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The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family
A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Duong Van Mai Elliott's The Sacred Willow illuminates recent Vietnamese history by weaving together the stories of the lives of four generations of her family. Beginning with her great-grandfather, who rose from rural poverty to become an influential landowner, and continuing to the present, Mai Elliott traces her family's journey through an era of tumultuous change. She tells us of childhood hours in her grandmother's silk shop, and of hiding while French troops torched her village, watching while blossoms torn by fire from the trees flutter "like hundreds of butterflies" overhead. She makes clear the agonizing choices that split Vietnamese families: her eldest sister left her staunchly anti-communist home to join the Viet Minh, and spent months sleeping in jungle camps with her infant son, fearing air raids by day and tigers by night. And she follows several family members through the last, desperate hours of the fall of Saigon-including one nephew who tried to escape by grabbing the skid of a departing American helicopter. Based on family papers, dozens of interviews, and a wealth of other research, this is not only a memorable family saga but a record of how the Vietnamese themselves have experienced their times.
506 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Duong Van Mai Elliott
8 books41 followersDương Văn Mai Elliott is a Vietnamese-American writer and translator. She was born and raised in Vietnam, and was awarded a scholarship in 1960 to pursue post-secondary education in the United States. She then studied diplomacy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington D.C. She graduated from Georgetown in 1963 with a major in Political Science. She then returned to Saigon, where she worked for the RAND Corporation interviewing Viet Cong prisoners of war and defectors for a research project to determine the morale and motivation of the guerrillas during the Vietnam War. She met her American husband, David W.P. Elliott, (now a professor of Political Science) while a student in Washington, D.C., and the two married in Saigon.
In the years following her move to the United States with her husband, she made several trips to Vietnam. Her most recent visits included trips as a guest lecturer for an Asia Society tour in February 2000, as a member of a private Vietnamese-American delegation vetted by the White House for President Clinton's visit to Vietnam in November 2000, and as a guest lecturer for Smithsonian study tours in February 2001 and March 2002.
After a long career in corporate banking, she resigned her job to write her family story, The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family, which was published by Oxford University Press in April 1999 (under the name of Duong Van Mai Elliott). The Sacred Willow was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and was a finalist for the Asian-American literary award in the year 2000.
(from http://vi.uh.edu/vnwomen/maielliott.htm)
In the years following her move to the United States with her husband, she made several trips to Vietnam. Her most recent visits included trips as a guest lecturer for an Asia Society tour in February 2000, as a member of a private Vietnamese-American delegation vetted by the White House for President Clinton's visit to Vietnam in November 2000, and as a guest lecturer for Smithsonian study tours in February 2001 and March 2002.
After a long career in corporate banking, she resigned her job to write her family story, The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family, which was published by Oxford University Press in April 1999 (under the name of Duong Van Mai Elliott). The Sacred Willow was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and was a finalist for the Asian-American literary award in the year 2000.
(from http://vi.uh.edu/vnwomen/maielliott.htm)
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July 6, 2026
Middle-Class Anti-Communism 101…
Preamble:
--I’ve been working on videos (see @TheConspiracyIsCapitalism) where I walk through step-by-step my preferred methodologies (with plenty of diagrams!). The first series:
i) learns lessons from the “Vietnam War”
ii) applies these to today’s war
--The book I relied on the most was Kolko’s 688-page tome Anatomy of a War: Vietnam, the United States, and the Modern Historical Experience (so, I won’t repeat my big picture summary here). Kolko was very impressed by the Vietnamese Communists’ epic struggle.
--Elliott’s book was perhaps the second most useful, since it gives a conflicting perspective, Vietnamese anti-Communists, which I’ll focus on here. The pathology of middle-class apathy is a crucial topic to dissect (5 stars for what I learned), even though it’s a frustrating and uninspiring perspective (how many stars to remove?). At least this book is well-written given its readable autobiographical storytelling (optimal for building empathy) interspersed with concise historical overviews.
Highlights:
1) Traditional Ruling Class:
--As my video series details, colonialism/imperialism rely on divide-and-rule, exploiting the contradictions of traditional societies (esp. class conflicts) by bribing the traditional ruling class.
--Note: we should not assume “traditional” means eternal. Prior to the rise of agricultural hierarchies was hunting-gathering egalitarianism: Affluence Without Abundance: The Disappearing World of the Bushmen
--Elliott’s father comes from the traditional Confucian bureaucracy, providing an intimate view of its contradictions:
i) Confucian class values:
--In the Confusion value hierarchy, scholars (mandarins; the bureaucracy) was at the top. Elliott lists peasants next, as they were culturally valued (recognized as the productive base), but landlords obviously had more political power (patron-client relationship; perhaps Elliott just grouped landlords with the bureaucracy). Money activities were seen as parasitic/immoral; thus, artisans and especially merchants were at the bottom culturally.
--Under this hierarchy, Elliott frames merchants as progressive in challenging the status quo, including financing reforms and allowing women’s education.
ii) Patriarchy and nepotism:
--Family, especially the father/husband, commanded loyalty. Elliott provides useful insights as a daughter of a mandarin patriarch.
--When confronted with French colonialism, the Confucian bureaucracy was split between:
a) Engagement:
--Elliott frames the ambivalence of some elites, eventually agreeing to modernize like Japan to eventually expel the French, esp. after the brutality of French rubber plantations shatter any illusions of civilizing mission.
--Elliott describes her father as trying to act as a buffer between his local clients vs. French colonialism.
b) Withdrawal:
--Meanwhile, others tried to keep their distance. Clearly, these elites could not support revolutionary action either as that would also threaten their decaying authority.
2) Collaboration:
--Beyond bribing elites, there were important positions for lower-class opportunists:
i) Colonial bureaucracy:
--French colonialism recruited replacements (previously low status, non-scholars) to fill the colonial bureaucracy, those who can learn French and collaborate as interpreters/clerks. These opportunists rose up the ranks (including bribes/using French law to accumulate land) and were scorned by locals as “houseboys” of the French.
--French divide-and-rule policy left multiple competing regional powers. Weaponizing right-wing identity politics, these groups featured religious sects (Buddhist Hoa Hao, synchretistic Cao Dai) and gangsters (Binh Xuyen: prostitution/gambling/opium trade…typical for European colonialism).
ii) Colonial military:
--Each of the regional powers had their own private army. The French colonial army was also "bulging with native recruits".
...For a detailed case study of collaboration by joining colonial military/policing, see: Bound by War: How the United States and the Philippines Built America's First Pacific Century
--French colonialism’s new middle-class:
i) Landlords:
--Elliott mentions how large landlords were rare pre-French colonialism as villages were more communal, so land accumulation would have to be gradual.
--With French colonialism came infrastructure projects/plantations/land seizure and usury against peasants/opportunists.
ii) Commerce:
--Suppliers for colonial army, distributors of French imports (esp. opium/alcohol), etc.
3) Middle-Class Apathy:
--The Great Depression/WWII’s Japanese colonization worsened conditions (esp. 1944-45 famine), with Vietnamese Communists leading the organizing of resistance:
a) the initial focus was national liberation, thus requiring a cross-class alliance uniting the peasant base/workers with the middle class (patriotic landlords/intellectuals, etc.).
b) thus, Communist leaders had to hold back peasant/radical demands for land reform/social revolution against the landlord class.
…As protracted war’s burden on the peasantry mounted (threatening morale), the Communists could not hold back land reform any longer, finally opening it up at the end of 1953. Elliot describes the contradictions; peasant morale was boosted for the pivotal Battle of Dien Bien Phu, but land reform excesses occurred (where low-class background became valued more than patriotism/contributions to the war).
…Note how in Elliott's account, violence against higher classes counts for so much more than against lower classes (where it’s normalized). Elliott also describes how land reforms were paired with collective use of farming inputs and social goods (income security/housing/healthcare/education) which increased peasant living standards, although diminished by the war’s drain of resources.
