Vietnam is still 'mine'

During the time of making the comic book “Song”, author Hai Anh discovered parts about her mother (director Hai Linh) that she did not know, as well as parts of Vietnamese history and culture that she had never heard of...

Author Hai Anh (middle) at the book launch in Vietnam. (Photo: Giang Ngoc)

Sharing with TG&VN , Hai Anh said that now she has realized that Vietnam is not only her parents' but also hers. In particular, the fact that her first work was released in Vietnamese proves her love for her homeland and roots... Born and raised in France, what motivated you to confidently write a book about the war in Vietnam? I grew up in Paris in a family closely tied to my Vietnamese roots. My mother is an active director, often traveling for work to attend film festivals or film her own films. When I was at home, I often listened to her share her adventures or stories from her time living in the war zone. Every time we had guests over, she told very thrilling, unbelievable stories. I must say, my mother is a great storyteller. I may have been too young to understand everything, but I could see on everyone's faces how impressed she was every time she told a story. I soon realized that my mother was special and that her life was special. Later, when I realized that her stories were no longer appearing in movies or literature, I knew I had to tell them. I am an avid comic book reader. The desire to write a graphic novel about my mother's seven years in the war zone came naturally to me. For the first time in my life, as an aspiring storyteller, I was confident that this book would be published and that I should work with Pauline, my best friend and talented illustrator. So what was the reason and meaning of the title "Sống"? I always knew the title would be in Vietnamese. It was obvious because this is the language that connects me to my mother and my roots. I stressed this to the French publisher, even though the title would be difficult for French people to find online because they don't have diacritics on their keyboards. “Sống” was the first word that came to my mind when my mother started sharing her story. This is always my favorite Vietnamese word. I find it very beautiful and of course I like its meaning. My mother’s memories are unbelievable but it is simply the story of her life, as well as the lives of many other women in the war zone during the war. In the end, I called it Sống because I wanted my mother’s story to last forever. You shared that you used to think that French culture was yours and Vietnamese culture was your parents’. How has this changed? During the three years of working on the work Sống , I discovered parts of my mother that I did not know, as well as parts of Vietnamese history and culture that I had never heard of. I returned to Vietnam more often to interview and meet my mother. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, I fell in love with Ho Chi Minh City and moved here to live. I feel that when I grow up, Vietnam is not only my parents' but also mine.

Cover of the comic book Song. (Source: Kim Dong Publishing House)

Director Viet Linh once said that she has a very special method to teach Vietnamese and help her daughter not forget her mother tongue. Could you share more specifically about this method? Unlike other overseas Vietnamese children growing up abroad, I always refused to learn Vietnamese with teachers. I told my parents that if I was forced to learn Vietnamese at school, I would start to hate it. Yet my parents patiently tried every way to keep Vietnamese at home and teach me this beautiful language so that I could speak, read and write like today. This is not an easy task for overseas Vietnamese families. I remember my mother telling me to read every newspaper headline, write emails or letters to her. Every summer when we returned to Vietnam, she introduced me to Vietnamese friends and told me to read every sign on the street... Most of all, my parents tried every way to make me want to learn by myself, always want to improve and always be curious about this second language. With a mother who is one of the most famous contemporary directors in Vietnam, and who also has a Master's degree in culture and cinema, will you pursue your mother's career in the future? I grew up thinking that I would never be able to do the same job as my mother. I was angry with cinema for a while because it took my mother away. I also thought it was her business and I didn't want to give people a reason to start comparing me to my mother. I always thought I was less "cool" than her. Then, when I turned 20, I understood that my parents had made me love cinema since I was young and deep down I also wanted to make films. I went to film school and worked in the film industry in France and Vietnam. I quit my job after graduating to work in the book industry but I will soon return with my first film. I can't wait for this! Vietnamese readers are quite curious and surprised that a book about the people and country of Vietnam is illustrated by a young French artist. How did you guys collaborate and work together to create such a wonderful work? The first thing that helped Pauline draw Song was that she had known me since she was a child. Secondly, she accompanied me for nine months in Vietnam. This helped her feel a lot about colors, atmosphere and people... My mother and I also provided Pauline with a lot of historical documents, and had access to the documentary film made by my grandfather. We had to exchange text and drawings a lot when building the plot, to adjust the story to make it flow as smoothly as possible. The story mainly focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter, on conveying emotions... We hope that every reader can relate and feel it in some way, no matter where they come from. "Song" is the first work of both of you. With these initial successes, do you guys have any plans for collaboration in the future? We had the opportunity to do another short story graphic novel right after Living . This comic was about cats and was a special issue of Métal Hurlant magazine. This gave us the opportunity to experiment with fiction, a genre we are particularly fond of. We hope to do bigger projects together, but probably in the distant future as we are both very busy.

Author Hai Anh (right) and French artist Pauline Guitton. (Photo: Giang Ngoc)

Hai Anh was born in 1993 and grew up in the 13th district of Paris, France. After receiving a Master's degree in economics , culture and cinema, she released the book Living - her first work as an author - screenwriter with French artist Pauline Guitton. She currently works in the audiovisual and publishing industry, traveling between Vietnam and France. With Living and many other activities, she was honored by Forbes magazine as one of the Outstanding Young Faces under 30 years old in Asia in 2023. Living is the story of a mother telling her children about the time she lived in the forest, during the resistance war against the US in Vietnam. From 1969-1975, the main character spent seven years living with revolutionary activists. Set in the war zone, the characters worked in the war zone to study, make films, work, and contribute to the resistance. With the plot being the mother's words to her daughter, with vivid drawings, the comic pages have outlined the image of a small young woman adapting to the resistance life, as well as the youthful sympathies of two generations of mother - daughter, resistance - peace, Vietnam - France. Launched in France in early 2023, the book quickly impressed readers in France with 8,000 copies distributed. In early 2024, surpassing many French-language illustrated books, the book won the Prix du Jury oecuménique de la BD 2024 and released a Vietnamese translation last March.

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