The Best We Could Do Terms

An abbreviated name for the “League for the Independence of Việt Nam,” a revolutionary socialist party and army founded and led by Hồ Chí Minh. The Việt Minh fought for Việt Nam’s independence from… read analysis of Việt Minh

During the Vietnam War, a guerilla army of South Vietnamese communists that fought alongside North Việt Nam, and against the South Vietnamese army and the United States. It is best remembered for launching the… read analysis of Việt Cộng

A series of largely-unsuccessful coordinated North Vietnamese and Việt Cộng attacks against South Việt Nam in January, 1968, during the Vietnamese New Year (Tết). Thi’s family locks itself inside in Sài Gòn during the… read analysis of Tết Offensive

A toxic chemical sprayed by American forces over much of Việt Nam in a largely successful effort to devastate the country’s agriculture, force peasants to move to cities, and flush out Northern Vietnamese forces hanging… read analysis of Agent Orange

A medical procedure consisting of cutting open the vaginal wall, often done during labor to make childbirth easier, and sometimes done without the mother’s consent. In the first chapter, Thi Bui begs the doctor not… read analysis of Episiotomy

A meat noodle soup commonly eaten in Việt Nam, which Má brings to Thi the morning after she gives birth. read analysis of Phở

A deliberate out-of-body experience, in which one feels that one’s spiritual or “astral” self leaves the body. Bố goes to great lengths in his attempts to project and leave his body, and he remembers playing… read analysis of Astral Projection

The large-scale redistribution of land, which was taken from wealthy landowners and given to landless peasants, by the North Vietnamese government from 1954 onwards. Although millions of rural peasants benefited from the program, it was… read analysis of The Land Reforms

The Communist leader of the Việt Minh revolution against French colonialism, most important figure in the Vietnamese independence movement, and first Prime Minister of North Việt Nam. read analysis of Hồ Chí Minh

The repressive United States-backed politician who led South Việt Nam from its independence in 1954 until his assassination in 1963 during a coup d’état that was also backed by the United States. Má and Bố… read analysis of Ngô Đình Diệm

An organized crime group and, later, legal wing of the Vietnamese army that fought with the rest of the Vietnamese National Army (led by Ngô Đình Diệm) over Sài Gòn in 1955. Bố’s grandmother… read analysis of Bình Xuyên

In 1954, Việt Nam was divided in two at 17° North latitude according to the Geneva Accords, which ended the war between the Việt Minh and the French. The Communist North, or the Democratic Republic… read analysis of North Việt Nam

The Republic of Việt Nam, the southern half of partitioned Việt Nam, which was based in Sài Gòn from 1954 until its defeat during the Vietnam War in 1975. Run by a French and United… read analysis of South Việt Nam

Vietnamese for “chessboard,” a neighborhood of Sài Gòn where Thi and her family live before migrating to the United States. Known for its “maze of alleys and passageways” inhabited by poor immigrants from other parts… read analysis of Bàn Cờ

Thi’s family’s home city, the capital of South Việt Nam and now the largest city of reunified Việt Nam (in which it is called Hồ Chí Minh City). Má and Bố both move here… read analysis of Sài Gòn

A fertile agricultural region in Việt Nam’s southwestern corner, where the Mekong River separates into various smaller rivers and empties out into the ocean. Má and Bố move here to teach after Giang Quyên’s… read analysis of Mekong Delta

The large port city in northern Việt Nam where Bố grows up. His family moves to Hải Phòng after their village, which is nearby, gets attacked by French colonial forces. read analysis of Hải Phòng

The coastal city (and present-day tourist destination) on Việt Nam’s south-central coast where Má grows up comfortably after her family leaves Cambodia. read analysis of Nha Trang

A city in Việt Nam’s south-central highlands, where Má briefly goes to a fancy French boarding school. read analysis of Đà Lạt

The capital city of both North and present-day Việt Nam. After joining and rising up the ranks in the Việt Minh, Bố’s father calls Bố to Hà Nội in an attempt to reconnect with… read analysis of Hà Nội

A bay in northern Việt Nam (and popular tourist destination) that is famous for its thousands of limestone karst mountains. When they leave Hải Phòng for Sài Gòn, Bố and his grandfather pass by… read analysis of Hạ Long Bay

A Manhattan neighborhood known during the 19th and 20th centuries as a crowded landing point for immigrants. Thi compares her family’s neighborhood of Bàn Cờ in Sài Gòn to the Lower East Side, which is… read analysis of The Lower East Side

A central Vietnamese city that served as Việt Nam’s capital for most of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, but was largely destroyed by American bombs during the War. It was also the site of… read analysis of Huế

A Vietnamese word meaning “false, lying, deceitful,” which in the context of the Vietnam War referred to “Mĩ-ngụy” or “fake Americans”—i.e. Vietnamese people who sympathized with and supported the Americans during the war. Thi’s… read analysis of Ngụy

After Liberation Day, rural areas designated for forcibly-displaced Southern Vietnamese people (especially American sympathizers, or “ngụy”) to work in poor conditions, far away from the rest of society. Bố is nearly sent… read analysis of New Economic Zones

A city in the Mekong Delta in far southwest Việt Nam, where Thi’s family goes from Sài Gòn before boarding a boat bound for Malaysia. read analysis of Cần Thơ

The brand name of a benzodiazepine drug called diazepam, which causes sedation and memory loss. When they are nearly caught during their escape attempt, some of the adults on the boat inject the children with… read analysis of Valium

A refugee camp on an island off the coast of the Terengganu province of Peninsular Malaysia, where Thi and her family live for some time (and Tâm is born) after escaping from Việt Nam and… read analysis of Pulau Besar Refugee Camp

An international humanitarian aid organization that helps Thi and her family pay for their plane tickets from Malaysia to the Untied States. read analysis of Red Cross

Malaysia’s capital and largest city, where Thi and her family goes for their medical checkups and flight to the United States. Bố is briefly stuck here, since his medical tests show scars from his tuberculosis… read analysis of Kuala Lumpur

The Vietnamese New Year, which usually falls in January or February (on the same day as the Chinese New Year). Tết is by far the most important holiday in Việt Nam and among overseas Vietnamese… read analysis of Tết

A medical condition in which the skin turns yellow because a certain substance builds up in the bloodstream. It is very common in newborns, but occasionally can signal a more serious illness. Thi Bui’s… read analysis of Jaundice

A bacterial infection, which is harmless and without symptoms in most cases, but sometimes resides in the lungs and causes a severe cough that may be fatal. Bố and his grandmother both develop (but survive)… read analysis of Tuberculosis