Vietnamese Amerasian Experiences

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Vietnamese Amerasian Experiences

4/2/1975 The East side of Hangar 110, Oakland International Airport as Members of the press and others meeting the first “un-official” flight of Vietnamese orphans. The bus seen in the picture was one of several that transported the arriving orphans to the Armory at the San Francisco Presidio.

Author: Cindy Huỳnh-Medrano, PhD
Grades: 11-12

Suggested Amount of Time: 50 - 80 Minutes
Area of Study: Vietnamese Departures and Transit

Compelling Question

  • How did Vietnamese build communities as they attempted to survive and traverse the hardships of life in transit?

Lesson Questions
  • Who are Vietnamese Amerasians?
  • How did American legislation impact departure and resettlement experiences of Vietnamese Amerasians?
  • What role did nationalism play in the marginalization of Vietnamese Amerasians?
Lesson Objective

Students will be able to evaluate the impacts of departure and resettlement experiences on Vietnamese Amerasians post-war by analyzing various sources and constructing proposed amendments.

Lesson Background

Vietnamese Amerasians refers to children of Vietnamese mothers and American servicemen. Vietnamese Amerasians symbolized the conflicting politics and cultural philosophies of Vietnam and America. As children of the war, Vietnamese Amerasians were ostracized as worthless half-breeds. They faced social and cultural discrimination and victimization in racially homogenous and nationalistic post-war Vietnam (Valverde, 1992). Similarly, Vietnamese Amerasians were ignored by the United States, who focused attention and resources to supporting high-ranking servicemen and prisoners as well as refugee resettlement.

During the 1980s, the US government began acknowledging and assuming responsibility for Vietnamese Amerasians through the passage of the 1982 Amerasian Act and 1987 Homecoming Act. These two pieces of legislation opened the door for thousands of Vietnamese Amerasians to migrate to the US with fleeting protective status. 

Source: Valverde, K.L.C. 1992. From dust to gold: The Vietnamese Amerasian experience. In M.P.P. Root (Ed.), Racially mixed people in America, (144-161). Sage Publications Inc. https://www.academia.edu/4850667/From_Dust_to_Gold_The_Vietnamese_Amerasian_%20Experience\ 

Image Citation: Photography - Operation Baby Lift. (n.d.). https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/museum/exhibits/babylift/photography

Ethnic Studies Theme

This lesson connects to the ethnic studies theme of power and oppression from the Asian American Studies Curriculum Framework (Asian American Research Initiative, 2022). Students will consider war, migration and imperialism as contexts shaping citizenship and racialization. Students will explore how the United States’ policies toward immigration were designed to exclude groups, such as the Vietnamese Amerasian community.

For additional guidance around ethnic studies implementation, refer to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (2021)  https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp.

Historical Thinking Skills

This lesson will facilitate student proficiency in historical significance, one of Seixas’ historical thinking skills (Seixas & Morton, 2013). Educators improve student familiarity with the criteria for historical significance. Students consider how events, people, or developments have historical significance if they resulted in change. That is, they had deep consequences, for many people, over a long period of time.