--Eliott’s family was split:
a) Her mandarin father, while respecting the Communists’ patriotism, still saw their potential social revolution as a bigger threat than French colonialism. As the patriarch, this influenced the rest of the family.
b) Elliott’s highly-moral sister was an outlier, joining the Vietnamese Communists. Her sister’s husband also joins after his perspective was changed by the famine/meeting Communist leaders (realizing they were educated)/reading Engels’ laws of history.
--After the Vietnamese Communists repelled French colonialism (First Indochina War), the U.S. stepped in (Second Indochina War, the "Vietnam War").
...The father saw the US as allies rather than colonizers. US imports fueled middle-class consumerism (civil servants/military officers/businessmen/landlords), neglecting agricultural industrial economic development (South Vietnam dictator Diem also prevented land reforms which even the US seems to have supported, given successes in US satellites Japan/Taiwan/South Korea: Seeds of Stability: Land Reform and US Foreign Policy).
--Crucial to Elliott’s longstanding anti-communism was compartmentalization:
a) Personal experiences:
--Elliott respected her moral Communist sister, and the Communists’ role in ending colonial rule and their talent/efficiency.
b) Abstract ideologies/patriarchy:
--However, Elliott defaulted to her father’s position: fear of communist ideology being anti-family (replaced by the Party) and anti-nation (replaced by international communism; despite the Party leading national liberation).
…see comments below for rest of the review…
Preamble:
--I’ve been working on videos (see @TheConspiracyIsCapitalism) where I walk through step-by-step my preferred methodologies (with plenty of diagrams!). The first series:
i) learns lessons from the “Vietnam War”
ii) applies these to today’s war
--The book I relied on the most was Kolko’s 688-page tome Anatomy of a War: Vietnam, the United States, and the Modern Historical Experience (so, I won’t repeat my big picture summary here). Kolko was very impressed by the Vietnamese Communists’ epic struggle.
--Elliott’s book was perhaps the second most useful, since it gives a conflicting perspective, Vietnamese anti-Communists, which I’ll focus on here. The pathology of middle-class apathy is a crucial topic to dissect (5 stars for what I learned), even though it’s a frustrating and uninspiring perspective (how many stars to remove?). At least this book is well-written given its readable autobiographical storytelling (optimal for building empathy) interspersed with concise historical overviews.
Highlights:
1) Traditional Ruling Class:
--As my video series details, colonialism/imperialism rely on divide-and-rule, exploiting the contradictions of traditional societies (esp. class conflicts) by bribing the traditional ruling class.
--Note: we should not assume “traditional” means eternal. Prior to the rise of agricultural hierarchies was hunting-gathering egalitarianism: Affluence Without Abundance: The Disappearing World of the Bushmen
--Elliott’s father comes from the traditional Confucian bureaucracy, providing an intimate view of its contradictions:
i) Confucian class values:
--In the Confusion value hierarchy, scholars (mandarins; the bureaucracy) was at the top. Elliott lists peasants next, as they were culturally valued (recognized as the productive base), but landlords obviously had more political power (patron-client relationship; perhaps Elliott just grouped landlords with the bureaucracy). Money activities were seen as parasitic/immoral; thus, artisans and especially merchants were at the bottom culturally.
--Under this hierarchy, Elliott frames merchants as progressive in challenging the status quo, including financing reforms and allowing women’s education.
ii) Patriarchy and nepotism:
--Family, especially the father/husband, commanded loyalty. Elliott provides useful insights as a daughter of a mandarin patriarch.
--When confronted with French colonialism, the Confucian bureaucracy was split between:
a) Engagement:
--Elliott frames the ambivalence of some elites, eventually agreeing to modernize like Japan to eventually expel the French, esp. after the brutality of French rubber plantations shatter any illusions of civilizing mission.
--Elliott describes her father as trying to act as a buffer between his local clients vs. French colonialism.
b) Withdrawal:
--Meanwhile, others tried to keep their distance. Clearly, these elites could not support revolutionary action either as that would also threaten their decaying authority.
2) Collaboration:
--Beyond bribing elites, there were important positions for lower-class opportunists:
i) Colonial bureaucracy:
--French colonialism recruited replacements (previously low status, non-scholars) to fill the colonial bureaucracy, those who can learn French and collaborate as interpreters/clerks. These opportunists rose up the ranks (including bribes/using French law to accumulate land) and were scorned by locals as “houseboys” of the French.
--French divide-and-rule policy left multiple competing regional powers. Weaponizing right-wing identity politics, these groups featured religious sects (Buddhist Hoa Hao, synchretistic Cao Dai) and gangsters (Binh Xuyen: prostitution/gambling/opium trade…typical for European colonialism).
ii) Colonial military:
--Each of the regional powers had their own private army. The French colonial army was also "bulging with native recruits".
...For a detailed case study of collaboration by joining colonial military/policing, see: Bound by War: How the United States and the Philippines Built America's First Pacific Century
--French colonialism’s new middle-class:
i) Landlords:
--Elliott mentions how large landlords were rare pre-French colonialism as villages were more communal, so land accumulation would have to be gradual.
--With French colonialism came infrastructure projects/plantations/land seizure and usury against peasants/opportunists.
ii) Commerce:
--Suppliers for colonial army, distributors of French imports (esp. opium/alcohol), etc.
3) Middle-Class Apathy:
--The Great Depression/WWII’s Japanese colonization worsened conditions (esp. 1944-45 famine), with Vietnamese Communists leading the organizing of resistance:
a) the initial focus was national liberation, thus requiring a cross-class alliance uniting the peasant base/workers with the middle class (patriotic landlords/intellectuals, etc.).
b) thus, Communist leaders had to hold back peasant/radical demands for land reform/social revolution against the landlord class.
…As protracted war’s burden on the peasantry mounted (threatening morale), the Communists could not hold back land reform any longer, finally opening it up at the end of 1953. Elliot describes the contradictions; peasant morale was boosted for the pivotal Battle of Dien Bien Phu, but land reform excesses occurred (where low-class background became valued more than patriotism/contributions to the war).
…Note how in Elliott's account, violence against higher classes counts for so much more than against lower classes (where it’s normalized). Elliott also describes how land reforms were paired with collective use of farming inputs and social goods (income security/housing/healthcare/education) which increased peasant living standards, although diminished by the war’s drain of resources.
--Eliott’s family was split:
a) Her mandarin father, while respecting the Communists’ patriotism, still saw their potential social revolution as a bigger threat than French colonialism. As the patriarch, this influenced the rest of the family.
b) Elliott’s highly-moral sister was an outlier, joining the Vietnamese Communists. Her sister’s husband also joins after his perspective was changed by the famine/meeting Communist leaders (realizing they were educated)/reading Engels’ laws of history.
--After the Vietnamese Communists repelled French colonialism (First Indochina War), the U.S. stepped in (Second Indochina War, the "Vietnam War").
...The father saw the US as allies rather than colonizers. US imports fueled middle-class consumerism (civil servants/military officers/businessmen/landlords), neglecting agricultural industrial economic development (South Vietnam dictator Diem also prevented land reforms which even the US seems to have supported, given successes in US satellites Japan/Taiwan/South Korea: Seeds of Stability: Land Reform and US Foreign Policy).
--Crucial to Elliott’s longstanding anti-communism was compartmentalization:
a) Personal experiences:
--Elliott respected her moral Communist sister, and the Communists’ role in ending colonial rule and their talent/efficiency.
b) Abstract ideologies/patriarchy:
--However, Elliott defaulted to her father’s position: fear of communist ideology being anti-family (replaced by the Party) and anti-nation (replaced by international communism; despite the Party leading national liberation).
