In the documentary,
“Saigon USA,” directors Lindsey and Robert Winn takes the audience through the daily
lives of many Vietnamese Americans. Not only do we get a glimpse of their lives
in the United States, but we also see the struggles that they face. “Saigon USA”
shows the differences between the Vietnamese within the US and how these groups
have different ideas and history with the nation-state. For example, in 1999 a video rental shop
owner in Westminister, California caused uproar within the Vietnamese community
for hanging up a poster of Ho Chi Minh inside his store. The owner believed
that Vietnam was better off under communist rule, which many Vietnamese members
of the community took offense to. People of the older generation that have
lived through the struggles in Vietnam during the time of Ho Chi Minh regime
were especially offended by this act. On the other hand, younger Vietnamese Americans thought these
older members were being too uptight and they did not truly understand as why
they were so upset about a mere poster. This shows the differences not only
within the ethnic group themselves, but even within generations of people. We
can also see the generational difference in the Vietnamese American diaspora in
the example shown in the documentary where a UCI student by the name of Bao
joined a protest wearing a shirt with,” American Gook” written on it. They wanted to let people know that they were
not, “gooks” but they were Americans. This was misinterpreted as someone in the
crowd yelled that, “gook means communist.” This caused confusion between the
older and younger generation, especially because there was also a language
barrier between the two. People took Bao’s intentions the wrong way and him and
his group was shoved and pushed from the protest.
Although
they are now residing in the United States, many citizens still have
transnational ties with their Southeast Asian home country.
Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture, and Politics in the Diaspora, by Kieu-Linh
Caroline Valverde, define transnationalism and explores what it truly means to
live in a diasporic community while having ties with the homeland. The largest
influence from the home country is definitely cultural norms and ideals. In
Vietnam, the belief of filial piety is a vibrant and strong ideal and many
Vietnamese Americans have taken this notion with them. We can also see that the
home country is also trying to keep ties with their diasporic groups. Before, Vietnamese who left after 1975 were
grouped as the My Nguy which meant American puppets. Now they are referred to
as the Kieu Bao, which has a more pleasant and positive connotation meaning
people from the same womb. By doing this, the Vietnamese are able to keep
connections with the Vietnamese Americans without insulting them. Author
Valverde also describes how these diasporic communities are able to keep their networks
with their home country through the media and advancement of technology. A popular show amongst the Vietnamese American
community is Paris By Night, a show that features singers and celebrities
singing and doing skits. Often times, the songs performed on the shows are
songs from the wartime that many of the Vietnamese Americans have lived
through.
Valverde also
discusses her own experience in Vietnam and how it relates to the Vietnamese
diaspora. An online virtual community called the VN Forum allowed people in
Vietnam and in the United States to write and post their differing political
views. One major thing that sparked from the VN Forum was the, “No Nike”
campaign by Thuyen Nguyen. As a member of the forum, he posted about the
inhumane treatment of workers at the Nike factory in Vietnam. He even traveled all the way to Vietnam to
visit the Nike factory to unveil the cruel, harsh working conditions these
people were in. His postings drawn in attention from both Vietnamese Americans
and Vietnamese people. This shows that
even though Vietnamese Americans are no longer living in their home country,
they still care and still have compassion for their people in the homeland. It
shows how these diasporic groups can be heavily involved with their home
nation-state’s politics while being away.
It also shows how these people can work together to better their
homeland.
Lastly, in Transnationalizing
Viet Nam: Community, Culture, and Politics in the Diaspora, Valverde
discusses the misconceptions in the Vietnamese American community with artist
Chau Huynh’s artwork. Her work showed a pedicure basin plugged into a wall
which as she explained was to pay tribute to all the Vietnamese women working
in the United States and sending money back to the families in Vietnam. This
was misinterpreted by people and it eventually even ended up on a popular
Vietnamese newspaper back in Vietnam. It caused controversy because her work
was misunderstood. Many times, notions are misinterpreted and misunderstood
within the diasporic groups due to language barrier, cultural differences, and
generational differences. This can be
seen in both the documentary, Saigon USA and in the book by Kieu-Linh Caroline
Valverde, Transnationalizing Viet Nam:
Community, Culture, and Politics in the Diaspora.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uB0pjs0CV0
Cheyenne Wong
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