A memorable encounter: US professor shares impressions of meeting with Vietnamese President Luong Cuong

On September 24, Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong and a delegation of high-ranking officials stopped briefly in Anchorage, Alaska, on the way home from meetings at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Prior to President Cuong’s arrival, I was honored to be invited by Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan, Consul General of Vietnam in San Francisco, California, to gather a group of students with Vietnamese roots and their families to welcome the president to Alaska.

I am a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), where I teach writing, literature, and Vietnamese studies. Since 2019, I’ve had the good fortune to research and teach frequently in Vietnam, volunteering at Ngoi Nha Tri Tue (House of Wisdom), an award-winning lifelong learning institute operating in communities across Vietnam, as well as teaching at various universities, including Hanoi University of Business and Technology.

In the process, I have established many friendships and professional contacts. These relationships resulted in delegations of Vietnamese educators and diplomats visiting UAA in 2023 and 2024, which in turn led to my role in assisting with President Cuong’s visit.

On this special night, the president’s Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 rolled up to the gate at Ted Stevens International Airport after standing by for two hours in New York due to Super Typhoon Ragasa. Inside, a group of 20 people lined a red carpet, excited to meet one of Vietnam’s senior-most leaders. Several wore ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) and waved Vietnamese flags.

When President Cuong and his spouse Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet, accompanied by dozens of aides and other dignitaries, emerged from the jetway, my daughter and I presented the guests with flowers and a gift of smoked salmon, one of Alaska’s most renowned delicacies.

As he moved along the reception line, President Cuong chatted kindly with each member of the welcoming party. Through his translator, the president asked a young boy in a deep blue ao dai what grade he was in and was delighted when the boy answered confidently in Vietnamese "Sáu," which means sixth.

Dinh Nguyen Kim Ngoc, 30, attended the welcoming ceremony with her family, including her twin two-year-old daughters, who wore matching white dresses and yellow rubber duck boots for the occasion.

Ngoc is from Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam and has lived in Alaska for three years. She studies business at UAA, works at her sister-in-law’s Vietnamese restaurant, and is nine months pregnant. Still, she was happy to make time in her busy schedule to meet President Cuong.

“It was a big honor, a very special occasion,” she said. “When I told my parents in Bien Hoa, they were very surprised.”

Ngoc’s husband, Nguyen Le Nhat Dong, 34, was likewise thrilled to greet President Cuong. Dong, also from Bien Hoa, has lived in Alaska for ten years and is a graduate of UAA, where he studied computer science and computer networking.

He works with Ngoc in his sister's restaurant, aptly named Gia Dinh (Family), which is considered the most authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Alaska. The evening with President Cuong left Dong, a soon-to-be father of three, feeling very proud.

“It was incredible," he said, “a milestone in my lifetime.”

Ben Nguyen, a 20-year-old freshman at UAA, brought his mother, Thao Nguyen. Both are from central Hue City, and they have been living in Alaska for three months. Ben plans to study history and hopes to become a history teacher one day.

“I was very nervous, but also very excited,” Ben said about meeting President Cuong.

“This was the first time and most likely the last time I will ever have such an experience. Growing up, I only saw presidents on TV.”

When asked what he would remember the most about that night, Ben said, “I learned something from him about being a man. He told me to always remember our culture while living here.”

After greeting the president along the red carpet, the whole group, including U.S. Secret Service agents, proceeded to the airport’s VIP lounge. Fresh fruit and tea were served. President Cuong inquired about the seasons in Alaska and expressed regret at arriving too late at night to see Alaska’s beautiful landscape, which he had read about.

To this, I said, “Next time,” and invited the president to return to Alaska anytime, maybe in the summer when the weather is warmer and the sun shines all night. I mentioned that my friends at Ngoi Nha Tri Tue and I dream of starting an exchange program between university students in Vietnam and Alaska, and President Cuong agreed that this was a good idea.

I can speak a little Vietnamese, maybe at the level of a little child, so I often relied on the president’s translator during our conversation. The group also discussed a class I will teach this semester on early 20th-century Vietnamese history and the roots of the revolution, featuring notable figures such as Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chau Trinh, Nguyen An Ninh, and, of course, Ho Chi Minh.

President Cuong seemed happy to hear that such a course is available in Alaska, but stressed the importance of interpreting history accurately and from the correct perspective.

“Em sẽ cố gắng [I’ll do my best],” I replied.

By the time the meeting with President Cuong concluded, it was nearly 2:00 am. Dong and Ngoc’s young twin daughters were visibly exhausted, but both parents said the experience was well worth it. The president gave each child a General Vo Nguyen Giap pin, which they will no doubt keep forever.