I did not try, however, to analyze why the Viet Minh had succeeded where other movements had failed, and why they were able to attract and keep people like my sister and her husband. I compartmentalized my feelings: admiration for Thang and Hau and the Viet Minh's victory on the one hand, and fear of communism as an ideology on the other, which was the more dominant of the two sentiments.--This compartmentalization also reminds me of “What is Politics?” episode 12 describing how, in the documentary Encounter Point, Palestinian and Israeli participants were able to resolve their differences on a personal level, but could not do so on an abstract ideological level.
…see comments below for rest of the review…
May 22, 2017
This book would make fantastic supplemental reading for a course on Vietnamese history. The author chronicles more than a hundred years of the country’s recent past, using her family’s experiences as a focal point. It begins in the mid 19th century, when several of her male ancestors served as mandarins in a society that revered educational attainments; moves on to French colonialism and Japanese occupation during WWII; then to the Viet Minh struggle for independence, which doesn’t seem to truly divide the family despite their winding up on all sides of the conflict – the author’s father serves as a high-ranking official under the French while her oldest sister and brother-in-law join the rebels in the mountains, and her uncle, a wealthy landowner, puts his resources at the Viet Minh’s disposal. Then it traces the American intervention and the dramatic days of the communists’ takeover of South Vietnam, before ending with Vietnam’s struggles as an independent country.
It’s a lot to pack into 475 pages, and the author balances the story of her family with a broader historical perspective. The history appears well-researched, and based on her bibliography, draws heavily on Vietnamese as well as English-language sources. It also seems balanced; at times, when family members’ paths during the war diverge sharply, we get separate chapters covering the same events from different perspectives, and the author doesn’t seem to be advocating for either one over the other. Though the author’s parents threw in their lot with the French and later South Vietnam, she – like many Vietnamese – seems to respect the communists’ commitment, and while the American intervention was a short-term boon for middle-class families like hers, she ultimately seems to conclude that the communist victory was both inevitable and not as awful as propaganda had led the South Vietnamese to expect.
The book’s biggest weakness is that it is rather dry, much more focused on facts than building a dramatic narrative. Though it is in part a memoir, we learn little about the author herself; she tends to relate the facts of a situation with perhaps a bald statement of her feelings, but without developing any of the emotional detail that might allow readers to experience the story along with her. There are exceptions, though; her account of the dramatic last days before the fall of Saigon (through the eyes of several family members) is downright gripping.
Overall, I’d recommend this book, but more for educational purposes than entertainment. It is a strong answer to the rest of English-language literature about Vietnam, which tends to be from an American perspective and focused exclusively on the war.
It’s a lot to pack into 475 pages, and the author balances the story of her family with a broader historical perspective. The history appears well-researched, and based on her bibliography, draws heavily on Vietnamese as well as English-language sources. It also seems balanced; at times, when family members’ paths during the war diverge sharply, we get separate chapters covering the same events from different perspectives, and the author doesn’t seem to be advocating for either one over the other. Though the author’s parents threw in their lot with the French and later South Vietnam, she – like many Vietnamese – seems to respect the communists’ commitment, and while the American intervention was a short-term boon for middle-class families like hers, she ultimately seems to conclude that the communist victory was both inevitable and not as awful as propaganda had led the South Vietnamese to expect.
The book’s biggest weakness is that it is rather dry, much more focused on facts than building a dramatic narrative. Though it is in part a memoir, we learn little about the author herself; she tends to relate the facts of a situation with perhaps a bald statement of her feelings, but without developing any of the emotional detail that might allow readers to experience the story along with her. There are exceptions, though; her account of the dramatic last days before the fall of Saigon (through the eyes of several family members) is downright gripping.
Overall, I’d recommend this book, but more for educational purposes than entertainment. It is a strong answer to the rest of English-language literature about Vietnam, which tends to be from an American perspective and focused exclusively on the war.
April 12, 2012
On completion:
ETA: After reading this book you must read about the Quiet War in Laos and the Hmong who fought it: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
Do you really want to understand the Vietnam War? This book is about a Vietnamese family that lived through it. What is special about this book is that the author saw all sides of the war. In her own family some were on the side of the Viet Minh and others supported the French and then the Americans. Never did any of the family stop being family to each other. The author was in fact educated in the US, married an American and worked for the Rand Corporation, employed to study the motives of the Viet Minh. Through this book you learn of all parts of the war. All sides are fairly represented and rather than being observed, lived. There is much history documented, so the book is not for those who want a quick read. After reading this book I have a much better understanding of the war. As I stated below it starts with life of the author(s great grandfather, a Mandarin scholar. It continues up through the 1990s. All aspects, personal, political and historical are covered. Thoroughly. Definitely worth four stars.
Through page 182:
The first chapter is the hardest to get through. Don't be deterred. This is an excellent book. You follow four generations of a Vietnamese family, the author's own family. The reader is introduced to the ancient beliefs of the mandarins. Now the date is 1949 and some of the family have joined the Viet Minh. Others support the French colonialists. You start by learning of ancient beliefs and customs. You learn of Vietnam history from the 1800s on. You see how this family lived through the events listed in history books. You get more from this book than you will ever get from a history book since not only do you get the historical and political details but also how these events played out in one family. You are shown a complete life - daily practices, food, housing, customs, religious beliefs and the political and historical events too. This isn't fiction; it is the real thing.
Personally, I side with the Viet Minh. Perhaps the author is biasedd; I do not care. I am being given her point of view. I am in the countryside with the Viet Minh. I am learning how they reasoned, what they ate, where they slept. I am living their life with them. The author's father worked for the French. I have lived with him too and followed how he thought and reasoned too. I understand both sides now.
Read this book if you want to really learn about Vietnamese history and culture.
There is a simple family chart at the beginning, good maps and an index if you need to search after something you have forgotten. And there is a bibliography.
ETA: After reading this book you must read about the Quiet War in Laos and the Hmong who fought it: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
Do you really want to understand the Vietnam War? This book is about a Vietnamese family that lived through it. What is special about this book is that the author saw all sides of the war. In her own family some were on the side of the Viet Minh and others supported the French and then the Americans. Never did any of the family stop being family to each other. The author was in fact educated in the US, married an American and worked for the Rand Corporation, employed to study the motives of the Viet Minh. Through this book you learn of all parts of the war. All sides are fairly represented and rather than being observed, lived. There is much history documented, so the book is not for those who want a quick read. After reading this book I have a much better understanding of the war. As I stated below it starts with life of the author(s great grandfather, a Mandarin scholar. It continues up through the 1990s. All aspects, personal, political and historical are covered. Thoroughly. Definitely worth four stars.
Through page 182:
The first chapter is the hardest to get through. Don't be deterred. This is an excellent book. You follow four generations of a Vietnamese family, the author's own family. The reader is introduced to the ancient beliefs of the mandarins. Now the date is 1949 and some of the family have joined the Viet Minh. Others support the French colonialists. You start by learning of ancient beliefs and customs. You learn of Vietnam history from the 1800s on. You see how this family lived through the events listed in history books. You get more from this book than you will ever get from a history book since not only do you get the historical and political details but also how these events played out in one family. You are shown a complete life - daily practices, food, housing, customs, religious beliefs and the political and historical events too. This isn't fiction; it is the real thing.
Personally, I side with the Viet Minh. Perhaps the author is biasedd; I do not care. I am being given her point of view. I am in the countryside with the Viet Minh. I am learning how they reasoned, what they ate, where they slept. I am living their life with them. The author's father worked for the French. I have lived with him too and followed how he thought and reasoned too. I understand both sides now.
Read this book if you want to really learn about Vietnamese history and culture.
There is a simple family chart at the beginning, good maps and an index if you need to search after something you have forgotten. And there is a bibliography.
