Exodus and Entry

Exodus and Entry. From Vietnam to America. The Vietnam War (1964-75) was America's longest war. For the Vietnamese, the war had begun in 1945 with the fight for independence from French colonial rule. In that struggle, the U.S. supported the French forces. , In 1975, South Vietnam's government fell to North Vietnamese troops. The last Americans left Vietnam, and so did the first of millions of Vietnamese refugees. 30 years of war had come to an end. The 30-year growth of Vietnamese America was just beginning. , Who are Vietnamese Americans? , Imagine living through decades of war. Death stalks your neighborhood as guns blaze and bombs explode. Soldiers advance, nearly unstoppable. Do you stay, or do you flee, perhaps never to return - provided you survive? , If you had to start all over again, in a foreign country with only the clothes on your back, not knowing the language - what would it be like? , Ask the Vietnamese Americans who have started their lives over in the United States. , Who are Vietnamese Americans? , They are a vibrant and diverse ethnic group-nearly 1.5 million in number - and an integral part of the American fabric. Their rich and complex lives help define what it means to be "American."