The Virtue in Propaganda: A Dramatic Play

Abstract

We have all learned about the controversies, brutalities, and legalities of the Vietnam War. However, an aspect we never learn about is of the Vietnamese. One may immediately think of the Việt Cộng or Bác Hồ, but there are thousands who are looked over and forgotten—“war babies.” This directly translated word from the Vietnamese language describes a small group of minorities who were born of American soldiers and Vietnamese mothers. Being born during the war, many babies were either abandoned or killed because of the prejudice towards the American military. Similarly enough, my mother is a Caucasian woman born in Vietnam during the heat of the war in poor countryside Vietnam. She was luckily found on the streets but faced racism, abuse, and inequality as she lived. Her story and the story of other “war babies” are one of my inspirations behind the play I have written. Another issue that strikes me is the amount of literature written that showcases the Vi-etnamese’s perspective. Perspective is an important issue to me because society lacks the attempt to solve lingering biases. My full-length play is written to feature the emotions and sentiments of the Vietnamese nationals with the lens focused on these people who consider themselves Vietnamese, but “not Vietnamese enough.” As culture and nationalism are hot topics today in many countries, it is essential for us to discuss this in a safe place—the theatre. The goal is to display the emotional story of the conflicted Vietnamese identity.