September 5, 2008
one of my favorite books of the last 5 years...it IS long..but its worth it. A fascinating portrait of 4 generations of a Vietnamese family that stretches from the traditional "mandarin" culture of northern Vietnam, thourgh French occupation, the Vietnamese war, the aftermath and to life in the US. It deals with Vietnam War from many sides (as her family was divided physically and ideologically by the war. Mai Elliott writes well, lived much of the story, and conducted extensive interviews in later years to flesh out the stories of all her relatives who were separated by time, distance, and sometime ideology over the years. It is one of the clearest explanation of what happened in Vietnam (north and south) during the years leading up to and during the war. Told on a personal level it still illuminates the experiences of the country as a whole. I highly recommend this book. Although it is a BIG book...I read it in less than a week because I couldn't put it down. I was a teenager during the last stages of the war and remember only the "headlines" and photographic portraits...this book has greatly helped illuminate what was really going on.
November 24, 2020
Such a genuine and humble book, a bare look at how families have progressed throughout the generations within and political chaning environment of Vietnam, from small seeds great trees grow, the early generation giveing so much so that later generations can prosper. I really liked the idea of story telling across different generation, the writer quickly drags the reader into the environment, (I wont put in any sotry spoilers) but I love it, the book worked for me, nice chapter length, nice sized text, attractive book cover, no editorial errors. The authors writing style is that you are supplied with information at a steady pace, giving the reader enough time to absorb the story line. Will certainly like to read more books from this author. Very nice to read book.
July 5, 2023
The history of Vietnam told through one family over many generations. I found this incredibly moving. Vietnamese people have been through so much. A must read if travelling to the country.
It also made me re-read my mum’s family history during the war which my dad documented and published in his memoir after interviewing family members.
It also made me re-read my mum’s family history during the war which my dad documented and published in his memoir after interviewing family members.
December 22, 2019
One of the most important books about Vietnamese history.
March 20, 2026
The history of Vietnam is long, bloody, courageous and still being written as we near the 2030s. Written through her own relocation and the memories of her relatives, starting with her great grandmother and grandfather, Duong Van Maj Elliot retells the epic story of Vietnam from the 1800s through the early 1990s; the colonization done by the French, Japan’s influence and brief ruling, the rise of the Viet Minh (Cong) and America’s influence… and lack there of.
The reader will learn about how the French suppressed the Vietnamese, the mandarins, the Japanese influence, the rise of communism and those who joined to liberate Vietnam as well as the corruption of leaders, the fall of Saigon and more through the eyes and memories of Mai’s family.
A long but worth while read 🇻🇳
The reader will learn about how the French suppressed the Vietnamese, the mandarins, the Japanese influence, the rise of communism and those who joined to liberate Vietnam as well as the corruption of leaders, the fall of Saigon and more through the eyes and memories of Mai’s family.
A long but worth while read 🇻🇳
May 3, 2024
Moving, fascinating, informative memoir - at times painful. Tells history of Vietnam through the eyes of one woman's recollecting, researching and recording her family's history. Read for our "Vietnam By the Book" tour with Old Compass Travel in March 2024.
April 23, 2026
This has been on my TBR for so long, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. I expected a sweeping multigenerational family saga taking readers across pivotal eras of 19th- and 20th-century Vietnamese history, and that’s what I got, along with a healthy dose of tears.
THE SACRED WILLOW is subtitled as the story of “four generations in the life of a Vietnamese family.” The book starts in the mid-19th century with Mai’s great-grandfather and grandfather, who rose to prominence as esteemed educated mandarins in the old, Confucian Vietnamese society, and depicts how they adapted to changes to social prestige under French colonial rule. I found this part of the book fascinating as I haven’t read much about this period of Vietnamese history, but I appreciated learning about the struggles that previous Vietnamese generations experienced as they decided whether or not to stick with their old values or to adapt to new governing, education, writing, and legal systems.
Most chapters of this tome linger over the war periods, of which there are many. We follow various Duong family members as they fight against the French and Japanese in the 1940s-1950s, and then again on various sides of the War of American Aggression in the 60s-70s. If war stories bore you, you may struggle to get through these sections. I did find many of these chapters tiring to read, but appreciated how Mai represented different sides of these conflicts in a balanced way. Too often mainstream media portrays one side as completely evil and the other as completely good, but in THE SACRED WILLOW we get nuance, particularly as Mai herself learns more as she moves with her family south to Saigon, and then moves to the US for university.
Despite the hardships they endured, the Duong family is decidedly middle class, and that’s the framework through which we experience events in Vietnamese history with them. The majority of the Vietnamese middle class did not participate directly in armed conflicts. I did wish that we had gotten some working class perspectives on the wars but also understand that Mai chose not to write a comprehensive Vietnamese history, but one that is seen through her family’s eyes.
The final chapters leading up to the Fall of Saigon and Mai’s family’s evacuation out of Vietnam in April 1975 were fraught with emotion. I read the chapters with my heart in my throat and my hands clutching the pages. Reading about familiar Saigonese landmarks and streets, particularly ones so close to where I currently live, unleashed a torrent of emotions in me, and I found myself sobbing several times, which speaks to the way in which Mai was able to convey her and her family’s emotions during those moments.
For readers who want to learn more about Vietnamese history, told in an emotionally engaging way, or for those who want to learn more beyond what Western education teaches them about Vietnam, I cannot recommend THE SACRED WILLOW enough, especially for those who loved multigenerational family sagas such as Jung Chang’s Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers’ The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, or Abraham Varghese’s The Covenant of Water.
THE SACRED WILLOW is subtitled as the story of “four generations in the life of a Vietnamese family.” The book starts in the mid-19th century with Mai’s great-grandfather and grandfather, who rose to prominence as esteemed educated mandarins in the old, Confucian Vietnamese society, and depicts how they adapted to changes to social prestige under French colonial rule. I found this part of the book fascinating as I haven’t read much about this period of Vietnamese history, but I appreciated learning about the struggles that previous Vietnamese generations experienced as they decided whether or not to stick with their old values or to adapt to new governing, education, writing, and legal systems.
Most chapters of this tome linger over the war periods, of which there are many. We follow various Duong family members as they fight against the French and Japanese in the 1940s-1950s, and then again on various sides of the War of American Aggression in the 60s-70s. If war stories bore you, you may struggle to get through these sections. I did find many of these chapters tiring to read, but appreciated how Mai represented different sides of these conflicts in a balanced way. Too often mainstream media portrays one side as completely evil and the other as completely good, but in THE SACRED WILLOW we get nuance, particularly as Mai herself learns more as she moves with her family south to Saigon, and then moves to the US for university.
Despite the hardships they endured, the Duong family is decidedly middle class, and that’s the framework through which we experience events in Vietnamese history with them. The majority of the Vietnamese middle class did not participate directly in armed conflicts. I did wish that we had gotten some working class perspectives on the wars but also understand that Mai chose not to write a comprehensive Vietnamese history, but one that is seen through her family’s eyes.
The final chapters leading up to the Fall of Saigon and Mai’s family’s evacuation out of Vietnam in April 1975 were fraught with emotion. I read the chapters with my heart in my throat and my hands clutching the pages. Reading about familiar Saigonese landmarks and streets, particularly ones so close to where I currently live, unleashed a torrent of emotions in me, and I found myself sobbing several times, which speaks to the way in which Mai was able to convey her and her family’s emotions during those moments.
For readers who want to learn more about Vietnamese history, told in an emotionally engaging way, or for those who want to learn more beyond what Western education teaches them about Vietnam, I cannot recommend THE SACRED WILLOW enough, especially for those who loved multigenerational family sagas such as Jung Chang’s Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers’ The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, or Abraham Varghese’s The Covenant of Water.
March 16, 2021
Takes forever to read it because it’s huge and loaded with information but well worth sticking with it. A beautiful story covering many generations of a Vietnamese family.
