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| Documentary tells personal story of Louisville family in America and Vietnam |
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Airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Doan Hoang’s family was on the last civilian helicopter out of the country at the end of the war. Twenty-five years later, she sets out to uncover their story in Oh, Saigon, airing Monday, May 5 at 10/9 p.m. CT on KET2. “If I could put my finger on the moment my family fell apart,” says Hoang at the beginning of Oh, Saigon, “it would be April 30, 1975, the end of the Vietnam War.” Hoang and her family were one of the first Vietnamese refugees to arrive in Louisville in the autumn of 1975; they still live in Louisville today. A 1975 Courier-Journal article recounts the early days of the Hoangs in Kentucky after they arrived from a refugee camp in Arkansas. Sponsored by St. Bernard’s Church in Fern Creek, the Hoangs were adjusting to American life after their arrival. Hoang’s film, meanwhile, shows what happened before and after their arrival in the United States. Back in Vietnam, Hoang’s sister, Van, was mistakenly separated from the family during the escape. Van eventually arrived in Louisville six years later after the harrowing experiences of being left behind. The film follows the Hoang family as they return to Vietnam after decades of exile. There, Doan discovers for the first time that her father had two brothers he had never mentioned: his older brother was a Communist, having fought in the war on the opposite side, while his younger brother was a pacifist. Oh, Saigon explores themes of home, identity, personal choice, patriotism, exile, war, loss and the love within families that, while difficult at times, spans across politics and national divides. Oh, Saigon is produced by Nuoc Pictures, Doan Hoang, producer and director.
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