Supplies
  • Access to laptop device
Handouts
  1. Warm-Up (five minutes)
    1. Prompt students to consider the following: If you could change one rule that exists in our world today, what would that be and how would you change it? Students can identify a rule within their school, home, state, or country. 
    2. Students share with a partner, and then have a whole class share out. 
    3. Teacher will share lesson objectives and lesson introduction. 
  2. Assessing Prior Knowledge (five minutes)
    1. Display the following key terms for students and have them rate and/or discuss their understandings of the meanings: refugee, legislation, postwar, resettlement, nationalism
      1. Students can look up unfamiliar terms if needed. 
    2. Have a class discussion about these terms and solicit student responses about definitions for each.
    3. Formal definitions should be copied by students and/or made available on display for accessibility. 
    4. Preparation: “Text-Set (Amerasian Experiences)” under handouts should be made available to students (digital or paper worksheet). 
      1. Additionally, distribute copies of the Vocabulary handout to provide additional context to students for the lesson.
  3. Teacher Modeling - Interaction with first source with multiple reads: Source 1 Valverde, 1992 (15 minutes)
    1. First read: Skim to find unknown words and define them with the class.
    2. Second read: What does the source tell you about? 
    3. Third read: Answer the lesson questions.
      1. How did American legislation impact departure and resettlement experiences of Vietnamese Amerasians?
      2. What role did nationalism play in the marginalization of Vietnamese Amerasians?
      3. What are the effects of the acts? 
        1. What was the legislation attempting? 
        2. How did Vietnamese Amerasians benefit from these acts?
      4. What are some criticisms of the acts?
        1. How were they flawed and insufficient?
        2. How did the 1982 and 1987 acts fall short in supporting Vietnamese Amerasians’ unique status and circumstance?
  4. Interaction with second source with multiple reads: Source 2 Robear, 1989 (15 minutes)
    1. Second source should be completed with a partner(s)
    2. First read: Skim to find unknown words and define them with the class.
    3. Second read: What does the source tell you about? 
    4. Third read: Answer the lesson questions
      1. How did American legislation impact departure and resettlement experiences of Vietnamese Amerasians?
      2. What role did nationalism play in the marginalization of Vietnamese Amerasians?
      3. What are the effects of the acts? 
        1. What was the legislation attempting? 
        2. How did Vietnamese Amerasians benefit from these acts?
      4. What are some criticisms of the acts?
        1. How were they flawed and insufficient?
        2. How did the 1982 and 1987 acts fall short in supporting Vietnamese Amerasians’ unique status and circumstance?
    5. After partners have completed source 2, have them think-pair-share with a group nearby.
  5. Community Collaboration - Class Discussion (10–15 minutes)
    1. Using post-it notes or a virtual call-and-response platform (see Slido.com or Formative.com), have students write down reasons why Vietnamese Amerasians were marginalized and deemed an unwanted population post-war. Read student responses aloud. 
      1. Answer the question: What role did nationalism play in the marginalization of Vietnamese Amerasians?
      2. Dialogue with students the effects, criticisms, and intentions of the 1982 (Amerasian Act) and 1987 (Amerasian Homecoming Act) acts. 
  6. Cultural Production (15 – 20 minutes)
    1. Students will consider possible amendments to both acts. Teachers can assign this as an independent, or partner task.
    2. Include discussion on needed institutional resources for improved Vietnamese Amerasian resettlement:
      1. Education
      2. Employment
      3. Housing 
      4. Cultural and Social Resources (churches, community centers, etc.)
    3. Students will construct a fictional amendment to the acts, as well as include descriptive language to best explain the changes they plan to make. The amendment should have an official title and include formal language. This can be typed or handwritten. 
      1. The final product can be open to a written, visual, or audio narrative. 
    4. Students will share their amendments to the class. This can be done as a whip-around sharing process, or the amendment language can be typed onto a digital application and projected for the whole class. 
  7. Sharing and Reflection (10 minutes)
    1. Once each student has shared their amendment language, have students vote on their top three. 
    2. In small groups, have students discuss how Vietnamese Amerasian legislation relates to larger immigration issues in the US. 
      1. What do you know about the existing US immigration system? How are people impacted by the existing system?
      2. What do these acts tell us about the larger American immigration system? 

Students will analyze postwar legislation related to Vietnamese Amerasian resettlement in America and consider possible amendments to both acts. Teachers can assign this as an independent, or partner task. Students will construct a fictional amendment to the acts, as well as descriptive language to best explain the changes they plan to make. The amendment should have an official title and include formal language. This can be typed or handwritten. 

