Vietnamese Americans LESSONS in AMERICAN HISTORY
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Vietnamese Americans LESSONS IN AMERICAN HISTORY Glossary V The following is a brief list of dates, people, events and cultural items that are of importance to the experiences and histories of Vietnamese Americans. Many of these terms have been addressed in more detail in this curriculum guide. This glossary is by no means a comprehensive list. April 30th, 1975 The day the South Vietnamese Presidential Palace was overtaken by North Vietnamese communist forces, thus marking the official end of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and the Second Indochina War. April 30th is considered a day of great loss for Vietnamese who fled the country to escape communist rule. Amerasians Children of American servicemen and Vietnamese women. They are often called “bui dri” (children of the dust or dust of life) and “con lai” (mixed-blood). After 1975, seen as part “enemy,” Amerasians faced severe social and economic discrimination in Vietnam, and were often homeless and illiterate. The passage of the Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1987 brought thousands of Amerasians and their families to the United States. Once neglected and shunned, Amerasians became a sure ticket to America — many Amerasians without families sold themselves to families eager to leave Vietnam. Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) The military ground forces of the South Vietnamese government (Republic of Vietnam), until its collapse in April 1975. The war claimed the lives of an estimated 185,000 to 225,000 ARVN troops, with an additional 500,000 to 570,000 wounded. asylum The right of people who flee their country in search of sanctuary to be recognized as bona fide refugees and the legal protection and material assistance that status implies. In the last five decades, several million people were granted asylum in countries around the world. As of 2000, there are approximately 1.2 million asylum applications pending around the world. banh mi Bánh mI, the Vietnamese sandwich, is a unique addition to the Vietnamese diet from the French influence. Added to the French bread roll are different cold meat cuts, pate, BBQ pork, chicken, or fish, with pickled carrots and white radish, cilantro and hot peppers. It is a favorite food during lunchtime. Bao Dai Bäo Dai was the last emperor of Vietnam. Born 1913, he succeeded to the throne in 1926 and ruled under French and — during the last days of World War II — Japanese occupation until forced out by the Viet Minh in 1945. He returned in 1949 to head the new state of Viet Nam, set up by France to rival the Communist government of Hn www.teachingtolerance/vietnamese GLOSSARY 2 Vietnamese Americans • Lessons in History Chí Minh. After Vietnam’s partition in 1954, Bäo Dai remained head of state in South Vietnam until deposed by Premier Ng√ DInh Dicm the following year. Thereafter he lived in exile in Paris, France, until his death in 1997. Boat People Refugees who fled Vietnam by sea after 1975. Many fell victim to pirate attacks in the Gulf of Thailand, drowned or endured starvation and dehydration as a result of their escape in ill-equipped and undersized vessels. Those who reached safety in neighboring Southeast Asian countries were accorded temporary asylum in refugee camps while awaiting permanent resettlement in industrialized Western nations willing to accept them. In 1996, the United Nations decided to end the financing of the camps holding the remaining 35,000 boat people. As a result, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines returned the refugees to Vietnam. Bolsa Avenue Bolsa Avenue is the main thoroughfare in Little Saigon, an area mainly encompassing the cities of Westminster and Garden Grove, California, and is widely considered to have the highest concentration of Vietnamese American businesses and residential areas outside of Vietnam. Camp Pendleton, California One of four relocation camps in the United States that initially housed part of the 130,000 Southeast Asian refugees shortly after the fall of South Vietnam. During six months of operation at Camp Pendleton, 50,418 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were relocated with the help of private sponsors and charities. The other three camps were located at: Fort Chafee, Arkansas; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. cha gio Chä gij, the Vietnamese egg roll, is very different from the Chinese egg roll. Chä gij is made with ground pork and/or ground shrimp, finely diced carrots, black mushroom, and mung bean noodle, all wrapped in an egg based sheet or rice sheet. They are deep-fried and are usually eaten as an appetizer or in a variety of dishes with a light variation of nvqc m0m, Vietnamese fish sauce. che Chf is any number of sweet Vietnamese desserts, which may include a variety of ingredients including corn, mung