[...] at the time, China was invading the North of Vietnam. And so the government was conscripting anyone over the age of eighteen for the war. After he finished high school, your uncle got the papers telling him to report for duty. Your grandma asked uncle Thiep if he’d rather wait, or take a boat and leave. He chose to leave.

So after April 30th (the fall of the South), it was very sad. The Viet Cong made us get rid of all of our books, calling them obscene. I loved those books though...