  • Engagement: Consider the following method to support with lesson engagement:
    • Design activities so that learning outcomes are authentic, communicate to real audiences, and reflect a purpose that is clear to the participants
  • Representation: Consider the following method to support with multiple means of representation:
    • Provide electronic translation tools or links to multilingual glossaries on the web 
    •  Embed visual, non-linguistic supports for vocabulary clarification (pictures, videos, etc) 
  • Action and Expression: Consider the following method to support in presenting their learning in multiple ways:
    • Provide sentence starters or sentence strips:
      • The 1982 Amerasian Act was attempting to…
        • "...provide a pathway for Amerasians to immigrate to the US."
        • ...address the plight of Amerasians left in Vietnam."
        • "...facilitate the reunification of Amerasians with their American parents."
        • "...offer a solution to the humanitarian crisis faced by Amerasians."
        • "...ensure the well-being and safety of Amerasians."
        • "...acknowledge the responsibility of the US towards Amerasians."
        • "...improve the living conditions of Amerasians."
        • "...grant Amerasians legal status in the US."
        • "...help Amerasians escape discrimination and hardship in Vietnam."
        • "...create opportunities for a better life for Amerasians."
      • The 1987 Amerasian Act was attempting to…
        • "...speed up the immigration process for Amerasians."
        • "...expand the provisions of the 1982 Amerasian Act."
        • "...facilitate the resettlement of Amerasians in the US."
        • "...address the challenges faced by Amerasians under the 1982 Act."
        • "...provide Amerasians with access to social services in the US."
        • "...ensure a smoother transition for Amerasians moving to the US."
        • "...grant Amerasians and their families the right to immigrate."
        • "...improve the living conditions of Amerasians."
        • "...help Amerasians integrate into American society."
        • "...create a more inclusive policy for Amerasians and their families."
      • Some criticisms of the two acts were that…
        • The acts did not provide sufficient support for the integration of Amerasians into American society.
        • The process for determining eligibility was rigorous and often resulted in long waiting periods in asylum camps.
        • The acts did not prevent the discrimination that Amerasians often faced in both Vietnam and the US. 
        • The acts did not address the needs of Amerasians who were left behind or denied refugee status.
        • The acts did not provide enough resources for Amerasians upon their arrival in the US. 
        • The acts did not sufficiently address the human rights issues faced by Amerasians, including the harsh living conditions in reeducation camps in Vietnam and detention centers in Hong Kong.
      • One piece of legislation that impacted departure and resettlement experiences of Vietnamese Amerasians is…The Amerasian Act of 1982/The Amerasian Homecoming Act
        • …which helped Amerasians…
          • "...move to the United States."
          • "...find new homes."
          • "...leave Vietnam."
          • "...start a new life."
          • "...get US  citizenship."
          • "...reunite with their American parents."
          • "...escape difficult conditions in Vietnam."
          • "...receive education and job opportunities in the US "
          • "...gain legal status in the US ”
          • "...have a better future."
      • Nationalism played a role in the marginalization of Vietnamese Amerasians by…
        • "...promoting the idea of a pure Vietnamese identity."
        • "...creating a sense of 'us' versus 'them'."
        • "...fueling prejudice against those of mixed heritage.”
        • "...leading to discrimination and exclusion."
        • "...causing societal division based on ethnicity."
        • "...encouraging negative stereotypes."
        • "...making Amerasians feel like outsiders."
        • "...ignoring the rights and needs of Amerasians."
        • "...contributing to social and economic inequality."
        • "...creating barriers to integration and acceptance."

For additional ideas to support your students, check out the UDL Guidelines at CAST 2018 http://udlguidelines.cast.org.

  • Emerging: Consider the following method to support with emerging students:
    • Speaking: Provide wall charts with illustrated academic vocabulary 
      • Students use a Frayer graphic organizer to support understanding of a key word or concept. Place the target word in the center amid four surrounding quadrants to support different facets of word meaning.
  • Expanding: Consider the following method to support with expanding students:
    • Speaking: Repeat and expand student responses in a collaborative dialogue 
      • Ground rules or guidelines for conversations are used as the basis for constructive academic talk. Teacher provides judicious corrective feedback during student talk.
  • Bridging: Consider the following method to support with bridging students:
    • Speaking: Structure conversations requiring various points of view with graphic organizers 
      • In partner and group discussions, students use conversation moves to extend academic talk. Conversation moves help students add to or challenge what a partner says, question, clarify, paraphrase, support thinking with examples, synthesize conversation points, etc.

For additional guidance around scaffolding for multilingual learners, please consult the following resources:

  1. Additional guiding questions to pose to students:
    • How should Vietnamese Amerasians be classified? As immigrants or refugees? What are refugees classified as and what should they be?
    • How do the individual experiences and outcomes of the Vietnamese Amerasians followed in the documentaries represent the devastation of war?
    • How are the Vietnamese Amerasians represented in the documentaries caught between two different social, cultural, and political worlds?
  2. For Daughter from Danang (see site: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/daughter/) Have students create venn diagrams: 1) comparing and contrasting social and cultural differences between Heidi’s American family and Heidi’s Vietnamese family and 2) the expectations Heidi had when reuniting with her mother and birth country compared to the expectations her mother had.
  3. Letters to Political Leaders: Have students write collective or individual letters to senators, congress, city council members, etc. advocating for national and local immigrant and refugee rights and resources. This community engagement section can also be tied to a project for the California State Seal of Civic Engagement. 

