U.S. Visa and the Letter from the Presidential Candidate

U.S. Visa and the Letter from the Presidential Candidate

Until now, I have always known that I would not face any trouble when applying for a U.S. visa, but every time a relative goes for a visa interview at the U.S. consulate, I still feel a bit uneasy.

A few years ago, I took my son with me on a trip to attend a conference in the U.S. in 2007. When we entered the consular room, I could see the confusion on my young son's face. Later, he told me that he was scared when he saw a poster on the wall featuring an image of a man standing behind barbed wire, with the words "If you lie once, the door in front of you will close forever." The word "you" was my translation. My son translated it as "If you..." His choice of words perfectly captured his feelings, and I believe it reflects the feelings of many people facing their first U.S. visa interview.

From a principle of law and justice, I support the message in that statement. But I don't think the U.S. needs to display such a poster in that room, next to pictures of the U.S. President and Secretary of State. To me, these are the first images one encounters of the "territory" of America. Why not display images of a civilized America with beautiful natural landscapes or pictures of famous writers, artists, sports stars, and musicians—many of whom are well-known and beloved by the Vietnamese people?

I have been to the consular rooms of several European countries, where obtaining a visa for many Vietnamese is far from easy. However, in the visa interview rooms, I only saw beautiful pictures showcasing the country's people, land, and culture. Of course, among the thousands of people interviewed, some may lie about something. And in their lies, some may be harmless, driven by confusion and uncertainty. My son certainly did not lie about anything. But in his innocent heart, the barbed wire and the threatening warning, though not aimed at him, still caused him to feel fear.

Once, during a presentation at the U.S. Center, I shared this feeling. The U.S. doesn't need to do that because detecting lies is the task of the consular staff at the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam. The true strength of any country lies in its cultural and humanitarian beauty.

But in 2009, when I entered the U.S. consular room, I did not see that poster anymore. Perhaps, not only I but also many others, either directly or indirectly, had shared this feeling with the consular staff. Or perhaps the consular officers themselves realized that the poster was unreasonable and ineffective, merely making some people feel anxious about something they did not yet understand about America.

In recent years, the U.S. has significantly expanded the issuance of visas to Vietnamese citizens, especially student visas, particularly for those who already have a visa and return to Vietnam for the summer. These students only need to send their documents by mail without undergoing an interview. This reform has made young people and their families feel relieved and closer to the U.S.

I still remember when Hillary Clinton became U.S. Secretary of State, her office sent a letter to Vietnamese people who had visited the U.S. through U.S. government programs. The letter invited them to share with the U.S. State Department what aspects of U.S.-Vietnam relations needed to be changed. It also asked them to share what the U.S. could do to improve the relationship between the two countries. The letter stated that if the recipients were reluctant to share, they could remain anonymous, and the State Department would respect their anonymity.

In the past, many Vietnamese people believed that U.S.-Vietnam relations were imposed by the U.S. government. This kind of diplomacy was often described as "dictatorial diplomacy," a practice still followed by some countries in the world. However, through Hillary Clinton's approach, I realized that the U.S. listens to its partners in order to develop relationships in the best possible way. This is a sign of respect for the countries that have relationships with the U.S. And this is the best way that the U.S. or any country should act if they want to present a positive image of their country to others.

This year, I took my wife to the U.S. to visit our two children who are studying there, and also to show her a country where I have many happy and bittersweet memories from over 20 years. When I took my wife to the U.S. consular office, I still felt uneasy and could not fully believe that she would be granted a visa. Why didn’t I trust 100%? Because if my wife came to the U.S. with me, our whole family would be there together. At that point, if I wanted to settle in the U.S., I wouldn’t have to worry or feel tortured by one member of my family needing to stay behind.

I have often heard that the U.S. does not grant visas to entire families. It sounds reasonable. However, my wife was granted a visa without having to answer any questions. But the consular officer, a woman, asked me one question: "Did we cause you any trouble with the visa process?"

