North Korean President Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump chose Hanoi because our city has its own characteristics that no other city in the world has. Hanoi, a thousand-year-old city, has suffered the bombs of war, division and loss. Today, Hanoi is a dynamic, modern city, but still very beautiful, an ancient but romantic beauty, modern but still has a "state-owned" beauty, resilient but still very gentle, Hanoi of gentle, friendly people. Hanoi gives people a sense of peace and safety every time they set foot in it.
The national flags of Vietnam, the United States and North Korea are solemnly placed above the symbol of a handshake of peace. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)
Every time I think of Hanoi, I remember the poem "Day Ve" by Chinh Huu: In Hanoi, even though it is peacetime, there are still images of wartime. One morning, on the streets, we can still see the silhouettes of green military uniforms mixed with fancy, eye-catching outfits, blending into the daily life of people going to the market, people walking to enjoy the cool breeze, exercising or quietly drinking coffee, reading the newspaper pensively... The special thing is that when there is war, those ordinary people of Hanoi can all take up arms to protect the city. For the people of Hanoi, it seems that war and peace have become the reason for living, they can become soldiers when necessary, become heroes on the battlefield, ready to sacrifice their lives, but when the war is over, they return to normal life with the daily work of ordinary people.
The boys have not paid their debt to heroes
The souls of the ten directions flutter the bright red flag
The shoes are tattered and worn out
The dust of the long march has faded the elegant clothes
Green hair vows to last until old age
Sun and wind. And a thousand wild flowers.
Hear the call of Hanoi people
Come back, come back, take back the homeland.
The leaders of the two countries, the United States and North Korea, may also pass by the legendary Hoan Kiem Lake. A legend about Hoan Kiem Lake is also worth pondering for the two leaders about the Vietnamese people who never made war a way of life. They were the ones who took up swords to fight the enemy, and when the war was over, they returned the magic sword to the Golden Turtle God to continue building the country. Peace in Hanoi is very precious and worthy of respect, because it was exchanged for the blood of our ancestors, of those who were willing to sacrifice to protect the independence and freedom of their nation. Each citizen can become a soldier, but when the war is over, the soldier returns to being a good citizen. Hanoi is a living museum, preserving the memories of war, but at the same time, it is also trying every day to build a long-lasting and eternal peace. The Vietnamese people can accept war as inevitable and are also willing to negotiate, end the war, close the past to build a country reborn from the ashes.
Perhaps both the US and North Korea see that in Vietnam, war is something no one wants, but when necessary, Vietnam is still ready to enter the war, and when the war is over, Vietnam is also ready to overcome the pain to rebuild the country. With North Korea, Vietnam can absolutely share a message that once enemies can still be friends, once divided can still be unified, once backward can still become modern, but still not forget tradition. Vietnam has done it, so why can't North Korea?
Author:Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh
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