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For English readers wishing to learn more about Vietnamese history
and culture, the choices are abundant. However, while countless
memoirs have been written by Americans about their unique
experiences during the Vietnam War, an informative English text
about the History of Vietnam written by Vietnamese-Americans is
still a rare encounter. Able to peruse French, English, and
Vietnamese writings, the authors have committed themselves to
produce a book with abundant illustrations that addresses select
aspects of Vietnamese history and culture for the new generations.
There is no intent to refight old battles or to appeal to cultural
pride, just stories, as unbiased and documented as possible, about
a country and its people that deeply impacted America. Each of the
authors may have shown a certain professional bias. The surgeon
(Dang) uses a more dissecting and analytical approach in his
treatment of complex topics (e.g. reviewing the whole Vietnam
history in one chapter and analyzing the Viet identity in another)
or national heroes (e.g. General Ly Thuong Kiet, author of the
first Vietnamese Declaration of Independence; General Tran Hung
Dao, who vanquished the Mongols; Le Loi in his 10-year struggle
against the Ming occupation army). On the other hand, the
pediatrician (Ho) tends to choose younger, lesser heroes (e.g. Lady
Trieu instead of the famous Trung Sisters), notable either for
their precocity (e.g. Ky Dong who became Gauguin's friend; Cao
Thang who manufactured firearms; Le Quy Don with his presence of
mind and erudition) or their exceptional position at a turning
point of history (e.g. Little Prince Canh who met Thomas Jefferson
and Queen Marie Antoinette in Paris at a period when revolutions
occurred in the US, France and Vietnam; exiled King Duy Tan who
supported Charles de Gaulle and fought as a Major in the Free
French navy during World War II). A few chapters use original
sources: old French documents pertaining to the conditions of
Vietnam when first exposed to the West and the Christian religion
in the 17th century, and when falling prey to French colonialism in
the second half of the 19th century. The book also includes reviews
of Vietnamese Buddhism, traditional medicine, firearms, and
astronomy in the Middle Age. It concludes with an assessment of the
recent adaptation of the Vietnamese diaspora to its new life in
America.
For English readers wishing to learn more about Vietnamese history
and culture, the choices are abundant. However, while countless
memoirs have been written by American combatants or civil
participants about their unique experiences during the Vietnam War,
an informative, enjoyable English text about the History of Vietnam
is still a rare encounter. Able to peruse French, English, and
Vietnamese writings, the authors have committed themselves to
produce a book with abundant illustrations that addresses select
aspects of Vietnamese history and culture for the new generations.
There is no intent to refight old battles or to appeal to cultural
pride, just eye-opening, entertaining pieces of knowledge about a
country that deeply impacted America. Each of the authors may have
shown a certain professional bias. The surgeon (Dang) uses a more
dissecting and analytical approach in his treatment of complex
topics (e.g. reviewing the whole Vietnam history in the first
chapter) or national heroes (e.g. General Tran Hung Dao, who
vanquished the Mongols). On the other hand, the pediatrician (Ho)
tends to choose younger, lesser heroes (e.g. Lady Trieu instead of
the famous Trung Sisters), notable either for their precocity (e.g.
Ky Dong who became Gauguin's friend) or their exceptional position
at a turning point of history (e.g. Little Prince Canh who met
Thomas Jefferson and Queen Marie Antoinette in Paris at a period
when revolutions occurred in the US, France and Vietnam). A few
chapters use original sources: old French documents pertaining to
the conditions of Vietnam in the 17th century when the country was
first exposed to the West and particularly to the Christian
religion, and in the second half of the 19th century when Vietnam
was falling prey to French colonialism. The book concludes with an
assessment of the recent adaptation of the Vietnamese diaspora to
its new life in America.
The fall of Saigon in 1975 triggered an exodus of 2 million persons
in search of freedom. "The Vietnamese Mayflowers of 1975" tells the
experiences of a group of professionals who left their homeland
under dire situations. Now well adjusted within a diverse American
society, they identify themselves with the Mayflower pilgrims as
they too crossed the seas in search of freedom. For anyone with an
interest in Vietnam and her people, this book will be a source of
information and inspirations. "The Vietnamese Mayflowers of 1975"is
about growing up within a culturally vibrant South Vietnamese
society, about a uniquely enriching wartime medical education,
about losing the only world and life that one ever knew, about
surviving the rigors of reeducation camps, about embarking onto
dangerous odysseys, and about the poignant rebuilding of
professional lives. Written by people who actually lived the
events, this historic documentary is complemented with synopses of
Vietnamese culture and history, descriptions of a peaceful way of
life before the winds of war, and recollections of an American
Professor assisting medical education in Saigon. The book also
contains emotional accounts of the younger Vietnamese-Americans to
define their lives and rediscover their roots. Striving to maintain
the book's uniqueness and preserve its veracity by avoiding strong
political overtones, the Editors hope that the book will entertain,
inform and inspire.
Our life is a reflection of the times we lived in. "The Vietnamese
Mayflowers" is about growing up within a culturally and spiritually
vibrant South Vietnamese society, about a uniquely challenging and
enriching wartime medical education, about losing the only world
and life that one ever knew, about surviving the rigors and
humiliation of reeducation camps, about embarking onto dangerous
and unpredictable odysseys, and most importantly about the poignant
rebuilding of personal and professional lives. Humbled by chains of
events beyond human comprehension, many referred to fate,
providence, luck, karma, destiny, fortune, miracle, grace or God in
their accounts. This endeavor is designed to provide a historic
document written by people who actually lived the events for future
reference. Included are reviews of Vietnamese history and culture,
descriptions of a peaceful way of life in the South before the
winds of war, recollections of an American Professor assisting
medical education in Saigon, as well as emotional accounts of the
younger generations to define and preserve their roots. The Editors
attempted to maintain the book's uniqueness and preserve its
veracity by using a trilingual approach and avoiding strong
political overtones. The Editors hope that the book will entertain,
inform and inspire, and that it will grow to become a written
memorial to the largest maritime diaspora to occur in human
history.
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