Vung Tham, Vietnam

Vung Tham is the city in Vietnam where the novel opens. This is also where Anh and her siblings Minh, Thanh, Dao, Hoang, Mai, and Van grow up with their parents. In Chapter 1, Anh recalls their last night as a family together in Vung Tham. On the eve of their departure for Hong Kong and finally to America, the family shares a dinner together. Although Anh's parents have assured their children that hope of a new future is "a source of life" and that moving to the States will grant them longterm security, Anh is afraid (7). She does not reveal her fear to her siblings, however, as she believes she must be strong for them. Over the course of the years following, Anh will frequently return to this night in her mind, regretting that she was dishonest with her family the last time she saw them...