Vietnam reacts to Bush speech

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HANOI, Aug 23(Reuters): Vietnamese fought for "a righteous cause" during the U.S. war but preferred to focus on the present, a government spokesman said Thursday in reaction to President George W. Bush's speech comparing the Iraq and Vietnam conflicts.
"The war leaves consequences that are still visible today, and so are our memories," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Dung said at one of his twice-monthly media briefings.
Dung was asked to comment on a speech by Bush Wednesday in which he argued for American perseverance in Iraq by placing the unpopular war in the historical context of U.S. experiences in Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Bush delivered the speech Wednesday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Missouri.