Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey

GB uses the suitcase in early chapters to symbolize the loss of one’s home and the fear of violence. In retelling his grandmothers’ forced migrations, GB depicts close-ups of suitcases, hastily packed and securely shut. Thi Mot abandons Lang Son, and Le Nhi twice evacuates from My Tho. Both women fear for the safety of their family and are forced to leave “the only homes they ever knew” (45). As young children, Tri Huu and Dzung Chung look on in apprehension and confusion, as their flights indicate the dangers that surround them and the uncertainty of their security. Dzung Chung narrates, “Like millions of Vietnamese that meant leaving everything behind and feeling the volatile North. Even though we had no idea where we’d end up” (44). As adults, Dzung Chung and Tri Huu are again forced to leave their homeland out of fear of the new regime. The couple re-experiences the panic, uncertainty, and fear of their childhood and leaves most of their possessions behind. Dzung Chung explains, “There wasn’t any time. That last night in Vietnam, we just stuffed things into a suitcase” (155). The suitcase represents the cycle of displacement that the family and other Vietnamese people experienced during the two Indochina Wars.