American Initiative. 2022. Asian American Studies K-12 Framework.  https://asianamericanresearchinitiative.org/asian-american-studies-curriculum-framework/ 

Amerasian Act. 96 STAT. 1716. PUBLIC LAW 97-359 1982. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-96/pdf/STATUTE-96-Pg1716.pdf

Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1987. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-101/pdf/STATUTE-101-Pg1329.pdf

Amerasian Homecoming Act. STAT. 1329. PUBLIC LAW 100-202 1987. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-96/pdf/STATUTE-96-Pg1716.pdf 

Britt, K. 2020, May 11. English learner toolkit of strategies. California County Superintendents.  https://cacountysupts.org/english-learner-toolkit-of-strategies/

California Department of Education. 2021. Ethnic studies model curriculum. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp 

California Department of Education & English Learner Support Division. 2012. California English Language Development standards (Electronic Edition) kindergarten through grade 12 (F. Ong & J. McLean, Eds.). California Department of Education. https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/documents/eldstndspublication14.pdf

California Educators Together. (n.d.). ELA / ELD framework. https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/resources/6537/ela-eld-framework

CAST. 2018. The UDL guidelines. http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Policy Manual: Chapter 9 - Amerasian Immigrants 2021. US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS).  https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-7-part-p-chapter-9

Robear, E. 1989. The Dust of Life: The Legal and Political Ramifications of the Continuing Vietnamese Amerasian Problem. Penn State International Law Review, 8(1), 125–146. http://elibrary.law.psu.edu/psilr/vol8/iss1/7

San Diego County Office of Education. (n.d.). Providing appropriate scaffolding.  https://www.sdcoe.net/educators/multilingual-education-and-global-achievement/oracy-toolkit/providing-appropriate-scaffolding#scaffolding

Sexias, P. & Morton, T. 2013. The big six: Historical thinking concepts. Nelson Education.

Tulare County Office of Education. (n.d.). Strategies for ELD. https://commoncore.tcoe.org/Content/Public/doc/Alpha-CollectionofELDStrategies.pdf 

Valverde, K.L.C. 1992. From dust to gold: The Vietnamese Amerasian experience. In M.P.P. Root (Ed.), Racially mixed people in America, (144-161). Sage Publications Inc.  https://www.academia.edu/4850667/From_Dust_to_Gold_The_Vietnamese_Amerasian_%20Experience 

 
Supplementary Sources

Dolgin, G. (Director). 2002. Daughter from Danang [Film]. Interfaze Educational Productions.  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/daughter/

GAO United States General Accounting Office Report to Congressional Requesters VIETNAMESE AMERASIAN RESETTLEMENT Education, Employment, and Family Outcomes in the United States. 1994.  https://www.gao.gov/assets/pemd-94-15.pdf 

Mishan, A. & Rothenberg, N. (Directors). 1994. Bụi Đời: Life Like Dust [Film]. Urban Nomad Productions.  https://caamedia.org/films/bui-doi-life-like-dust/

Nguyễn Mang, T. (Founder & Chief Storyteller). 2021, April 20. Other Streets (#27) [Audio podcast episode]. In The Vietnamese Boat People. https://www.vietnameseboatpeople.org/podcast/episode/bb3970d3/27-other-streets

Tiên, L., & Hunthausen, D. 1990. The Vietnamese Amerasian resettlement experience: From initial application to the first six months in the United States. Vietnam Generation, 2(3), 4. https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context=vietnamgeneration 

Taylor, Clarence Dung. Oral History of Clarence Dũng Taylor. Interview by Thúy Võ Đặng. 13 December 2021. Viet Stories: Vietnamese American Oral History Project, University of California at Irvine Southeast Asian Archives,  https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/81235/d85464/. Accessed 28 July 2023.

Tsuno, K. (Director). 1990. The Story of Vinh [Documentary film]. DCTV. https://vimeo.com/527390438

PBS. (n.d.). American Experience Daughter from Danang.  www.pbs.org. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/daughter/   

CAAM Home. (n.d.). Bụi Đời: Life Like Dust. Retrieved September 19, 2023. https://caamedia.org/films/bui-doi-life-like-dust/ 

DCTV. 2021, March 22. The Story of Vinh. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/527390438 

Tiên, L., & Hunthausen, D. (n.d.). The Vietnamese Amerasian Resettlement Experience: From Initial Application to the First Six Months in the United States. Number 3 Southeast Asian-American Communities Article, 2, 1–1990.  https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context=vietnamgeneration 

Model Curriculum

Vietnamese American Experiences

Standard(s)

HSS 11.9 HSS 11.11 RI.11-12.1 W.11-12.7

Grade(s)

Grade 11 Grade 12