Children of the Enemy: Oral Histories of Vietnamese Amerasians and Their Mothers

When U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam, they left behind thousands of young children fathered by American soldiers. The new regime regarded the Amerasians as children of the enemy and ostracized them from Vietnamese society. The U.S. government passed the Homecoming Act of 1988, finally facilitating immigration of Amerasians to the United States. Most who have emigrated faced difficulty adjusting to a new culture and only about 2 percent have been reunited with their fathers. Revealing and often poignant, the 38 interviews here give voice to the struggle that Amerasians and their mothers faced in their homeland.