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.
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