April 27, 2019
Although edifying in its discussion of the elite Mandarin class in French Colonial Vietnam and the tactics of the revolutionary Viet Minh in the North (and later the Viet Cong), the book drags on and becomes bogged down in too many details, repetitive scenarios and brief accounts of endless relatives. I skimmed much of the book for these reasons. The narrative frequently reads like a school history textbook. Elliott, however, succeeds in fostering empathy and respect for her immediate family, who endured many upheavals of fortune. As a whole, the four generations of her family become a conduit of resiliency.
December 6, 2020
Growing up during the time of the Vietnam War, and living in San Jose California, which became a large resettlement place for Vietnamese refugees, I thought I knew quite a bit about Vietnam. I was wrong. The author, Mai, tells us about her grandparents and great grandparents. I had no idea that Vietnam had mandarins, like China, and that being educated meant knowing how to speak, read and write Chinese. I did know about the French influence, as my Catholic church started saying mass in Vietnamese, but not how long it went on and how much some of the people resented it. It was quite interesting to read about the American intervention from both Vietnamese sides. Very thought provoking.
February 25, 2024
Câu liễu thiêng liêng là cuốn sách viết về 4 thế hệ nhà họ Dương tại Việt Nam, từ thời Tự Đức cho đến ngày thống nhất. Câu chuyện bắt đầu mà từ một huyền thoại của gia đình họ Dương. Theo lời tác giả, bà Mai, tổ tiên của bà đã đến cư ngụ tại làng Vân Đình sau khi trải qua nhiều cuộc chiến suốt 200 năm. Tại làng Vân Đình, cụ 6 đời của bà, Duc Thang - một người không có duyên với chốn quan trường - đã làm quen với thầy địa lý bí ẩn tại một ngôi chùa địa phương. Sau khi Duc Thang mất, thầy địa lý đã tìm đến tận nhà và đưa ra một lời đề nghị với vợ ông: Ông ta có thể di dời mộ của Duc Thang để về sau, con cháu họ Dương, hoặc trở thành người giàu có hoặc thành công chốn quan trường. Người quá phụ năm đó đã chọn vế thứ 2. Nhiều năm sau, con cháu của Duc Thang đã tiến hành lễ hầu đồng để hỏi thần núi Tản Viên về nhân duyên năm xưa và được biết, người đàn ông bí ẩn đó là là một nhà sư, có hiệu là Thanh Tĩnh Thiền Sư!
Sau thời Duc Thang và con trai, qua thêm 3 thế hệ nữa, thì cứ mỗi 20 năm, nhà họ Dương sẽ có người làm quan lớn. Thế hệ cụ nội của bà Mai chính là điểm bắt đầu của chuỗi đó. Cụ nội của bà chính là Dương Lâm là quan nhà Nguyễn, một danh sĩ Việt Nam cuối thế kỷ 19 đầu thế kỷ 20 và anh trai của ông là Dương Khuê cũng làm quan dưới thời Nguyễn. Dòng họ Dương kể từ đây luôn có mặt trong bộ máy nhà nước hoặc đảm nhận các chức vụ cao trong cả thời Nguyễn lẫn trong hàng ngũ Việt Minh và VNCH.
Cuốn sách là hồi ký của Mai kể về gia đình 4 thế hệ của cô từ thời cụ nội Dương Lâm trong suốt 100 năm biến động của chính trị Việt Nam. Hồi ký của bà Mai được kể với góc nhìn và hoàn cảnh của nhiều nhân vật. Giai đoạn chống Pháp, là lời kể của gia đình bà, bao gồm bà, mẹ và bà ngoại; thời chống Mỹ, câu chuyện được xây dựng bởi những người họ hàng - những người mà theo bà, khác với gia đình bà về ý thức hệ nhưng vẫn yêu thương nhau thật nhiều. Giai đoạn thống nhất, câu chuyện được kể bởi nhiều nhân vật hơn. Mỗi người đều là một mảnh ghép để Mai làm rõ bối cảnh của miền Nam sau giải phóng cũng như những hoạt động tại miền Nam lúc này.
Tôi biết đến cuốn sách này qua một người bạn, khi bạn đang du học ở Thụy Sĩ. Bạn tôi vô tình biết đến cuốn này trong mục Tủ sách cấm của thư viện trường =)))))) Bằng một cách nào đó, ở Việt Nam có một tiệm bán quyển này nên tôi đã tiện tay bỏ túi. So với cuốn sách cùng đề tài là Thiên nga hoang dã, tôi thấy cuốn sách của bà Mai viết với ngôn từ trung lập hơn, tức không thể hiện nhiều cảm xúc của mình khi mô tả tình trạng chính trị của Việt Nam ở cả hai miền cũng như những thay đổi của gia đình bà trước các chuyển biến chính trị. Thay vào đó, bà dành cả ba chương cuối cùng để đặt để cảm xúc và suy nghĩ của mình. Có lẽ vì học Khoa học chính trị nên các chia sẻ của bà không cố gắng hạ thấp quan điểm phía bên kia, thay vào đó, bà nói rõ suy nghĩ và cảm xúc của những người bên này. Bà cũng giải thích lý do bà lại có những suy nghĩ như thế và suy nghĩ của các anh chị em họ của bà sau khi rời khỏi Việt Nam. Đây là điều tôi thích ở cuốn này.
Nhìn chung, đây là cuốn sách sẽ không bao giờ được dịch ở Việt Nam, phần lớn (theo tôi) là vì các chia sẻ của bà trong ba chương cuối cùng. Các chia sẻ này xuất phát từ nỗi sợ của bà và gia đình đối với quan điểm chính trị mới tại miền Nam. Tôi xin để ví dụ một đoạn ở đây để dễ mường tượng tinh thần của ba chương cuối:
"The communists, focusing on their drive to victory, had not worked out a blueprint on what to do once they won. The first leaders to arrive in Saigon to install a temporary government were men who had directed the final campaign.
One of them was Le Duc Tho, the negotiator at the Paris peace talks who had shared the Nobel peace prize with Henry Kissinger and a member of the Politburo. On May 1, they set up a military committee to gov-em Saigon until complete security could be restored. To Saigon resi-dents, the first signs were encouraging. The new leaders proclaimed a policy of reconciliation with former foes. No retaliation took place, even against the former Saigon army. The widely predicted bloodbath failed to materialize. The only crackdown was against criminals. Those caught in the act were swiftly brought to public trial, condemned to death, and executed on the spot. In my parents' old neighborhood, my nephew Minh witnessed the trial and execution of two criminals. After the cadre read out the sentence, he asked whether anyone in the audience had any objection. No one breathed a word, and the culprits were shot right then and there. This draconian justice worked, and crime immediately dropped. The tough approach, combined with the initial goodwill of Saigon residents, allowed the government to restore order quickly. Also, people were tired of the turmoil and wanted nothing more than to see life return to normal. In this atmosphere, no one tried to challenge the new authority. Everyone did as they were told."
Cái kết là sau giải phòng, những họ hàng thân thiết của bà Mai chủ yếu đều rời khỏi Việt Nam theo các chương trình tị nạn. Một số gia đình khác có thành viên hoạt động cho Việt Minh từ trước thì tiếp tục sống tại Việt Nam. Dù thế nào thì như bà bảo, mọi người đều còn giữ liên lạc với nhau.
Với tôi, đây là một cuốn sách ổn để đọc về bối cảnh của Việt Nam trong 2 cuộc chiến, với góc nhìn của tầng lớp sĩ phu. Cảm xúc khi đọc xong cuốn này cũng rất dễ chịu bởi người đọc luôn có thể cảm nhận được tình yêu của bà Mai với đất nước và con người Việt Nam, dẫu có khác biệt về mặt quan điểm chính trị. Chốt lại, một cuốn sách ổn áp nếu bạn thích lịch sử và chiến tranh tại Việt Nam. Không sến sẩm, cũng không giáo điều.
