April 30 remains in important date for the Vietnamese diaspora: it is the day Saigon fell and with it the Republic of Vietnam, also known as South Vietnam. It marked the end of the Vietnam War and changed the lives of millions. As one country fell, another rose. While some stayed, many left, especially in the years after. It marked the split of a people, an abrupt start to a new chapter of a country and at the same time, the beginning of the modern Vietnamese diasporic story.
April 30, 2025 marks 50 years since then. Half a century.
Half a century of exile, yes, but also half a century of new lives and eventually new generations. And the story continues.
To commemorate this date, diaCRITICS asked writers and artists to reflect on the meaning of 50 years.
What does this semicentennial mean? And for whom? What are we remembering when we recall “April 30”? What stories are we telling? What does this moment in time feel like?
You’ll find some answers in this issue of diaCRITICS from writers both Vietnamese and Southeast Asian, from multiple generations, and from people living in different countries.
On an administrative note: we can call this the first issue of the “new” diaCRITICS.
For 15 years, diaCRITICS has been the only literary outlet focused on highlighting Vietnamese and Southeast Asian diasporic arts and culture: our stories in our voices. Since its inception in 2010, we have published over 900 pieces by established and emerging writers and artists, which have been read by tens of thousands of readers around the world.
This new chapter of diaCRITICS will include not only a new website (coming soon!) but a quarterly issue schedule along with a print component.
More information will be announced soon, but in the meantime: thank you for staying with us and please enjoy this issue of diaCRITICS.
Eric Nguyen
Editor-in-Chief
diaCRITICS
April 2025: 50 Years
In Search of Narrative Plentitude by Viet Thanh Nguyen
“It is an incredible moment to be a Vietnamese diasporic writer.”
19 Essential Vietnamese Diaspora Books
We asked writers, scholars, and critics about the Vietnamese diasporic books they think are the most important. Here’s what they said.
In Conversation with Khuê Phạm
“For many people in Germany, it was like an introduction to the Vietnam War and its legacy.”
Motion Sickness by Brigid Leahy
“Motion sickness runs on my mother’s side of the family.”
Departures by Mai Der Vang
“Say goodbye at a border, a barrier, a checkpoint”
Textures of Remembrance by Terri Le
“The more I learned, the more I realized how much of our past was missing from mainstream narratives.”
“We Only Lose…If We Forget…” Z.M. Quỳnh
Đọc tiếng Việt: “Chúng ta chỉ thua… nếu chúng ta quên đi…”
“Most of the world knew him as ‘Brigadier General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan,’ the subject of Eddie Adams’ photograph, ‘Saigon Execution’…I only knew him as ‘Bác Loan.'”
Does the Montagnard Diaspora Need a Juneteenth? by H’Rina DeTroy
“This question about whether we should designate a ‘Juneteenth’ for our community connects to a larger discussion about taking control of our narrative, collectively and individually.”
In Another Life by Thi Nguyen
“The war never happened and Saigon never changed its name.”
The Colors of April reviewed by Hồ Thị Vân Anh
“Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, The Colors of April: Fiction on the Vietnam War’s Legacy 50 Years Later is a stirring and timely anthology.”
Eric Nguyen is the Editor-in-Chief of diaCRITICS.
Thi My Lien Nguyen (b. 1995) is a Swiss-Việt photographer and artist. Her work moves between photography, rituals and food to explore belonging, diaspora and community-building. She has exhibited internationally, including at the 22nd Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil in São Paulo and Museum Haus Konstruktiv Zürich. Nguyen is part of the curatorial team at Les Complices in Zurich.*
