Lã Huy Quý Oral History (Phần 1)

Vietnamese language interview with Lã Huy Quý, whose family escaped from North to South Vietnam in the years following the Geneva Convention of 1954, which partitioned Vietnam at the 17th parallel. -- Lã Huy Quý is a prominent Vietnamese intellectual, educator, and political activist who witnessed and actively participated in the dramatic transformations of Vietnam during the mid‑20th century. Born and raised in Northern Vietnam, he experienced firsthand the hardships of the revolutionary era and the devastating effects of land reform under the Communist regime. Educated at a prestigious teacher training university in Hanoi, Lã Huy Quý became deeply involved in political and cultural discourse early on. After graduating, he made the pivotal decision in 1957 to leave the North for the South, navigating dangerous border crossings and the uncertainties of a divided nation. In the South, he not only contributed to political activism and resistance but also engaged in journalism and the literary movement, using his pen and voice to question oppression and advocate for a true national awakening. Keywords: Vietnam War; Land Reform; Political Repression; North Vietnam; South Vietnam; Intellectual Activism; Cultural Movement; Border Crossing; Political Awakening; Vietnamese Identity; Revolutionary History; Journalism; Educational Reform. -- This interview is part of the Vietnamese in the Diaspora Digital Archive. http://vietdiasporastories.omeka.net Interviews were conducted by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation as part of the national 500 Oral Histories Project. The interviewee has granted The Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation copyright of the audio, video and photo materials and it is being made available for non-profit educational use. Additionally, this interview was recorded in the process of producing VIETNAMERICA, a feature-length film and follow-up to the short documentary, Master Hoa's Requiem. Not all interview materials were included in the final film. The film follows Master Hoa back to Southeast Asia to search for the graves of his wife and two children. Hoa escaped Vietnam in 1981 on a boat with his family and friends. He is the sole survivor. http://www.vietnameseamerican.org/