Written by C.N.
PBS station KTEH in the San Jose, CA area is showcasing several very interesting documentaries this month on Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans. in commemoration of the anniversary of the Fall of Saigon later this month:
KTEH Presents: Vietnamese American Journey
Special Broadcasts During April 2008
Join KTEH, your local PBS station, this April for a month of special films highlighting the Vietnamese American Journey, from the fall of Saigon, to the search for the American Dream, to preserving their history for the new generations. Every Wednesday night beginning April 9th, at 9:00 pm on Channel 54/Comcast CH 10. Be sure to tune in for the World Television Premiere on April 30th, of Bolinao 52, the story of the Vietnamese Boat People.
The Fall of Saigon, an account of the final two years of US involvement in Vietnam. Originally broadcast in 1983 as part of the landmark series, Vietnam: A Television History, this one-hour special shows, in vivid detail, the desperation of the final days before the fall of Saigon, and the full-scale evacuation led by the US military. The Fall of Saigon, at 9:00 pm, Wednesday, April 9th, 2008.
Oh, Saigon — Filmmaker Doan Hoang’s family was airlifted on April 30, 1975 on the last helicopter out of Vietnam. Twenty-five years later, Hoang sets out to uncover her family’s story. Along the way she discovers some hidden secrets. Her sister, Van, separated from the family during the escape, was forced to find her own path to the United States. Hoang’s father, who was a Major in South Vietnamese Army, has two brothers still living in Vietnam, one who became a pacifist and one who fought on the Communist side. The film shows how one refugee family attempts to survive the physical and emotional wounds of the conflict in Vietnam by healing political differences, and by having faith in family. Oh, Saigon, at 9:00 pm, Wednesday, April 16th, 2008, Bay Area premiere.
Saigon, U.S.A. a documentary portrait about struggles over identity in the heart of a Vietnamese American community, Southern California’s, Little Saigon. The film starts with an explosive political conflict – fifty two days of protests over a shopkeeper’s display of the communist flag and the images of Ho Chi Minh. The film then delves into the passions underlying the protests by following members of the older generation who still suffer from the loss of their homeland and members of the younger generation who are chasing the American dream. Saigon, U.S.A. at 9:00 pm, Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008.
Bolinao 52 — Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, hundreds of thousands of refugees took a perilous escape route across the South China Sea to find freedom. Many died of drowning, starvation and/or thirst. Others were lost at sea, or robbed and killed by pirates. More than 30 years later, no major film or television program has told their stories. Bolinao 52 presents this long-silenced voice, an unspoken legacy of the Vietnam War, the story of the Vietnamese Boat People. Filmmaker Duc Nguyen, himself a boat refugee, retraces the odyssey of the Bolinao 52 – a vessel adrift on the sea for 37 days — deserted by the USS Dubuque — and finally rescued by Philippino fisherman. Bolinao 52 , at 9:00 pm, Wednesday, April 30th, 2008. Exclusive World Television Premiere only on KTEH