When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to war, torture, and death.

“And so the war began and became an insatiable dragon that roared around Ky La. By the time I turned thirteen, that dragon had swallowed me up.”

The Viet Cong enlisted children in its efforts to defeat the Republicans in the South. Hayslip assumed duties as a sentry, became a heroine, and then was labeled an enemy. Emphasizing The Devastating Impact of War in Vietnam, Hayslip highlights the costs for peasants.

“It meant that people, not monsters, made war. It made me suddenly aware that the human sadness in Ky La was not natural, or the ordinary way of the universe.”

When Hayslip was very young, the war between the French and Viet Minh raged. She thought of the French as snake monsters. Her realization that the enemy were human beings, outsiders or those of another race, made her appreciate the tragedy of war and caused her to see the new outsiders, or Americans, as the enemy initially.

“Whenever we turned something in to the Viet Cong—even something as small as a mess kit or pocketknife—we were rewarded like heroes. Handmade medals were pinned to our shirts and our names were entered on the Blackboard of Honor.”

The Viet Cong were careful to educate villagers about the war and thus win their support. For children, such accolades for services were treasured. Most children initially thought of the war as a game.