Oregon; Founding Director, U.S.-Vietnam Research Center

IV: From the Fall of Saigon to Political Participation in the U.S.

Chair and Moderator: Duy Linh Tu, Columbia University

Speakers: Lan Cao, Chapman University School of Law
Hoi Trinh, Lawyer and Executive Director, Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment

V: Keynote and Ao Dai Exhibition Featuring Kieu Chinh

Introduction by Tony Bui, Artist in Residence, Weatherhead East Asian Institute and Adjunct Professor, School of the Arts

Keynote remarks by Vietnamese American actress Kieu Chinh

DAY TWO
Co-sponsored by Columbia Global

I: From Reconciliation to Strategic Partnership: State-to-State Relations

Chair: Lien-Hang Nguyen, WEAI Director; Co-Founder of Global Vietnam Studies
Moderator: Chinh Chu, CC Capital
Speakers: Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dzung, Ambassador of Vietnam to the United States
David Shear, former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam
Thomas Vallely, Senior Advisor for Global Vietnam Studies, WEAI

II: From U.S.-Vietnam Reconciliation to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: The Future

Chair: Chinh Chu, CC Capital
Moderator: Thomas Vallely, Senior Advisor for Global Vietnam Studies, WEAI
Speakers: Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations
Daniel Kritenbrink, former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam
Annabel Lee, Director, Strategic Policy Engagements and Campaigns (APJ) and ASEAN, AWS

III: Lessons from U.S.-Vietnam Reconciliation: Roadmap for the World

Chair: Wafaa El-Sadr, Executive Vice President of Columbia Global
Moderator: Jean-Marie Guehenno, Director of the Kent Global Leadership Program on Conflict Resolution, SIPA
Speakers: Paige Arthur, Director of Global Programming, Columbia Global
Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, former Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations
Adam Tooze, Chair of the Committee on Global Thought; Director of the European Institute; Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of History

IV: The Making of The Vietnam War

Moderator: Lien-Hang Nguyen, WEAI Director and Co-Founder of Global Vietnam Studies

Panelists: Ken Burns, co-director and producer of The Vietnam War 
Lynn Novick, co-director and producer of The Vietnam War
Ho Dang Hoa, co-producer of The Vietnam War and Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Research
Nancy Biberman, antiwar activist; founder, Women’s Housing & Economic Development Corp.
Mai Elliot, author and translator
Roger Harris, educator and veteran (USMC)
Lo Khac Tam, veteran, People's Army of Vietnam
Thomas Vallely, Senior Advisor for Global Vietnam Studies, WEAI

DAY THREE

I: Conversations Left Unsettled: Healing the Wounds of War in Vietnam Through the Arts

Moderator: Tony Bui, Artist in Residence, Weatherhead East Asian Institute and Adjunct Professor, School of the Arts

Speakers: Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, poet and author
Peter Steinhauer, photographer

II: Cinema, War, and Conscience

Co-sponsored by the School of the Arts

Opening remarks: Sarah Cole, Dean of Columbia University, School of the Arts
Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations

Moderator: Ted Osius, former United States Ambassador to Vietnam

Speakers: Phillip Noyce, director of The Quiet American (2002)
Tony Bui, Artist in Residence, Weatherhead East Asian Institute and Adjunct Professor, School of the Arts