Where the Wind Leads, written by Vinh Chung, relays the story of a Chinese family, whose prosperous and peaceful life in Vietnam suddenly crumbled as Saigon fell into communist hands. In his memoir, Chung delves into the pasts of his parents, who were of Chinese descent, yet were raised in Vietnam. From the colonization of France, through the invasion of the Japanese, to the rising communist wave which crashed upon South Vietnam, the upbringings of Vinh’s parents were marked by hardship, perseverance, success, and family, which enabled them to sustain themselves throughout the various warring stages within Vietnam. Vinh’s father, Thanh, along with his brother and Grandmother Chung, were left in poverty after the death of Vinh’s grandfather. Despite this difficulty, they were determined to overcome this state of life by creating a rice-milling business named Peace, Unity, Profit. It was this business and its expanding success that allowed for the Chung family to gain high social status and wealth. Despite their societal position, they never forgot their poor beginnings, always remembering the needy through …show more content…
Vinh Chung introduced his book stating, “But this is not a story about the Vietnam War – this is the story of what happened next, to more than a million people, including my family” (Chung 3). Rather than focus primarily on the despair, sorrow, and death which looms over the war, Chung shows the positive good that came after the fighting, which gave many Vietnamese the chance to live again. He highlights the characteristic traits embedded within his family that enabled them to survive during Vietnam’s most disastrous and violent years; by doing so, he shares only a sliver of the untold stories kept in the hearts of those who endured the war without the protection of a weapon by their