Vietnam

Vietnam is the overall setting for the events of this novel. Mai travels to Vietnam with her father and grandmother in an effort to help her grandmother gain closure. Mai's father travels around the country while Mai and Ba spend their time together. Mai notes the crowded conditions and cultural differences, though she is familiar with much of the food and usually understands the language. The author makes the point that the Vietnamese people use different spellings for their country and some towns, mostly because of the spelling requirements in their native language. For clarity in this guide, the traditional American spellings are used except in direct quotes and some explanatory passages.

Ba's Home Village

Ba and Mai travel to the village where Ba and Ong made their home as a young couple. There are a lot of people here who claim family connections to Mai, either through...