Vietgone

Quang sings as a means of release, to vent his inner frustrations and trauma in the face of an unstable present and uncertain future. While much of this uncertainty stems from his separation from his family, certain frustrations arise from facing the disconnect between popular sentiment toward the war in the US and his own experiences fighting it. For Quang, the war was essential in protecting his homeland and family, but he finds that many American citizens oppose it and believe that the US acted wrongfully. When Hippie Dude apologizes to Quang, Quang feels anger boil up because he must confront someone who believes that their opinions of war and violence are just as valuable as his own:

SO WHEN YA TELL ME YA THINK IT’S ALL BULLSHIT

YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT MY FAMILY WASN’T WORTH IT

EVERY STORY, HOWEVER GORY, HAS ANOTHER SIDE

‘CAUSE YOU DISAGREE DON’T MEAN YOUR OPINION’S RIGHT (60).

Highlighting the theme of Exploring Inner Conflict Through Music, Quang vents his resentment for Hippie Dude and his view of the war. Hippie Dude’s easy dismissal of American involvement and staunch belief that the war was wrong is at direct odds with Quang’s own experiences. Quang sees the war as essential to protecting the freedoms of Vietnam and his own family on a personal level. He rages against the implicit dismissal of his own experiences and traumas in favor of someone who didn’t fight. He feels as though his side of the story, as a Vietnamese soldier and citizen, isn’t heard or valued.

Throughout the play, many characters struggle with their new lives in the refugee camp and find it difficult to adjust to a future that doesn’t include those left behind in Vietnam. Of the many challenges facing these characters, one of the most thematically impactful to The Complexity of the Refugee Experience is the inability to know what’s happening back in Vietnam: “It’s not like we can call someone up for an update. For all we know, everyone in South Vietnam is locked up in their death camps. You know, the very opposite of ‘all good in the hood’” (63). Tong says this to Quang in response to his plan to return to Vietnam, expressing the belief that silence from home is a bad sign. The refugees have no way to communicate with family members still in Vietnam, and no news is emerging to help construct a view of what life is like there, making Quang’s return a risky gamble. Each of the characters is stuck in between, and not knowing what’s happening at home makes it even more difficult for them to begin forging new lives, wracked by uncertainty and anxiety over their families and pasts.

Quang’s journey with Nhan across the country is driven by his need to return to his family, though many try and convince him not to go. The primary reasons that Nhan tries to sway him against it are the uncertainty of what awaits them in Vietnam and the resistance they’ll likely face from Americans. Quang acknowledges these facts when Nhan brings them up but fights back against them, too committed to his purpose:

I’ll be honest, bro. I have no idea if this plan will really work. For all we know, the Americans will shoot us on sight if we tell them we wanna go back, but I know I’m supposed to be trying to get there. I’m supposed to be a dad. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing (68).

Quang’s belief that he must return to his family thematically exemplifies why The Strength of Familial Love is the most powerful guiding force in the play. His commitment to his family and his dream of living his life as a father is such a key part of his identity that he ignores the clear and obvious dangers and pitfalls of his plan. He fully believes in what he does and doesn’t see any other purpose in his life than being there for his wife and two children.