Her question surprised me as I didn’t understand why she asked. I told her that personally, I had never had any trouble with my U.S. visa applications. Hearing this, she picked up a piece of paper and said in a dissatisfied tone, "I thought you were asking for our assistance because you felt we had caused some inconvenience."

At that moment, I clearly saw the letter. It was a letter from Senator John Kerry, a U.S. presidential candidate nearly seven years ago. In the letter, he requested that the U.S. consular office assist my wife and me, along with poet Nguyễn Quyến, in our smooth entry to the U.S.

After the visa interview, I thought a lot about that letter. I often thought of the U.S. as a country that worked according to strict principles, and I never imagined that a U.S. Senator or presidential candidate would sit down to write a letter asking for help to issue a visa for an unknown Vietnamese person—someone who had no particular significance to the U.S. This was not because I had been to the U.S., had American friends, or because my children were studying there. I was saying this because of the concrete actions that Americans take. I want to be fair when speaking about anyone.

I remember in 2003, I went to the U.S. on a scholarship from John Kerry's office. An assistant of John Kerry met us in his Washington office. The assistant asked me to tell him about the negative aspects of the U.S. that I had seen during my trip. In 1993, poet Hữu Thỉnh, writer Lê Minh Khuê, and I visited New York. We met the famous writer Susan Brownmiller, who took us to 42nd Street, which at that time could be called the street of sex. Everything related to sex could be found there. She told us, "I am showing you the worst parts of the U.S., while the beautiful parts, you must find on your own." Susan was a well-known author of the book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape. In 1993, that book earned her a million dollars in royalties.

In that book, she wrote a chapter about how American soldiers raped young teenagers in South Vietnam during the war. During the war, Susan worked for an American television network. But after discovering the lies of the network about the war in Vietnam, she broke her TV and quit her job. Susan had been to Vietnam and declared that she hoped Vietnam would be the only country in the world without prostitution.

During her second trip to Vietnam, she traveled from Hanoi to Saigon, observing life in the cities. She saw more prostitutes than during her first visit to Vietnam, and she was completely disappointed. I have visited the U.S. many times, and I often hear Americans ask the same question: "What bad things have you seen in the U.S.?" A professor from Berkeley University told me, "Americans are grateful to those who can identify the mistakes and bad things in the U.S." Because such discoveries only make America stronger. Perhaps the U.S. became a great power because of its ability to tell the truth.

There is one story that I still remember from my 2007 trip to the U.S. During this trip, I forgot an essential document that, without it, I could not enter the U.S. But since everything was prepared, I had to go ahead. At the security checkpoint at Los Angeles airport, the security officer took me into a security room. They told me I had to go back because I was missing the document. With my visa, only half of it mattered; the other half was the document with the living signature of the person authorized by the U.S. Immigration Service. I didn't know what to say to them. It was my fault.

Before leaving the security room to return to the waiting area and head back to Vietnam, I told the U.S. security officer that I came to the U.S. only to talk about poetry and read poetry. I told him that I had published poems in over 30 American magazines and published a poetry book in the U.S. Hearing this, he asked me the name of the book. After I told him, he bent down and typed something on a computer.

Later, I learned that he had searched for my poetry book online to verify if it was truly published in the U.S. He then smiled discreetly and asked who had translated the poetry with me. After hearing my answer, he told me I could enter the U.S. I told many Americans this story, and they couldn’t believe that I could enter the country without the necessary document.

Twenty years ago, I knew America as a country with strict laws, unwavering principles, and sometimes a mechanical way of working. But now I know another side of America, one that, although it may seem unprincipled, carries an essential principle: the principle of listening, sharing, respecting, and valuing humanity, even though there are still painful and irrational things in America that need to be spoken about.

Author: Nguyễn Quang Thiều

Article published on: 02/08/2011 05:00 GMT+7
Source: www.Vietnamnet.vn