Vietnam actor considered for resettlement
HANOI - A Vietnamese actor vilified by the government for his
roles in two Hollywood movies about the Vietnam War is being "favorably
considered" for resettlement in the United States, an official said Friday.
Don Duong, 45, has been savagely
criticized as a "national traitor" in the state-run
press for appearing in the recently released
U.S. movies "We Were Soldiers" and "Green
Dragon," which Vietnam claimed distorted its
history and harmed the country's image.
"Authorities are considering Don Duong's
application favorably," a Ministry of Public
Security official said on condition of anonymity.
The official declined to say when a decision
would be announced.
Duong applied to emigrate to the United States with his two sons about a
month ago, the official said.
The state-run media led a strident campaign against the film "We Were
Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson (news) and based on the first major clash
between U.S. troops and the North Vietnamese army in November 1965, a
bloody three-day battle in central Ia Drang valley.
The official army newspaper, People's Army, said Duong had tarnished the
image of the Vietnamese soldiers and people and had "sold his conscience
cheaply and become a national traitor."
Duong played North Vietnamese commander Nguyen Huu An. The film, not
officially approved in Vietnam but widely available on bootleg DVDs, depicts
both sides fighting fiercely and suffering heavy casualties.
Duong also played a Vietnamese refugee in the film "Green Dragon," which
costarred Patrick Swayze (news) and Forest Whitaker (news) and was
directed by his nephew Timothy Bui, who is based in Los Angeles.
Last month, Duong offered a passionate defense of his work in an open
letter to his two sons, ages 16 and 11, so they "can know the truth, to affirm
that I am always and forever not a traitor."
By Tini Tran - The Associated Press - December 13, 2002
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