Eaves of Heaven

The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars by Andrew X. Pham, Harmony (2008) 

Author’s Father

This book is about the life of Pham Van Thong, the father of the author, Andrew X. Pham. The book describes Thong’s childhood in North Vietnam during the 1940s and 1950s, and his adulthood in South Vietnam during the 1960s and 1970s. So you get to see what life was like under the French, the Japanese, Viet Minh and the South Vietnamese government. The chapters alternate between his childhood in North Vietnam and his adult years in South Vietnam. 

Land Reform

An interesting passage describes land reform in the southern part of Vietnam before the country was partitioned in 1954 by the Geneva Accord into two countries: North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Before partition, there were many Viet Minh in the southern region and they took land away from rich landlords and gave it to the poor peasants who farmed it. In 1955 the South Vietnamese reversed this process, returning the land to its original owners. You can see why many poor peasants would find Communism attractive. 

Army

Thong was drafted into the ARVN, the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam. He was a lieutenant in the Rural Development Task Force. This organization provided schools and health care for the peasants. They also moved the peasants into strategic hamlets to isolate them from the influence of the Viet Cong.

Fishing Village

Thong was stationed in Phan Thiet, a fishing village on the coast of South Vietnam. His wife, Anh, had a laundry business there. This is where the author, Andrew, was born in 1967.

Communist Takeover

In 1975, when the Communists captured South Vietnam, Thong was sent to Minh Luong Reeducation Camp. He was eventually released and took his family to America.