Inheriting: Bảo & the Vietnam War

Imperfect Paradise

LAist Studios

Society & Culture

4.5 • 535 Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we bring you an episode from Inheriting Season One. Inheriting is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations.

Bảo Trương’s parents both fled Vietnam in 1975 following the war. His father Thuận was a pilot for the South Vietnamese Air Force and left the day before the Fall of Saigon, evacuating almost 100 people to Thailand on a plane. Thuận has now been settled in the U.S. for decades, but he still writes songs mourning the Vietnam of his childhood – a country that, to him, no longer exists because it is still under a communist government. On the flipside, his son Bảo wants to live in the Vietnam of today, a yearning his father doesn’t understand. In this episode, the father and son sit down for a frank conversation about the country they both long for, in different ways.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for L.A.S. comes from Car Pros Kia, featuring the 2027 Kia Telluride hybrid with a striking new design and family-friendly seating for up to eight. You can learn more at Car Pros Kia in Glendale, Huntington Beach, and Moreno Valley.
0:15.2	This L.A.S. podcast is supported by Cork and Fork Restaurant in Coachella Valley, with a farm-to-table menu of chef's favorites and small plates.
0:23.4	Weekly wine dinners feature winemakers and experts from all over the world.
0:27.2	Available for catering and private events.
0:29.5	Info at cork and forkwinebar.com.
0:33.2	Hey, this is In Perfect Paradise, a show about the gap between the dream and reality.
0:38.8	I'm Antonia Seregito.
0:41.4	We're back this week with another episode of Inheriting, in honor of Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
0:49.1	Inheriting is a show that L.A.S. co-produced with NPR about how the past is personal,
0:53.9	and how a single event can ripple through the generations of one family.
0:58.8	The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago, but Bao Trong and his dad, Twan, are still grappling with the aftermath.
1:06.8	The father and son both long for Vietnam, but in very different ways.
1:11.5	And they've never been able to talk about those feelings until now on Inheriting.
1:16.8	By the way, listeners, you'll be getting another episode of Inheriting in this feed next week.
1:21.6	And if you want to listen to even more, you can catch all episodes from season one in that podcast feed right now.
1:28.4	Here's Inheriting Host, Emily Kwong.
1:32.8	Bao Trong has a powerful name, and so do his siblings.
1:37.2	Taken together, they sound like a pledge.
1:40.3	My oldest brother's name is Fuku, which means take back the country.
1:44.7	My sister's name is Huihuk, which means take back the country. My sister's name is Huai Heung, which means remember the country.
1:48.7	And my name is Baukuk, which means defend the country.
1:51.5	Our names are called action, a longing.
	...

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