Analytical Description

Từ điển Anh-Việt (English to Vietnamese dictionary) and Từ điển Việt-Anh (Vietnamese to English Dictionary) was a dictionary duo set released by Viện Ngôn ngữ học (Vietnam Institute of Linguistics) with the intention of serving Vietnamese and English speakers. According to my parents, the dictionary set was one-of-a-kind at the time of its release, and certainly had a higher price point than any other dictionary. This artifact is significant to my family because it was gifted to them by a close family friend and is a representation of a bridge connecting their Vietnamese culture with United States, their current home. Even though my parents obtained United States citizenship decades ago, the United States remains a foreign land to them. The dictionary set comes from background of scholarly prestige that my parents hold in high regard, especially since they were not able to pursue education beyond middle school in Vietnam.

From the Fall of Saigon in 1975 to the late 1980s, half a million Vietnamese individuals fled to the United States. The dictionary set’s release in the early 2000s indicates that their creation was in response to Vietnam’s struggle to establish its newly united nation as a global economy and to an increased need for transitional language learning resources from Việt Kiều (overseas Vietnamese) in English-speaking countries. The Vietnam Institute of Linguistics’ role in creating the set reveals that Việt Kiều in English-speaking countries was recognized by Vietnamese academia and higher education. The artifact’s release as a “premier” work is emblematic of the lack of resources for Vietnamese refugees, especially in areas with low concentrations of Vietnamese refugees. It also depicts how the integration into American society was perceived to be a healing method (albeit flawed) for many Vietnamese refugees, who suffered from many misperceived notions from other communities, such as the Model Minority myth and being perpetual foreigners. Furthermore, as the bridge between two languages, the dictionary set depicts the language barrier that stands between Vietnamese refugees and their American-born children that hold consequences such intergenerational divides and mental illness since many first-generation/refugee parents are not able to effectively communicate their stories and memories without passing on the trauma to their children.

Overall, this artifact demonstrates how Asian American history is living and breathing—meaning, the experiences of Asian immigrants from decades ago still have a powerful impact on our lives today. Through themes of migrant status, education, and language barriers, it also indicates how interconnected and universal diasporic experiences. While the trauma my parents experienced have been passed on to their children, they have always believed that healing through integration (into American society, the “dominant” culture) was possible. This illuminates and further contextualizes the different methods that refugees pursue to heal from their trauma. The struggle to balance their Vietnamese selves within the United States and bridging the gap between their children are recurring conflicts throughout Asian American history despite ethnic background and migrant status. Through the attachment that my parents have with Từ điển Anh-Việt and Từ điển Việt-Anh, we can observe and further understand how education and language can heavily affect experiences of refugees from other communities.

Keywords

Vietnamese American, acculturation, language, education, integration