Memoirs of Home and Family: My Life in Vietnam - Paperback

by Huyen Thi Nguyen (Author)

This is my personal story of survival, endurance, and love. It is a tale of an Old Vietnam that no longer exists under the Communists, but my story testifies to the humanity that dwells in the hearts of the Vietnamese people. Our timeframe is Vietnam in 1945-1962, before unification. I relate the story of a warm and loving family who enjoyed the comforts of peaceful serenity in their lovely well-appointed home in the bustling An Da village in Hai Phuong. A family headed by a loving, God-fearing mother and father who then lost all that they worked hard to achieve, as they were beset by forces they could not control: forces of war from external powers who have beset Vietnam for centuries. Commencing at the important historical crossroads of the 1940s, a crucible of trials beset our family, and we commenced our diaspora to flee the violence and survive. It does not matter if the invader is from Japan, France, or the United States, nor do we discuss generals, attack plans, or politics. This is a visceral, not-often-told tale narrated from the point of view of a mother and her family constantly on the move, bound by commitment, teamwork, and love to care for one another no matter what the circumstances. These valuable lessons for my family are told from an often-neglected Vietnamese perspective, from the refugee point of view. We journey from North to South, to Saigon and to Vietnane, as we do our best to cope honorably with our ever-changing and unpredictable circumstances, often brutal and cruel, but redeeming in the kind and charitable human actions of my fellow Vietnamese. Most of all, my faith in my loving parents' legacy and my continuing unflagging faith in God is my salvation.