US veteran becomes controversial president of Fulbright University Vietnam

There has been controversy surrounding the appointment of Bob Kerrey, a man responsible for a massacre during the Vietnam War, as president of Fulbright University.

Former US Senator Bob Kerrey. Photo: AP

On May 25, Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) was officially granted the establishment decision under the witness of US Secretary of State John Kerry. This is a 100% foreign-invested educational institution, operating not for profit. Former US Senator Bob Kerrey holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the school.

Mr. Kerrey, born on August 27, 1943, was the governor of Nebraska, USA, and was a candidate for the White House in 1992. Before pursuing a political career, he was the commander of the Combined Army and Air Force (SEAL) unit participating in the Vietnam War.

According to an investigation by CBS News and the New York Times in 2001, the special forces under Kerrey's command on February 25, 1969, committed a massacre in Khau Bang, Thanh Hoa hamlet, Thanh Phong commune, Thanh Phu district, Ben Tre province. Therefore, his becoming chairman of the FUV board of directors revived the painful feeling of the war that took the lives of more than a million Vietnamese people, many of whom were civilians, according to the Financial Times.

"I know Mr. Kerrey wants to heal the wounds of war, both for his people and the people of Vietnam," the Financial Times quoted Mr. Thai Bao Anh, a Vietnamese lawyer, as saying. "But I wonder if Mr. Kerrey has ever wondered whether his taking that position would reopen an old wound in the minds of the Vietnamese people?"

Mr. Thai, who won a Fulbright scholarship in 2003, added that he fully supports FUV's mission to improve the quality of education in Vietnam but cannot ignore former Senator Kerrey.

"I have no right to do that because this is the right of the victims who died and their relatives," he said.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Sympathizer," said he was surprised that a "problematic" person like Kerrey was chosen to lead the school.

"It's hard to ignore his past and the undeniable events that took place," Mr. Viet commented. "One can easily find someone else more suitable to lead the organization."

According to an article published in the NYTimes 15 years ago, Mr. Kerrey took responsibility for the massacre in Thanh Phong village in the past.

In a 2001 speech, the former US senator said the massacre had "haunted" him for 32 years.

In addition, Mr. Bob Kerrey, along with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator John McCain, were among those who made efforts to participate in the process of normalizing Vietnam-US relations in the 1990s.

The former senator told the Financial Times that he was “willing to withdraw” if his involvement affected FUV’s chances of success.

"I have faced my past frankly and honestly," he said. "I did bad things and will live with it for the rest of my life. But I don't live in the past. I live in the present and am trying to do everything I can to help Vietnam build a better future."

Mr. Ben Wilkinson from the Trust for University Reform in Vietnam (TUIV) sided with Mr. Kerrey. According to Wilkinson, with his experience in the field of higher education as well as his contributions to the Vietnam-US reconciliation process, Mr. Kerrey is "fully qualified" to lead Fulbright University.

According to VNE