Sau thời Duc Thang và con trai, qua thêm 3 thế hệ nữa, thì cứ mỗi 20 năm, nhà họ Dương sẽ có người làm quan lớn. Thế hệ cụ nội của bà Mai chính là điểm bắt đầu của chuỗi đó. Cụ nội của bà chính là Dương Lâm là quan nhà Nguyễn, một danh sĩ Việt Nam cuối thế kỷ 19 đầu thế kỷ 20 và anh trai của ông là Dương Khuê cũng làm quan dưới thời Nguyễn. Dòng họ Dương kể từ đây luôn có mặt trong bộ máy nhà nước hoặc đảm nhận các chức vụ cao trong cả thời Nguyễn lẫn trong hàng ngũ Việt Minh và VNCH.
Cuốn sách là hồi ký của Mai kể về gia đình 4 thế hệ của cô từ thời cụ nội Dương Lâm trong suốt 100 năm biến động của chính trị Việt Nam. Hồi ký của bà Mai được kể với góc nhìn và hoàn cảnh của nhiều nhân vật. Giai đoạn chống Pháp, là lời kể của gia đình bà, bao gồm bà, mẹ và bà ngoại; thời chống Mỹ, câu chuyện được xây dựng bởi những người họ hàng - những người mà theo bà, khác với gia đình bà về ý thức hệ nhưng vẫn yêu thương nhau thật nhiều. Giai đoạn thống nhất, câu chuyện được kể bởi nhiều nhân vật hơn. Mỗi người đều là một mảnh ghép để Mai làm rõ bối cảnh của miền Nam sau giải phóng cũng như những hoạt động tại miền Nam lúc này.
Tôi biết đến cuốn sách này qua một người bạn, khi bạn đang du học ở Thụy Sĩ. Bạn tôi vô tình biết đến cuốn này trong mục Tủ sách cấm của thư viện trường =)))))) Bằng một cách nào đó, ở Việt Nam có một tiệm bán quyển này nên tôi đã tiện tay bỏ túi. So với cuốn sách cùng đề tài là Thiên nga hoang dã, tôi thấy cuốn sách của bà Mai viết với ngôn từ trung lập hơn, tức không thể hiện nhiều cảm xúc của mình khi mô tả tình trạng chính trị của Việt Nam ở cả hai miền cũng như những thay đổi của gia đình bà trước các chuyển biến chính trị. Thay vào đó, bà dành cả ba chương cuối cùng để đặt để cảm xúc và suy nghĩ của mình. Có lẽ vì học Khoa học chính trị nên các chia sẻ của bà không cố gắng hạ thấp quan điểm phía bên kia, thay vào đó, bà nói rõ suy nghĩ và cảm xúc của những người bên này. Bà cũng giải thích lý do bà lại có những suy nghĩ như thế và suy nghĩ của các anh chị em họ của bà sau khi rời khỏi Việt Nam. Đây là điều tôi thích ở cuốn này.
Nhìn chung, đây là cuốn sách sẽ không bao giờ được dịch ở Việt Nam, phần lớn (theo tôi) là vì các chia sẻ của bà trong ba chương cuối cùng. Các chia sẻ này xuất phát từ nỗi sợ của bà và gia đình đối với quan điểm chính trị mới tại miền Nam. Tôi xin để ví dụ một đoạn ở đây để dễ mường tượng tinh thần của ba chương cuối:
"The communists, focusing on their drive to victory, had not worked out a blueprint on what to do once they won. The first leaders to arrive in Saigon to install a temporary government were men who had directed the final campaign.
One of them was Le Duc Tho, the negotiator at the Paris peace talks who had shared the Nobel peace prize with Henry Kissinger and a member of the Politburo. On May 1, they set up a military committee to gov-em Saigon until complete security could be restored. To Saigon resi-dents, the first signs were encouraging. The new leaders proclaimed a policy of reconciliation with former foes. No retaliation took place, even against the former Saigon army. The widely predicted bloodbath failed to materialize. The only crackdown was against criminals. Those caught in the act were swiftly brought to public trial, condemned to death, and executed on the spot. In my parents' old neighborhood, my nephew Minh witnessed the trial and execution of two criminals. After the cadre read out the sentence, he asked whether anyone in the audience had any objection. No one breathed a word, and the culprits were shot right then and there. This draconian justice worked, and crime immediately dropped. The tough approach, combined with the initial goodwill of Saigon residents, allowed the government to restore order quickly. Also, people were tired of the turmoil and wanted nothing more than to see life return to normal. In this atmosphere, no one tried to challenge the new authority. Everyone did as they were told."
Cái kết là sau giải phòng, những họ hàng thân thiết của bà Mai chủ yếu đều rời khỏi Việt Nam theo các chương trình tị nạn. Một số gia đình khác có thành viên hoạt động cho Việt Minh từ trước thì tiếp tục sống tại Việt Nam. Dù thế nào thì như bà bảo, mọi người đều còn giữ liên lạc với nhau.
Với tôi, đây là một cuốn sách ổn để đọc về bối cảnh của Việt Nam trong 2 cuộc chiến, với góc nhìn của tầng lớp sĩ phu. Cảm xúc khi đọc xong cuốn này cũng rất dễ chịu bởi người đọc luôn có thể cảm nhận được tình yêu của bà Mai với đất nước và con người Việt Nam, dẫu có khác biệt về mặt quan điểm chính trị. Chốt lại, một cuốn sách ổn áp nếu bạn thích lịch sử và chiến tranh tại Việt Nam. Không sến sẩm, cũng không giáo điều.
April 4, 2013
At times it can be a bit overbearing and in the beginning it is interesting to learn about the Mandarin system it is a bit dry. However, it certainly builds up when the narrator and the author starts to talk about her own life and the experiences she and her family go through. It is quite a magnum opus of a work, and very disheartening at times. However, the end could be considered happy since family does stick together though thick and thin. I enjoyed reading this for my senior seminar, but the beginning does drag on for a bit.
Read
August 24, 2010I learned more about Vietnam in the first 200 pages of this book than I ever learned in AP History. And PS, the Vietnamese are not hung up on the American war the way Americans are. They won, they moved on, they went through 2 other wars since then.
February 5, 2009
Super-slow read, super fascinating.
April 23, 2010
Very slow and too much information. She would have been better off splitting this into two books - one of her family history and one of her own experiences.
November 14, 2019
Duong Van Mai Elliott assembled in The Sacred Willow a detailed review of her extended family's experience of history of what is now the territory of a country we call Vietnam over more than a century. Although they were originally of modest origin, some of her ancestors rose to great power as Mandarins in the North and thrived during the colonial period, then experienced upheaval during the long years of war and political instability. As expected in a family of this size during such a tumultuous historic period, different relatives took different stances over the years, some collaborating with the French colonial powers, some others heading for the hills to fight with the Viet Minh. All of them went through hardship and, through a combination of privilege and sheer luck, few (if any? I lost track) encountered an early demise - unlike the 2 million Vietnamese who lost their lives to war during the same period.
I was impressed with Elliott's lucidity throughout the account and by her ability to acknowledge the different sides of the story, despite her obvious perspective as a "middle class" Vietnamese. (I am not an expert with regards to Vietnamese demographics during the 20th century however I would guess that what she describes as "middle class" was actually a minority of the territory's residents. Top 10% perhaps would be a more accurate way to describe their socio-economic status.)
This quote from chapter 15 which describes the American's withdrawal and subsequent fall of South Vietnam to Communist hands, struck me as particularly honest: "At that moment, the anti-communists appeared for what they were: a conglomeration of tightly knit families motivated solely by a hatred and fear of communism and held together only by the glue of American power. When that glue dissolved, the group disintegrated into its individual parts - families now concerned with saving themselves. They had never had a larger vision of what South Vietnam should be or why one should fight for it. My relatives were no different."
As noted by some other Goodreaders, the book is a little long, and at times confusing, but I cannot imagine another way to do justice to the deep history interwoven with the lives of the Duong family. Elliott has a solid grasp of historic facts beyond the experiences of her relatives and does a masterful job of making a difficult and complex era accessible to the 21st-century reader. Impressive.
