When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

1. What was the initial appeal of the Viet Minh\Viet Cong to the villagers? What was their attitude toward the US-backed Republican forces?

2. Is the Vietnam war best described as a civil war, a war of national liberation, a class war, or a war of national defense? Why?

3. At various points in her book, Hayslip suggests that she--a poor Buddhist peasant woman--embodies the experience of the Vietnamese nation. To what extent does this claim ring true? How typical do you think her life in Vietnam was?

4. Hayslip has moved to the United States and written about her experiences. Given what you learn of her in this book, what do you think her experiences in the US have been?

5. Hayslip's ostensible goal in writing this book is to help Americans and Vietnamese heal their wounds with respect to the war. How successful is she?

*****WRITE A TWO-PAGE PAPER ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTION

Which is more important in understanding the Vietnam that Hayslip visits in 1986: the changes wrought by the war, or the changes enacted by the Communist system after the war? Why? (Justify your position and use examples from the book)
 

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