?I was expecting hostility,? Elizabeth Clement said, referring to her University of Utah-paid trip to Vietnam.
An assistant professor of history, Clement received a grant from the Teaching Committee to participate in a faculty seminar in Vietnam.
She shared her experiences in a public lecture held Wednesday at Carlson Hall.
With a mixture of academics and veterans, the 20-member groups began their tours in the city of Saigon.
With the not-so-distant memories of the Vietnam War still in mind, Clement was not sure how she?d be greeted as an American
Many feel the United States is largely responsible for ?the damage done, not only to the people, but also to the culture of Vietnam,? according to Clement.
What she experienced was ?very surreal.?
According to Clement, she was greeted warmly by ?very nice people.? She referred to the many citizens met along the way, including those whose interests were mainly economic.
?What fascinated me was how much Vietnam has gotten over the war,? she said, in regards to the war which had a ?detrimental effect on the Vietnamese economy.?
A major reason Vietnam has been able to overcome the catastrophic events of 25 years ago is because of age, Clement said.
?Over half of the population was born after 1975,? she claimed. Thus, while many of their lives were effected by the war, they have no memory of it.
Clement presented a wide range of information pertaining to Vietnam, including a brief chronology of events and a slide show of pictures from her visit.
Born in 1968, although affected by it, Clement did not feel ?intimately connected,? with the war.
The visit helped put into perspective the culture of Vietnam and examine how far the country has come, she said.
Though the photographic account of her research will be invaluable in teaching her class on the Vietnam War, she had other motives in giving the public lecture.
With respect to the university paying for the trip, ?I kind of felt obligated to share my experience,? she said. ?I also thought it would be fun.?