AustLit

'Published on the 40th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam, this book brings to life the experiences and memories of South Vietnamese soldiers-the forgotten combatants of this controversial conflict.. Relates the stories of South Vietnamese soldiers through a compelling narrative driven by oral histories * Brings the experiences of these soldiers to life for the reader by sharing their compelling firsthand accounts. Draws on a key oral history collection newly established at the National Library of Australia in 2013-2014. Provides fascinating insights into the soldiers' early years, their military service and experiences, and their post-war lives. Conveys the strength of will and resilience that enabled these men and women to endure the hardships of war, the defeat of their armed forces, the loss of their country, and the challenges of becoming refugees and resettling in new lands.' (Publication summary)

'The act of remembering is a means of bringing the past alive, and an imaginative way of dealing with loss. It has been the subject of much recent scholarship, and is of particular relevance at a time of widespread transnational migration. For refugees, memory acquires a particular power and poignancy, since the country that they remember is now lost to them.

'The memories of Vietnamese refugees have been molded by their experience of diaspora, and many guard these memories with silence, a silence that relates not only to the departure from Vietnam and the exodus itself, but also to the impact of loss and grief on individual family members.

'In one of the twentieth century's major diasporas, more than two million Vietnamese left their country after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. They settled in countries as diverse as Norway and Israel and established large, thriving communities in the United States, Australia, Canada, and France. (Book jacket)