I was impressed with Elliott's lucidity throughout the account and by her ability to acknowledge the different sides of the story, despite her obvious perspective as a "middle class" Vietnamese. (I am not an expert with regards to Vietnamese demographics during the 20th century however I would guess that what she describes as "middle class" was actually a minority of the territory's residents. Top 10% perhaps would be a more accurate way to describe their socio-economic status.)
This quote from chapter 15 which describes the American's withdrawal and subsequent fall of South Vietnam to Communist hands, struck me as particularly honest: "At that moment, the anti-communists appeared for what they were: a conglomeration of tightly knit families motivated solely by a hatred and fear of communism and held together only by the glue of American power. When that glue dissolved, the group disintegrated into its individual parts - families now concerned with saving themselves. They had never had a larger vision of what South Vietnam should be or why one should fight for it. My relatives were no different."
As noted by some other Goodreaders, the book is a little long, and at times confusing, but I cannot imagine another way to do justice to the deep history interwoven with the lives of the Duong family. Elliott has a solid grasp of historic facts beyond the experiences of her relatives and does a masterful job of making a difficult and complex era accessible to the 21st-century reader. Impressive.
October 2, 2023
Duong Van Mai Elliott’s “The Sacred Willow” follows Vietnamese history from the fall of the final dynasty to the years following the communist revolution. It is told through the lens of Elliott’s own family, one whose centuries-long evolution runs parallel to the ever-changing state of their country. Every bit of the saga touched Elliott’s family, comprised of Confucian dignitaries, hardcore revolutionaries and western collaborationists alike.
Throughout the 474-page narrative, Elliott travels across north and south Vietnam, constantly fleeing the war, as well as to the U.S. Particularly intriguing to me was the moment in Elliott’s life during which she interviews Viet Cong POWs to study their morale for an American research corporation. She, a devout anti-communist at the time, began to see in the Viet Cong courage and depth where she thought existed only ignorance; integrity and devotion where she had expected wickedness. Through this experience, she begins to question her understandings between good and bad, the moral vagueness that first drew me to learn more about Vietnam.
Through this memoir, one will come to understand the roots of Vietnamese tradition and all the ways in which it was preserved or replaced by French values. You’ll learn why some chose to throw in their lots with the communists while others remained engaged with conventional governments, even those they loathed. You’ll be introduced to the life of a revolutionary, characterized by subsistence and hard labor in the mountains, as well as that of a western government official, surrounded by bribery and corruption in the city (which later pervaded the communist government as well). You will understand that the war did not begin with American involvement, not even close, and that it was from the beginning a war that western powers — and South Vietnam itself, propped up by the Americans with nothing of their own to fight for — were never going to win. You will learn why even those who did not agree with Viet Minh ideology, Vietnamese and Americans alike, would nevertheless come to respect the revolutionaries for their unwavering commitment to independence, and for their victory in a war against “the most powerful nation on earth.” You will see Vietnam with new eyes, not as a domino, but as a country whose flag bears weight.
Throughout the 474-page narrative, Elliott travels across north and south Vietnam, constantly fleeing the war, as well as to the U.S. Particularly intriguing to me was the moment in Elliott’s life during which she interviews Viet Cong POWs to study their morale for an American research corporation. She, a devout anti-communist at the time, began to see in the Viet Cong courage and depth where she thought existed only ignorance; integrity and devotion where she had expected wickedness. Through this experience, she begins to question her understandings between good and bad, the moral vagueness that first drew me to learn more about Vietnam.
Through this memoir, one will come to understand the roots of Vietnamese tradition and all the ways in which it was preserved or replaced by French values. You’ll learn why some chose to throw in their lots with the communists while others remained engaged with conventional governments, even those they loathed. You’ll be introduced to the life of a revolutionary, characterized by subsistence and hard labor in the mountains, as well as that of a western government official, surrounded by bribery and corruption in the city (which later pervaded the communist government as well). You will understand that the war did not begin with American involvement, not even close, and that it was from the beginning a war that western powers — and South Vietnam itself, propped up by the Americans with nothing of their own to fight for — were never going to win. You will learn why even those who did not agree with Viet Minh ideology, Vietnamese and Americans alike, would nevertheless come to respect the revolutionaries for their unwavering commitment to independence, and for their victory in a war against “the most powerful nation on earth.” You will see Vietnam with new eyes, not as a domino, but as a country whose flag bears weight.
November 11, 2017
This is the story of four generations of the author's Vietnamese family but, let's be straight about this, what's interesting about it to most people is the Vietnam War. I would never have picked up a similar book about, say, four generations of a Burmese family.
I enjoyed the book and was never bored with it, but became somewhat frustrated with it towards the end when she described the fall of Saigon to the Viet Cong. My frustration stemmed from the fact that I found this section of the book utterly gripping, deserving of five stars and quite the best description I've ever read about what happened in those last few days and hours.
What this section made me feel about the book was that she'd made a mistake by going into the level of detail she did about the earlier generations of her family. Whilst those elements were interesting (though not riveting) in their own right and useful in putting into their historical context the growth of the Viet Minh, the expulsion of the French, the growth of the Viet Cong and the war against the US, they didn't warrant the quantity of writing within the book that she gave them. They were simply her personal family history, and writing about them in such detail and at such length bordered on the self-indulgent, particularly in contrast to what came later in the book.
Those earlier sections also suffered from their distance, with the stories being told third or fourth hand, as opposed to the post WWII elements which were generally told to her first hand. I also feel that she would have done better allowing the people within the book to tell their stories in their own voices in the style of someone like Svetlana Alexievich than, as she did about people whom she clearly interviewed, "Giu felt sad to hear....".
A good book, though frustrating in that she had enough material to have written a great one had she been more ruthless in what she chose to leave out, what she chose to focus on and the way some of the material was presented.
I enjoyed the book and was never bored with it, but became somewhat frustrated with it towards the end when she described the fall of Saigon to the Viet Cong. My frustration stemmed from the fact that I found this section of the book utterly gripping, deserving of five stars and quite the best description I've ever read about what happened in those last few days and hours.
What this section made me feel about the book was that she'd made a mistake by going into the level of detail she did about the earlier generations of her family. Whilst those elements were interesting (though not riveting) in their own right and useful in putting into their historical context the growth of the Viet Minh, the expulsion of the French, the growth of the Viet Cong and the war against the US, they didn't warrant the quantity of writing within the book that she gave them. They were simply her personal family history, and writing about them in such detail and at such length bordered on the self-indulgent, particularly in contrast to what came later in the book.
Those earlier sections also suffered from their distance, with the stories being told third or fourth hand, as opposed to the post WWII elements which were generally told to her first hand. I also feel that she would have done better allowing the people within the book to tell their stories in their own voices in the style of someone like Svetlana Alexievich than, as she did about people whom she clearly interviewed, "Giu felt sad to hear....".
A good book, though frustrating in that she had enough material to have written a great one had she been more ruthless in what she chose to leave out, what she chose to focus on and the way some of the material was presented.
February 23, 2026
I read this book prior to an upcoming trip to Vietnam to get a better perspective of its more recent history. It takes you through the onset of French colonialism in the 1800’s through the war with the French and what is termed “The American War”, up to the 1990s and the loosening of communist doctrine and the beginning of a more open country with a freer financial system. The family depicted are of the Mandarin class; so from a privileged background, but the family members were on both sides of the conflict with some joining the Viet Mhin and others remaining loyal to first the French and then the Americans. The author at one point while the Vietnamese war was still ongoing job was to interview Viet Cong Viet Mhin who had been captured to help the Americans better understand why the north maintained a more loyal and motivated base than the south. This is the only part of the book that delves into how the peasantry viewed thier existence. The part of the book which deals with end of the war, and the collapse of Saigon was excellent. What comes out in spades is the culture of corruption, particularity in South Vietnam. It was very much worth the read, but I wish it had more of the peasants perspective.
