My Vietnam, Your Vietnam: A Father Flees. a Daughter Returns: a Dual Memoir by Christina Vo and Nghia M. Vo

From Three Rooms Press:

“Most Anticipated Feminist Books of 2024” —Ms. Magazine

“A more extraordinary duet has never been written.” —Eric Nguyen, author, Things We Lost to the Water

“Combines the fraught tension of Ava Chin’s Mott Street and the tenderness of Elliot Tiber’s Taking Woodstock” —Kirkus Reviews

A chronicle of the divergent journeys of a father, who fled post-war Vietnam on a small boat to find refuge in the United States, and his American-born daughter, who ventures to Vietnam as an adult, capturing the stark contrast between their perspectives as they strive to heal the longterm wounds of war.

In this dual memoir, Christina Vo and her father, Nghia M. Vo, delve into themes of identity and heritage, with intertwined stories that present a multifaceted portrayal of Vietnam and its profound influence on shaping both familial bonds and individual identities across time.

Nghia left Vietnam in April 1975 with only the clothes on his back, following the US withdrawal of troops and the fall of Saigon. After a harrowing two month journey, he found himself in a refugee camp outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where he began the painful process of reconnecting with his family and rebuilding his life as a medical doctor. He never spoke about Vietnam with his daughter, Christina, who grew up in the US, As a restless young adult, she felt a longing to discover her heritage and soon moved to Hanoi, to experience a Vietnam that had changed dramatically since the war, yet retained some of the ancient traits she experienced in her own father.

Captivating in its fluid movement and evocative depictions of place, My Vietnam, Your Vietnam offers readers a rich, multilayered exploration of Vietnam through two very distinct voices and perspectives. The memoir aims to deepen readers’ understanding and appreciation of Vietnam and its culture by showcasing these two contrasting viewpoints.