beans, red beans, taro roots, bananas, seaweed, tapioca and coconut milk. Democratic Republic of Vietnam The official name of Communist North Vietnam after the Geneva Accords in 1954. The name is changed to “Socialist Republic of Vietnam” after the war in 1976. Dien Bien Phu Dien BiΩn Ph4 was the scene in 1954 of the last battle between the French and the Viet Minh forces. The Viet Minh army won this decisive battle, which signaled the end of French rule in Indochina. DMZ (demilitarized zone) Extending for 3 miles on either side of the 17th Parallel (demarcation line separating North Vietnam and South Vietnam) was a demilitarized zone. The DMZ was called for by the Geneva Accords. Doi Moi Dπi Mqi refers to socioeconomic renovation policies adopted by the Vietnam Communist Party in 1986 to further liberalize the economy. The term actually refers to a series of actions taken over a period from 1987 www.teachingtolerance/vietnamese GLOSSARY 3 Vietnamese Americans • Lessons in History to 1998, including liberalization of agriculture, opening the country to international trade, establishment of commercial banking sector, end of almost all centrally managed prices, and elimination of most subsidies to state enterprises. dong The Dnng is Vietnam’s monetary unit, which, as of August 2001, had an exchange rate of approximately 14,982 Dnng to $1 U.S. dollar. Duong Van Minh Known popularly as “Big Minh,” Dvong VCn Minh led the South Vietnamese army under prime minister Ng√ DInh Dicm. In 1963, he became leader of South Vietnam after the military coup of Ng√ DInh Dicm. Dvong’s rule lasted only two months, but he briefly led South Vietnam again in 1975 before surrendering the nation to Communist forces. He was incarcerated by the Communists after the war. He passed away in Pasadena, California, in August 2001. ethnic minorities (in Vietnam) Vietnam is home to 54 ethnic minority hill tribes. Ethnic minorities make up 15 percent of the country’s population. In recent years, ethnic minority groups, particularly those in the Central Highlands, have clashed with the Vietnamese government over land rights issues and religious freedom. First Indochina War Between 1946 and 1954, the Vietnamese, both non-Communist and Communist forces, battle the French for independence. Geneva Accords / Agreements On July 21, 1954, the Agreements temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel into two zones for the two rival military forces: the pro-democracy forces in the south and the Communist Viet Minh in the north. The question of reunification was to be decided by a Vietnam-wide election in 1956. The United States refused to sign the declaration and proceeded to support the government of the new Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) with Bäo Dai and Ng√ DInh Diem as its head of state and prime minister, respectively. gio Gij is ground pork or beef wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. It is eaten in many Vietnamese dishes. goi cuon Also known as the Vietnamese spring roll, gki cumn is a light and healthy finger food. Gki cumn is usually boiled or charbroiled pork and/or shrimp, lettuce, white vermicelli noodles and mint leaves rolled in a thin rice sheet. A special dipping sauce is used to add flavor. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution On August 5, 1964, three days after President Lyndon Johnson charged that the North Vietnamese attacked U.S. battleships in the Gulf of Tongkin, Congress passed the Resolution authorizing the President to take military actions against any armed attacks on American forces in the area. As a result, the United States entered the Second Indochina War. Hanoi Hilton The nickname American prisoners of war used to describe the kH a Lj Prison in H@ Npi. www.teachingtolerance/vietnamese GLOSSARY 4 Vietnamese Americans • Lessons in History hate crime Any of various crimes when motivated by hostility toward the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation). Hoa Hao Hja Häo is an indigenous Vietnamese religion centered in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam. It was founded in the 1930s by Hu5nh Phú Sπ, the son of a village elder in Ch∑u Dmc Province. Doctrinally, the faith is a variant of Mahayana Buddhism, but allows no intermediary between man and the Supreme Being. Before the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Hja Häo had more than 1 million followers. Ho Chi Minh Born NguyEn Sinh Cung in 1890, and also called NguyEn TGt Th@nh or NguyEn Aí Qumc, Hn Chí Minh was founder of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930 and its successor, the Viet Minh, in 1941. He led the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 1945 until his death in 1969 and is considered the father of Vietnamese Communism. Ho Chi Minh City S@i Gjn, the capital of the fallen Republic of Vietnam, is renamed Hn Chí Minh City, in commemoration of the Vietnamese Communist architect.