US war veteran and poet Kevin Bowen, who recently exhibited his portraits of Vietnamese artists in Hanoi, has dedicated his life to bridging the gap between American and Vietnamese culture.

A Vietnam War veteran, Bowen encountered numerous difficulties trying to send Vietnamese writers to the US before the two countries normalized their relationship in 1995.

“Just like other Americans sent to fight in the Vietnam War, I found Vietnam really special and intriguing. However, when I came back to the US, I realized that the media depicted the country and its people very inaccurately. It later dawned on me that I needed to reconcile the differences and settle misunderstandings,” Bowen stressed.

He recalled that at that time, several organizations of expat Vietnamese in the US were strongly against any exchange or dialogue between the two countries. They wanted Americans to view Vietnam as frozen in its wrathful past.

“Once a group of expat Vietnamese and Americans gathered in protest outside a poetry reading of ours. Poet Carolyn Forche stepped out and invited them in. I think they were astonished that what they heard inside was literary verse, not political propaganda,” Bowen remembered.

He added that Vietnamese artists, writers, and poets brought their brilliant experiences and stories to the US, which he believes should be translated into English to better promote Vietnamese literature. Vietnamese expats also brought many tangible objects symbolic of Vietnam to the US such as wooden bowls, spoons, sedge mats, and bamboo baskets that they displayed during exchanges.

Earlier this month, the poet held an exhibit in Hanoi showcasing 34 portraits of Vietnamese artists who he has always looked up to.   Bowen began painting portraits with his wife’s help after he sustained damage to part of his left brain following a fall which seriously affected his long-term memory. This made reading and writing, which used to be a key part of his life, painstakingly difficult.

He thus switched to painting portraits. His new passion gives him the company of those depicted in his works, who are dear to his heart.

“Portraiture uncovers world perspectives which I once thought only literature could provide. The artists’ world perspectives are what I’ve been after in the portraits,” Bowen shared, adding that he has painted a number of local artists, including poet Pham Tien Duat and writer Nguyen Quang Sang. Bowen paints from photos as well as from memories of his time with Vietnamese artists.

He and his wife first came to Vietnam in 1988, traveling to Hanoi, Hue, and HCMC.

“In some ways, the exhibit and the portraits mark the miraculous journey my wife and I took during the past 25 years,” he said.

The American poet returns to Vietnam every year, driven by his love for the country and his desire to see old friends.

“Vietnam and Ireland are both really important in my life. My son Myles once told his class that he has both Ireland and Vietnamese origins,” he shared.

He hopes that he and others in his group will launch more translation projects and gather and train a new batch of young translators in Vietnam. For instance, Tom Kane, the new director of the US-based William Joiner Institute for the Study of War and Social Consequences, plans to launch more projects in health and culture in Vietnam.