This past Monday, Vietnamese musical producer and democracy activist Truc Ho flew to Washington D.C., hoping to meet with the President of the United States. Mr. Truc has been looking forward to this day, campaigning non-stop over the case of the imprisoned musician Viet Khang. However, upon his arrival at the White House, Mr. Truc was not greeted by the President, or even a representive on his behalf. What followed instead were a series of confusing events which many are still trying to understand.
The full details of what happened at the White House is still unclear, the only certainty is that there was miscommunication, on many fronts. According to sources, Mr. Truc was expected at the White House, but his hosts were unclear on who they were meeting. The officials at the White House had organized a conference briefing on the leaders of the Vietnamese youth, thinking that Truc Ho was a leader of this group. When Truc Ho arrived in the conference room, he thought he was in the wrong place. To his surprise, this room was meant for him.
When it became clear that the White House officials had made a mistake, Truc Ho had to explain to them that he was not a leader of the Vietnamese youth. He was simply a democracy activist trying to raise the issue of human rights in Vietnam to the U.S. government. After this disappointing ordeal, Mr. Truc Ho departed from the White House and proceeded outside to his many supporters at the White House entrance. Many of Truc Ho’s supporters had made the trip to Wasington with him, showing that they are behind him 100%.
In the end, Mr. Truc Ho did not meet President Obama, though he was contacted by the White House at the beginning. Even so, this event should not be labelled as a failure. Because of his efforts, Truc Ho was able to spread awareness across the globe about the human rights abuses in Vietnam. Not only did he capture the attention of the Vietnamese in the United States, but in many other countries all over the world. In 30 short days, Truc Ho’s petition had achieved 149,050 signatures! Thanks to him, citizens in America, Canada, Australia, France, and many other nations know of Viet Khang and Vietnam’s desperate need for change.
This struggle for freedom and democracy in Vietnam is not a one step process. It is long and difficult, with many challenges and obstacles along the way. The belief that President Barack Obama was going fix all of Vietnam’s problems was simply too good to be true. Truc Ho may not have met with the President, but his movement was a success. I commend Mr. Truc Ho, along with his team over at SBTN for all of their hard work. Thanks to them, the Vietnamese across the world are united. Not only that, but the people in Vietnam now know we are out there, and that we stand behind them no matter what. This is not the end, people, this is only the beginning. Freedom for Vietnam.
Freedom For Vietnam 