Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam

The randomness of fate turns up repeatedly, both directly and indirectly, in Pham’s narrative. Chapter 2 hints at this early on, with details of Pham’s father’s (Thong) life in prison after the war. Much of the chapter concerns the father’s friendship with another prisoner named Tuan. The prisoners all live in fear: If they hear their name over the loudspeaker, it means their lives are forfeit, and guards will shoot them. Tuan is among the unlucky captives who meet this fate. Pham’s father also works in a mine-clearing squad, which results in the death of a number of prisoners from a random explosion, but Thong survives. Finally, Thong hears his name over the loudspeaker. Instead of death, however, he’s set free in a seemingly random act of lenience.

There are many instances of randomness in Pham’s own life as well, not least during his family’s escape from Vietnam by boat: A fishing net gets caught in the propeller, delaying departure, and then a patrol boat appears but doesn’t investigate. Had these random acts not taken place, there might not be any story to tell. Indeed, when Pham himself falls from the Indonesian ship that saves them, he’s saved by a crewman.