This project engages members of the Vietnamese community in the San Jose area to record and share their stories in the form of written passages and images to ensure that future generations have access to the unique and under-represented perspectives of refugees and immigrants from South Vietnamese individuals: their lives, cultures, and journeys through the Vietnam War and its aftermath, the exodus, and the acculturation process in America. 

The curated pieces recognize the Vietnamese American community for our struggles, sacrifices, achievements, and contributions to America. Many Vietnamese in the older generations still struggle with the unhealed wounds of the Vietnam War, traumatized by the Communist persecution, haunted by the exodus experience, and distraught by the acculturation challenges and language barriers. They feel lost, forgotten, unappreciated, and brushed aside. We want to capture the older generations’ stories as these are treasured chapters of our journey. Such recognition will bring the generations together, fostering understanding, empathy, respect, and trust and help strengthen the collective voice of the Vietnamese Americans. As part of a healing process and making their mark on an essential part of history, these people tell their stories to be recorded and looked back on in hopes that the future generation will remember their own ties to this history and find a foundation of who they are: Vietnamese American.