Cities: Seattle, Portland, Washington DC, Chicago
Dates: April 15 to May 6, 2025
Summary
Vietnam Society presented Enduring Spirit of Vietnam, a traveling conversation series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Featuring award-winning novelist Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and acclaimed photographer Peter Steinhauer, the series explored inherited memory, intergenerational healing, and the power of the arts to foster peace.
Across four major cities, audiences heard Dr. Quế Mai read poetry in Vietnamese and English, honoring the millions of lives affected by the war. Steinhauer shared photographs documenting more than three decades of travel through Vietnam, capturing its landscapes, architecture, and the enduring spirit of its people. Each conversation invited attendees to reflect on reconciliation and the roles individuals and communities can play in building a more peaceful future.
The tour concluded with book signings. Dr. Quế Mai signed The Color of Peace, The Mountains Sing, and Dust Child, and Steinhauer signed Enduring Spirit of Vietnam, recipient of Photo District News’ Best Photography Book of the Year.
City Highlights
Seattle, Washington
Date: April 15, 2025
Location: Seattle Public Library
Partners: Peacetrees, Friends of Little Saigon, Elliott Bay Book Company
Seattle opened the series with an intimate evening on memory, loss, and resilience. Poetry, photography, and community dialogue grounded the conversation in empathy and shared experience.
Portland, Oregon
Date: April 16, 2025
Location: Portland State University
Partners: WorldOregon, OVEEVA, PLACE
Portland added a special component to the program with a dedicated exhibition of Steinhauer’s Spires photographs. The conversation centered on the intersections of identity, art, and the responsibilities of remembrance.
Washington, DC
Date: April 26, 2025
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Partners: DC Public Library, Politics and Prose
The DC program emphasized generational connections, diasporic memory, and the meaning of healing within Vietnamese and Vietnamese American communities.
Chicago, Illinois
Date: May 6, 2025
Location: The Haymarket
Partners: Haymarket Books, Women and Children First
Chicago closed the tour with conversations on art, history, and the long arc of peacebuilding.
