My Personal Exhibit
I am the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants who arrived in America after 1975. My parents grew up in a traditional, conservative family that values education, culture, and heritage. They value those aspects, and hope to teach them to us as my sisters and I began to grow up.
In this special, personal exhibit, I will take you on a journey of how my parents grew up in Vietnam during the tough times of the Vietnam War, and how I began to grow up and began to explore my heritage as an American-born Vietnamese.
Vietnam (Việt Nam) is located in Southeast Asia, bordering next to Cambodia, Laos, and China. Many people knew Vietnam from the war from 1954 to 1975, but as many people began to move on from the tragic event, people started to see Vietnam as a beautiful country with incredible food, people, and environment. As I am exploring the country, with a new cultural environment miles away from home, as well as new friendships created on the way, I hope to get a better understanding of the country and culture, and explore more of my family history and connections.
How A Vietnamese Family Looks Like
In every Vietnamese family, we name our relatives based on how the families refer to them. For example on my dad's side, I call my grandparents Ông Nội (grandpa) and Bà Nội (grandma). On my mom's side, I call my grandparents Ông Ngoại (grandpa) and Bà Ngoại (grandma).
Every family comes from different parts of Vietnam, and they refer relatives based on the region they were from. My dad's side is from the historic city of Huế, and I call my relatives either O (aunt) or Bác (uncle). My relatives' names were based on nicknames they call each other when they were young. Meanwhile on my mom's side, I call my relatives either Dì (aunt) or Cậu (uncle). My mom's side is from the southern part of Vietnam (Bến Tre) where they would refer each other based on the numerical hierarchy system. For example, my cousins call my mom Dì Tám (Aunt #8) because she was the "8th" child (technically the 6th child) born in the family.
Since my parents came from the central and southern parts of Vietnam, I call my parents Ba (dad) and Mẹ (mom). Other families call their parents in other Vietnamese words, depending which region they're from.
Timeline in Historical Context
July 21, 1954 - The Geneva Conference took place; Vietnam was divided by the 17th parallel, forming North (also known as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (also known as the Republic of Vietnam)
1954-1955 - The Great Migration of people fleeing from North Vietnam to South Vietnam
October 26, 1955 - Ngô Đình Diệm became the first president of South Vietnam
May 6, 1959 - President Diệm issued his 10/59 Edict, cracking down anyone associated with the Communist movement
January 17, 1960 - The Đồng Khởi Movement began in Bến Tre, sparking the beginning of the Vietnam War
December 20, 1960 - The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, also known as the Việt Cộng (VC), was formed
May 8-November 2, 1963 - The Buddhist Uprising began after buddhists protested against President Diệm's policies
January 30, 1968 - A surprise attack was made by the VC and the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), marking the beginning of the Tết Offensive
January 31-March 2, 1968 - The VC and the PAVN attacked Huế
January 31-February 5, 1968 - The VC and the PAVN attacked Bến Tre
March 29, 1973 - US troops were evacuated from South Vietnam by the order of President Richard Nixon
April 30, 1975 - The VC took control of the city of Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War
1975-1995 - Vietnamese civilians escaped the country to seek freedom and opportunity
My Parents' Stories
Growing Up in a Vietnamese Family
Discovering My Cultural Identity
Long time ago when I was a kid, my family and I travelled to Vietnam every summer to visit relatives and places around the country. During those times, our parents gave us opportunities to engage and interact with the culture and environment in Vietnam. Since 2007, we stopped our annual visits to Vietnam as my sisters and I began to grow up and focused more on our educations.
After receiving my Master's degree, I received an offer to work at an international school as a school librarian in Vietnam. At first I was not too thrilled to leave the country, but my parents convinced me this could be an opportunity for me to explore Vietnam independently as an adult and learn the culture while working. Many challenges were faced, but I was able to push through the obstacles and adapted to my surroundings thanks to my parents, and friends I've met during my Vietnam journey.
To learn how America was introduced to Vietnam through trade and exports, click the button below!