semi-autobiographical
a written work dealing partly with the writer's own life but also containing fictional elements
immigration
the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country
Vietcong (also Viet Cong)
a member of the communist guerrilla movement in Vietnam that fought the South Vietnamese government forces 1954–75 with the support of the North Vietnamese army and opposed the South Vietnamese and US forces in the Vietnam War; from Vietnamese, meaning literally "Vietnamese Communist"
refugee
a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster
loyalty
a strong feeling of support or allegiance
dông
meaning coin, the basic monetary unit of Vietnam
I Ching
Translated as The Book of Changes, the I Ching is an ancient Chinese manual of divination based on eight symbolic trigrams and sixty-four hexagrams, interpreted in terms of the principles of yin and yang. It was included as one of the “five classics” of Confucianism
áo dài
Vietnamese national garment of a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over trousers; meaning literally "long shirt"
cyclo
three-wheel bicycle taxi that appeared in Vietnam during the French colonial period
durian
an oval spiny tropical fruit containing a creamy pulp and a pungent aroma
tamarind
sticky brown acidic pulp from the pod of a tree of the pea family, widely used as a flavoring in Asian cooking
cowboy hat
a hat with a broad, often curled brim and a high crown, typically made of felt
papaya
a tropical fruit shaped like an elongated melon, with edible orange flesh and small black seeds
chick
a young bird, especially one newly hatched
Communism
a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs
gong
a metal disk with a turned rim, giving a resonant note when struck
pancake
a thin, flat cake of batter, usually fried and turned in a pan
Bruce Lee
A US actor and kung fu expert, Bruce Lee starred in a number of martial arts movies
glutinous
like glue in texture; sticky
