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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question_answer ANECDOTE
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.
question_answer ANECDOTE
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.
question_answer ANECDOTE
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.
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Bao Ninh's "The Sorrow of War" is a powerful and deeply moving novel that offers a searingly honest portrayal of the Vietnam War from the perspective of a North Vietnamese soldier. The narrative delves into the psychological and emotional toll of combat, exploring themes of trauma, loss, and the enduring scars of war. The book's unflinching depiction of violence and suffering is balanced by moments of tenderness and humanity, revealing the complex moral ambiguities of the conflict. Through vivid imagery and introspective prose, Ninh captures the profound impact of war on individuals and society, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. The novel is considered a landmark work of Vietnamese literature, offering a unique and essential perspective on the war.
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The Best We Could Do is an intimate and poignant graphic novel that portrays one family’s journey from war-torn Vietnam. The book, written and illustrated by Thi Bui, documents her family’s daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves in the United States. It explores themes of family, parenthood, belonging, the meaning of home, and the importance of education, as well as historical memory and narrative. The memoir is a coming-of-age story laden with issues of cultural and self-identity, intergenerational trauma, and the lasting effects of displacement.
On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces captured South Vietnam’s capital of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War. With 50 years now passed, those who left Vietnam — and subsequent generations — are reflecting on how the war and the ensuing exodus have influenced their identities and heritage. Three writers from across the Vietnamese diaspora write about the war and its lasting impacts on refugees and future generations in a new issue of the literary magazine McSweeney’s, titled “The Make Believers.” They join us to share what the anniversary means for them, and we’ll hear what it means to you.
Guests:
Thi Bui, author, illustrated memoir "The Best We Could Do"
KQED's Forum 
