More than thirty years ago, Chuck Searcy returned to Vietnam for the first time since the war. In a July interview with Quảng Trị Radio and Television, the Project RENEW co-founder looked back on that journey.
“The most special aspect of Quảng Trị, the thing that strikes almost all Americans and foreigners first, is the combination of determination, resilience and strength in the people of Quảng Trị,” he said. “But also their compassion and their forgiveness, because they have experienced so much tragedy over the past decades, with the terrible war and its terrible consequences here. And yet they remain open, warm, friendly, welcoming to everyone. It’s wonderful, and it’s an amazing characteristic of the people of Quảng Trị province.”
Comparing today’s Quảng Trị to the province he first knew, he described a place transformed: “The biggest changes are the most obvious ones, in the infrastructure, the land, and the prosperity of the local people, compared to 30 years ago, when Quảng Trị was very, very poor and desperately seeking to revitalize, to grow, to prosper, to build a new life for the people. That was a very difficult time, decades ago. And today the results are obvious. There are new buildings, new roadways and infrastructure. There is land being farmed productively. There’s industry, development, growth in services, the educational system. Everything in Quảng Trị today is so much better than it was years ago, when I first came here. Growth and the development here.”
Asked at the close of the interview what message he would send today’s generation in Vietnam and the United States about peace, Searcy answered:
“I would say, look to Quảng Trị province. Look to the people here. Look to life here today. The rebuilding that has occurred since the war. The new life that has opened up for the next generations of children here.
“Quảng Trị province is a wonderful example that the rest of us can follow. And for most of us, that example is an inspiration that motivates the rest of us to go on and try to build a world of peace, a world of compassion, and a world of sharing. So I have deep respect for the people of Quảng Trị province. I have much admiration for them, and for what they have taught us about recovery and reconciliation, peace and friendship.”
Interview by Quảng Trị Radio and Television, reporter Nguyên Bảo. Filmed July 2026.
