Open letter - Austin University of Texas

Open letter to Austin University of Texas

From: Duc H. Vu

Email : vuhuyduc@yahoo.com

Phone : 408-634-8114

Blog : http://www.vuhuyduc.blogspot.com

Concerned Vietnamese American Citizens

To:
The President of University of Texas at Austin
The Director of Center for Asian Studies at UT/Austin
The Director of The Texas Language Center

Subject: Vietnamese Language Course and Instructors

Dear Sir/Madam,

We, undersigned, are Vietnamese American citizens living in the United States.

1. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, millions of Vietnamese have fled the country because they don’t accept the Communist regime.
2. As refugees, we always embrace our wishes to restore the democracy and freedom to our fellow people in Vietnam
3. We have tried so hard to keep our identity as Vietnamese against the Communism. Our heritage flag (the Yellow Background and three Red stripes) was recognized by Texas State, Travis County and City of Austin in 2004. It was also recognized by scores of States, counties, and cities all over the nation.
4. There are thousands of Vietnamese American students at the University of Texas, whose parents are refugees from Communist Vietnam. We expect that they will be taught Vietnamese language by instructors from our community.
5. When an instructor – Mr. Hoang Ngo – from Communist Vietnam, displayed the Communist flag on the official website of UT/Austin, we consider it an offence and challenge to our community.

Therefore

1. We are expressing our disagreement to the fact that our children are taught by our politically opposing side. This instructor may carry out some communist propaganda to distort the Vietnamese history and culture, in line with Communist ideology.
2. We are respectfully requesting the University of Texas to replace any Vietnamese instructors by Vietnamese American who are best qualified to the job, that we believe there are many in Austin.
3. We are respectfully requesting the University of Texas to promptly remove the Communist Vietnam flag on the UT website. A friendly reminder: the display of a Communist Vietnam Flag at UT Arlington sparked a protest by 5000 Vietnamese American right at the campus on May 30, 2006.

We are very thankful to your concern and fair resolution in this sensitive matter.

Respectfully yours,

Duc H. Vu