Reflective Pieces

features thoughtful essays, personal meditations, and introspective writings that explore the inner landscapes of the Vietnamese diaspora. These are not just stories of what happened, but reflections on what those experiences mean — how identity is shaped by memory, how silence can hold both pain and wisdom, and how the past continues to echo in the present. Whether through quiet contemplation or emotional honesty, these pieces invite readers to pause, look inward, and connect with the deeper layers of what it means to live, remember, and become.

What 50 Years Means to Me

This milestone is often viewed as a celebration of the Vietnamese community — our resilience, our contributions, our cultural pride. And while that is true, it is not the whole story. To me, this anniversary is not only about Vietnamese people; it is also about the community at large — those who offered kindness, acceptance, and a place for us to rebuild. It is about the enduring human capacity to welcome others and to stand together for shared values, especially freedom and democracy.

Resilience. At what cost?

While working to translate these refugee stories, I’ve learned that pain often arrives dressed in detail: the number of days adrift at sea, the mouths fed with spoonfuls of hope, the child lost to hunger. These stories grip us — as they should — and we remember them.

Does the woman who sold sticky rice— cô bán xôi —know what she did?

Does she remember that day, many years ago, when a hungry young man sat quietly by the roadside, worn thin by hardship, empty in both stomach and spirit? Does she know that when she handed him a small plate of xôi — warm, fragrant, humble — without asking for anything in return, that gesture etched itself into his memory, not as a transaction, but as a saving grace?

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