Audio, Diversity, Heritage, World

Growing up between cultures: the struggle for identity

"I didn't know how much of myself to bring to the table," the struggle of growing up as a Vietnamese person, not in Vietnam. Photo by Monstera from Pexels.
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Mai Dang explores the complexities of the modern hyphenated identity and the paradox of the Viet diaspora.
“I didn’t know how much of myself to bring to the table,” the struggle of growing up as a Vietnamese person, not in Vietnam. Photo by Monstera from Pexels.

Nearly 50 years after the end of the Vietnam war, the division of the Vietnamese people still exists. The victory of the northern communist government drove nearly 1.6 million southerners away from the country, jumping on boats in search of a brighter future. 

The Viet diaspora now makes up 4.5 million worldwide, with their own communities and unique identities, but will there ever be a chance of reconnection between the mainland and the diaspora?

Reconnection is a documentary that follows Mai Dang, a student born and raised in Vietnam. Bought up with a one-sided knowledge of the war, Mai has always been curious about the stories on the other side.

Speaking with Frankie Magazine writer and editor Emma Do and Melbourne marketer Chris Tran, Reconnection discusses the struggle for identity when growing up between two cultures.