Vietnam Today" Tour Interest Meeting October 25

SALISBURY, MD -- "Vietnam Today," is the title of a two-week tour of Vietnam in summer 2001 that will be sponsored by the Department of Political Science and the Fulton School of Liberal Arts at Salisbury State University. The purpose of the tour is to gain an understanding of contemporary Vietnam and to explore possibilities for future educational, cultural and business relations. The organizers of the tour, Dr. Harry Basehart and Ken Basile, invite tour inquiries from the general public in the Salisbury area as well as members of the University community.

A tour interest meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 25 in Fulton Hall Room 128 at 7 p.m..

The tour will focus on Vietnamese history, culture and recent changes in the lives of the people of Vietnam. Historic sites and cities on the itinerary include Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, the Imperial Citadel in Hue and Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), as well as sites associated with the Vietnam War: Da Nang, Marble Mountain and the tunnels of Cu Chi. Lectures will cover topics such as "Vietnamese Modern Arts," "Education in Vietnam," "Agricultural Production and Potential" and "Vietnamese Calendar, Secular, and Religious Holidays." Of special interest will be changes that have occurred in Vietnam since the policy of "doi moi" (renovation) was adopted in 1986. "Doi moi" refers to "a series of economic reforms designed to move Vietnam from a centrally planned and controlled economy to a market economy regulated by the government."

Although the Vietnam War has been over for 25 years, steps toward reconciliation between the two countries have been slow in coming. Formal diplomatic relations were established in 1995 and Douglas "Pete" Peterson, former Vietnam War POW, was named U.S. ambassador to Vietnam in 1997. In part, the initiative for this trip is a result of a six-week visit by two officials of The Vietnam-USA Society to Salisbury State in 1999.Tour dates are July 15-31, 2001. Basehart and Basile are both Vietnam War veterans. Basehart, who visited Vietnam in 1997, can be reached at 410-543-6242 and Basile at 410-543-6271.