KQED's Forum Vietnamese Diaspora Reflects on 50 Years Since Vietnam War
Apr 30, 2025
Join Doan Bui, a writer and journalist exploring themes of exile, Thi Bui, an artist and author of "The Best We Could Do," and Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, director of the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, as they reflect on 50 years since the Vietnam War's end. They discuss personal narratives of trauma and resilience within the Vietnamese diaspora, the significance of cultural identity amid displacement, and the importance of storytelling in healing generational wounds. Their insights highlight a vibrant community grappling with its past while looking toward the future.
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Family's Divided War Experiences
- Doan Bui's family experienced the Vietnam War from divided perspectives including communist North Vietnam and fleeing South Vietnam.
- Films like Apocalypse Now distorted Vietnamese voices, reducing them to stereotypes and silence.
A Delayed Escape by Boat
- Thi Bui's family stayed in Vietnam after the first refugee wave due to her birth, escaping illegally by boat in 1978.
- They spent time in a Malaysian refugee camp before resettling in the United States through sponsorship.
Creating Personal Vietnamese Narratives
- Thi Bui collected her parents' oral histories to build a coherent family narrative.
- This personal storytelling counters lacking and stereotypical Vietnam War representations in media.
