The news site “Destino a Panama” - one of the prestigious tourism and cultural information sites in Panama, has just published a touching article about American veterans who chose Vietnam as a place to retire.

Titled “From Enemies to Neighbors: American Veterans Choose Vietnam for the Final Chapter of Their Lives”, the article realistically depicts the humane journey of reconciliation between former soldiers.

The article begins with the story of 80-year-old former intelligence officer Chuck Searcy from Alabama (USA). After a year of fighting in Vietnam (1968), he returned and began living in Hanoi in 1994, just a few months before the two countries normalized relations.

Recalling his first return to Vietnam after the war in 1992 with a friend who was also an American veteran, Mr. Searcy shared: “We were scared when the plane landed, thinking that the Vietnamese people would hate us. However, to our surprise, we were greeted with friendly curiosity. In both the North and the South, we met Vietnamese veterans and their children. These good people did not have any animosity towards us. It was wonderful!”

Not only was he one of the pioneer veterans who returned to Vietnam after the war, but Mr. Searcy also left the biggest mark through Project Renew - an organization that discovered and neutralized more than 120,000 unexploded ordnance in Quang Tri province - the most bombed place in Vietnam.

His story demonstrates the Vietnamese spirit of humanity: “People do not harbor hatred, they want to heal the wounds of war together.”

The article continues with the touching case of veteran Jim Reischl, 78 years old. After 40 years, the veteran from Minnesota returned to search for his ex-lover and the daughter he had never met. Although he could not find his daughter, he met his ex-lover and is now living happily with his Vietnamese wife in Da Lat.

“The climate is great, the people are friendly, the costs are reasonable – I can live comfortably on my pension,” Reischl said.

Richard Brown (75 years old), a former Marine who was stationed at Chu Lai Air Base (1969 - 1970), had a different journey. In 2005, he and his wife, a Vietnamese American, left the US to escape the "crazy pace of consumerism".

“Life in Vietnam is much simpler,” he said. After working for several Vietnamese airlines until 2014, Mr. Brown decided to retire for health reasons. He now lives in a house near the beach in Da Nang and another in the Central Highlands near Pleiku.

Although he thought his military background might raise suspicions, especially when working in Hanoi, Mr. Brown was warmly welcomed by the Vietnamese people. “I was accepted, even by the Communists,” the veteran said emotionally. “This is my home and I have never regretted it.”

The articles in “Destino a Panama” are not only personal stories, but also vivid pictures of the power of harmony and reconciliation. In the context of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), these American veterans have become a living bridge for Vietnam - US relations. They are the proof of the Vietnamese military humanism: "Using great justice and humanity to defeat brutality and violence".

NDO