~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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Vietnamese star faces jail over film

LOS ANGELES - Vietnam's best-known actor has been branded a "national traitor," threatened with jail and banned from filming for five years for his portrayal of a general in the film "We Were Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson. The case came to light last week after his Hollywood co-stars launched a publicity campaign for his release, embarrassing Vietnam's rulers at a time when they want foreign investment. In the film, released earlier this year, Don Duong played the late Gen. Nguyen Huu, the commander of the North Vietnamese forces, whose troops are massacred after he is outwitted.

The National Film Censorship Council accused Duong of having "lost his honor among the people" and becoming "an instrument in the hands of forces hostile to the Vietnamese nation." Duong, once eulogized by Vietnam's Communist Party for his acting abilities, was arrested 10 days ago at his home in Ho Chi Minh City. Mel Gibson joined Patrick Swayze and Forrest Whitaker in organizing a campaign to bring pressure on the U.S. State Department to call for Duong's rehabilitation. Gibson said the actor was being unfairly treated. " 'We Were Soldiers' showed the courage of the Vietnamese soldiers," Gibson said. "Nothing he did brought dishonor to the Vietnamese people."

By Olivier Poole & Alex Spillius - Chicago Sun Times - October 13, 2002