Overview

My Heritage is a story of love and separation, friendship and conflict, hope and endurance, life and death through the eyes of three generations of the author's family. It shows the influence of historical and mythological figures, language and poetry on the lives of ordinary Vietnamese. It brings to life traditional festivities in villages, revolutionary activities in French colonial towns, mass destruction in provinces subjected to 'US free bombing', chaos in the cultural melting pot of Saigon, and sufferings under the Communist regime. From the late 1930s to the early 1940s Minh Hien's grandfather was the Village Chief of Cultural Activity and her granduncle was the Chief of their ancestral village in North Vietnam. Her grandmother was a tobacco merchant. In order to attend school, her father lived with Grandaunt Trinh, who was one of the richest women in Ho Chi Minh's ancestral land. When Vietnam was divided in 1954, her father fled the Communist-dominated North, leaving behind his wife and baby son. Minh Hien's mother was born in Quang Tri, the first province on the southern side of the Ben Hai River. She lost her father at the age of eight. Bound by family tradition, she worked selflessly for her extended family. Minh Hien was born in central Vietnam and grew up in Saigon. 1975 saw the Fall of Saigon. In 1977, her brothers were forced to live as fugitives and finally escaped from Vietnam. In 1981, at the age of seventeen, she herself fled her country in a small boat. My Heritage 'not only recounts the events, persons and places that featured in Hien's life; it gives the reader an unforgettable insight into daily life, into the strong web of relationships and friendships that form the framework of one girl's story and of her country's strength. The detail is amazing, and it lets the reader experience through each of the senses the sights, sounds, and even foods of Hien's homeland ... The horrors of the War, its aftermath, the subsequent lack of freedom and the loss of all once held dear -- these form the matrix out of which the family's dangerous escape is narrated. Yet through all the fear and constant tension, the inherent strength and love of Hien's parents and siblings shine forth. It is hard to put the book down as the net tightens around the boys and the father bargains for their escape with everything he has earned in a lifetime.' Catherine Hammond, Editor.

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9780994602824

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Reviews

'The engaging story-line and overall narrative structure, the poetic sensibility, the fascinating cultural knowledge, the warmth and passion of the voice, and the very emotionally moving revelations of the impact of war and revolution on families and on culture are evident and work brilliantly - I often felt tearful or distressed as I read of the terrible things happening in such a beautiful country and family.' Patti Miller, Author. 'It is powerful, moving and quite remarkable.' Rod Morrison, Picador Publisher (formerly). 'This is a significant and often beautiful and very sad book.' Peter Bishop, Varuna Creative Director (formerly). 'Outstanding work. A richly detailed and poignant moment in a young life.' Elizabeth Stewart, Author. 'A fascinating non-fiction piece of work that is both colourful and amazingly well detailed.' Laurent Boulanger, Author. 'An extensively researched and beautifully written piece that looks at the recent history of Vietnam.' Trish Bolton, Journalist Lecturer. 'An outstanding journal.' Carolyn Beasley, Author. 'Hien! I think what you've done is marvellous! Such a lovely book ... the way it retains its beautiful delicacy, even through the worst and saddest times.' Judith Lukin-Amundsen, Editor. 'This is a unique blend of a poetic dreamlike style with real history and political events. A warm sense of love and harmony pervades despite the accounts of wars and the tension leading up to what the West knows as the Vietnam War . The author is good with details; they are varied, rich and colourful, particularly when she describes the wonderful smells, tastes, and scenery of her country.' Catherine Hammond, Editor 'It has been a bitter-sweet experience reading Minh Hien's fascinating story My Heritage. Whilst it has been absorbingly interesting it has spelled out for me the enormous difficulties her family has undergone. As her first teacher in Tasmania I had no idea of her family history although I knew her brothers as well as teaching Minh Hien. Thirty years later I have been allowed to enter her world and that of all the Vietnamese people I taught and shared with in the eighties. The book demonstrates the tenacity and determination of three generations of her family and the courage they have shown in challenging circumstances. I feel humble to have been involved in a small way and am grateful to Minh Hien for sharing this story in so much detail.' Margaret Eldridge, AM, Author. 'I find My Heritage a poignant and moving account of an extended family and their struggle to retain dignity through unimaginable circumstances. We read a story of Vietnam through family life, food, geography and recent history. We can begin to comprehend the values and culture of the society presented without judgement or political bias. It is an important book for us all if we are to understand the world and plight of displaced people right now!' Amanda Wojtowicz. 'Reading the book is just as is described. Packed with emotions and history of family and country.' Gabriel Petri.

Author Information

Pen name: Minh Hien. In 1981, when seventeen-year-old Minh Hien fled Vietnam in a tiny fishing boat to follow her quest for education, she left behind her parents, her safety and her customs. Through the rough waters, she carried a rich culture and the stories of three generations in her heart, which she now shares in her memoir, My Heritage: Vietnam fatherland motherland. In July 1981, Minh Hien, who spoke very little English, arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. In November, the following year, she sat for six level-three matriculation examinations and was awarded the prizes for the highest mark in Analysis and Statistics and the Tasmania University Exhibition. She then enrolled for a Bachelor of Engineering and was awarded the H.M. Bamford Scholarship. Four years later, she graduated with honours and was awarded a postgraduate scholarship for a research degree in engineering, specialising in Adaptive Control. In 2006, Minh Hien received an Australian Society of Authors Mentorship to write My Heritage. She has been selected to participate in the ACT Writers Centre's Hardcopy 2019 national professional development program to write her memoir. Minh Hien has worked with more than ten organisations in various industries in Hobart and Sydney and held many senior positions in various professions. She worked at Tasmania Migrant Resource Center, Electrolyic Zinc Company of Australasia, Telecom Australia, University of Tasmania, Australian Newsprint Mills Limited, Tasmanian General Insurance Office, Hydro Electric Commission, Credit Union Services Corporation Australia Limited, Macquarie University etc. She worked as an engineer, IT programmer and consultant, systems accountant, manager, educator, researcher, etc. While working, she studied for eight qualifications in the fields of Engineering, Accounting, Commerce, Management, Arts and Education. Among her postgraduate qualifications are a Master of Engineering Science, a Master of Commerce, a Master of Arts in Writing and a Master of Higher Education with Australian universities. Minh Hien has presented papers at international conferences: the International Federation of Automatic Control in Newcastle, Australia in 1988; the International Conference on Information Systems Management and Evaluation in Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, Vietnam in 2013; the European Conference on IS Management and Evaluation in Ghent, Belgium in 2014; the International Conference on Computer Research and Development in Nha Trang, Vietnam in 2016, the European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) International Conference on Nature of Computation and Communication (ICTCC) and International Conference on Context-Aware Systems and Applications (ICCASA) conference in Tam Ky, Vietnam in 2017; the International Conference on Language, Society and Culture in Asian Contexts (LSCAC) in Hue, Vietnam in 2018; the 41st ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE) in Montr�al, Canada in 2019; the 5th VietTESOL International Convention in Hue, Vietnam in 2019, etc.

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