February 16, 2023
Sometimes you finish a book, and then you try to read another book and it's just not engaging you because the last book you read was just that good. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and having completed the book, I felt satiated in my hunger for the insights into what was first my curiosity of the war with the Americans but cascaded into my curiosity of how Vietnam developed (over 4 generations).
The book explores so much in a condensed form; exploring the cultural influence of Confucianism on ancient and pre-colonial Vietnam, her families circumstances through the ages and the changing sentiments around her.
It was something like sitting down for a cold drink with a friend and chopping it up, except Van Mai Elliot provides her personal narrative, historical facts backed with context and references.
If you're interested in Vietnam in general, then this is a really palatable read.
The book explores so much in a condensed form; exploring the cultural influence of Confucianism on ancient and pre-colonial Vietnam, her families circumstances through the ages and the changing sentiments around her.
It was something like sitting down for a cold drink with a friend and chopping it up, except Van Mai Elliot provides her personal narrative, historical facts backed with context and references.
If you're interested in Vietnam in general, then this is a really palatable read.
March 3, 2019
The four generations are the author’s own family and is the story of Vietnam’s fight for independence. It’s a fascinating tale, with members of the family on both sides of the war. It’s very balanced and comes through is that while they differed dramatically in the realm of politics, they continued to love and respect each other.
Four stars because the first couple generations are rather slow going, but it picks up with the story of the later generations. The fall of Saigon is as much a page turner as any bestselling mystery novel.
This book, along with my visit to Hoa Lo prison (aka Hanoi Hilton), gave me a very different perspective on the Vietnam War and Ho Chi Minh. From the Vietnamese perspective, they are analogous to our own Revolutionary War and George Washington.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Four stars because the first couple generations are rather slow going, but it picks up with the story of the later generations. The fall of Saigon is as much a page turner as any bestselling mystery novel.
This book, along with my visit to Hoa Lo prison (aka Hanoi Hilton), gave me a very different perspective on the Vietnam War and Ho Chi Minh. From the Vietnamese perspective, they are analogous to our own Revolutionary War and George Washington.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
July 29, 2023
The book I finished on the last day of 2018 (making it 30 books I have read this year) may be the best one of all. The author is a member of a Vietnamese family of 17 siblings, 12 of whom survived until adulthood, during the time of the end of the French rule and throughout the war against communism, many surviving until today. She traces her family history back to her great grandfather, a Mandarin (traditional ruler) through the war, escape from Vietnam after the war, their lives as refugees, and how they have survived and even thrived on four different continents of the globe. One sister and husband even became Viet Minh (precursors to Viet Cong) and fully belieiving the communist ideals. More than a book about the Vietnam war, it is the history of a country told through one family. Highly recommended.
July 6, 2017
This is an amazing family and modern history of Viet Nam. From the author's great grandfather, an imperial mandarin, to her nieces, nephews and cousins in the Vietnamese diaspora and currently in Viet Nam, she gives us a view of events from her family's experiences. Mai Elliott had a sister and brother-in-law who worked in the north's country-side as agriculture experts under the Viet Minh and a brother who spent four years in re-education camps after reunification. Her father was a governor in the Hanoi and Haiphong under the French and the Japanese.
She tells their history and experiences well and with sympathy and gives us a taste of the Vietnamese culture.
Thank you, Ms. Elliott, for this book.
She tells their history and experiences well and with sympathy and gives us a taste of the Vietnamese culture.
Thank you, Ms. Elliott, for this book.
April 11, 2025
Mai Elliot graciously shares with the reader the story of her family, dating back four generations, and in effect provides a rich history of not only Vietnam, but the lived experience of Vietnamese people. Understanding the story of Vietnam’s journey of losing, then fighting for, and eventually winning back their independence from the French, Japanese, and United States helps to unpack the impact foreign invasion had on the cultural, economic, social, environmental, and political state of the nation, and its transition over time. Seeing it through the first hand accounts of a singular large family in narrative form provides a unique perspective that makes the history feel so deeply human, and points to how deeply human history it really is. Long! But worth it.
January 22, 2018
I knew very little about Vietnam and the conflict in the country. Over 100 years of a single family portrayed thru the eyes of a surviving child. Family split by war and ideology yet once peace finally comes to the country able to reconnect and look forward in their respective lives. Liked knowing what occurred in the country from a perspective of someone who lived in the country and had a rich family history of government involvement. Large family so many aspects of political spectrum were explored. I did not like how she worshipped her ancestors and wished that this was not part of who she is.
October 16, 2023
This is a remarkable book. It helped me understand the complexities of colonialism and the Vietnam War as no standard history book could by telling her family's story. It is moving to see the effects of Vietnam War on the author's immediate and extended family. I was a college student in the late 60's and early 70's and participated in the anti-war movement. The book brought me back to that time. The author went to college in America and then married an American, much to the initial dismay of her family. She was able to sync the events in Vietnam with those in America before, during and after the war. This book is invaluable to the understanding of that time in our history.
September 30, 2017
”As my plane took off one fall morning from Hanoi. I looked out of my window and felt a sense of peace and closure. …I had seen Vietnam, the land of two million war dead, become once again the land of the living. And I was taking back with me not the deafening explosions of weapons, but the gentle sound of the monsoon rain.”
It has been six years since I went to Vietnam to build a house with Habitat for Humanity. Vietnam is not a country that I had planned to visit, but the opportunity presented itself and so I went. I am glad I did. I learned a lot including that there are places hotter than Virginia in August. I also met some wonderful people and ate some incredible food.
Since that trip I have continued to read and learn about the country, the people and the war that caused such disruption in Vietnam and the United States.
This book was a good addition to my reading list. Elliott tells the story of her family in the context of the French occupation, the split into two countries, the involvement with the United States and then the end of the war between North and South. She had a lot to cover which explains why her memoir is almost 500 pages. I now have a much better understanding of how the Vietnamese came to be warring against themselves. I will need to watch the Ken Burns documentary on Vietnam to help me understand how the US got so involved.
This was a very scholarly work about a family who took government service seriously. I wonder how this story would be told by someone whose family was middle or working class. I think Elliott has many advantages because of her family’s service to the state. However, I realize that once Communism won the war, her family suffered because they weren’t part of the proletariat.
The whole time I was reading this book a particular song kept repeating in my head. It is part of the reason that my quotation above is from the last paragraph of the book. Scott Ainsley is a wonderful singer and this is his composition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT9Ps... I am glad there is peace again in Vietnam.
It has been six years since I went to Vietnam to build a house with Habitat for Humanity. Vietnam is not a country that I had planned to visit, but the opportunity presented itself and so I went. I am glad I did. I learned a lot including that there are places hotter than Virginia in August. I also met some wonderful people and ate some incredible food.
Since that trip I have continued to read and learn about the country, the people and the war that caused such disruption in Vietnam and the United States.
This book was a good addition to my reading list. Elliott tells the story of her family in the context of the French occupation, the split into two countries, the involvement with the United States and then the end of the war between North and South. She had a lot to cover which explains why her memoir is almost 500 pages. I now have a much better understanding of how the Vietnamese came to be warring against themselves. I will need to watch the Ken Burns documentary on Vietnam to help me understand how the US got so involved.
This was a very scholarly work about a family who took government service seriously. I wonder how this story would be told by someone whose family was middle or working class. I think Elliott has many advantages because of her family’s service to the state. However, I realize that once Communism won the war, her family suffered because they weren’t part of the proletariat.
The whole time I was reading this book a particular song kept repeating in my head. It is part of the reason that my quotation above is from the last paragraph of the book. Scott Ainsley is a wonderful singer and this is his composition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT9Ps... I am glad there is peace again in Vietnam.
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