Destination Literature Revisted

Before I travel to a new destination, I like to search for the most culturally significant books from that place. It’s a way to understand the country on a deeper level.

Before visiting Vietnam, I read The Mountains Sing and The Sympathizer.

Through The Mountains Sing, I gained insight into how central the family unit is to Vietnamese life. The novel helped me understand the ideological divide between the Communist North and the Democratic South, and how the Vietnam War fractured families and left generational trauma in its wake.

Through The Sympathizer, I saw another angle of the war and its aftermath. I learned about the fall (or liberation) of Saigon, and how Vietnamese Generals, Commanders, and high ranking officials fled Vietnam, many ending up in the U.S. as waiters, busboys, or delivery drivers, carrying with them the weight of survivors guilt, PTSD, and loss.

It’s something worth trying on your next trip, find the most culturally significant media from the place you’re visiting. It doesn’t have to be a book, films or music can offer the same window. You’ll come away understanding not just the place itself, but how they think.