Kim Huynh
Where The Sea Takes Us: A Vietnamese Australian Story
4th Estate, 2008
A family's sacrifice ... A nation's struggle In the 1970s and 1980s, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese families set out on perilous journeys in rickety boats to escape communist rule and seek out a better life. Kim Huynh's family was one of them. In this unique memoir, Kim traces his parents' precarious lives, from their poor villages in central and southern Vietnam, through relative affluence in Saigon, to their harrowing experiences after the American withdrawal and the fall of Saigon in 1975, which led them to a new life in Australia. As Kim explores his parents' stories, he unveils the tragedy and inner strength of ordinary Vietnamese people struggling to survive in a country beset by colonisation and ravaged by war. this gripping story is not only an invaluable piece of political history, but a moving tribute from a son to his parents. For fans of Ahn Do's The Happiest Refugee and Pauline Nguyen's Secrets of the Red Lantern.
About the Author
Kim Huynh is a teacher, writer, researcher and broadcaster who helps people to tell their stories.
His latest book analyses Australia's Refugee Politics in the 21st Century and develops ways to enhance national security, refugee rights and social cohesion. Kim’s published a collection of stories about contemporary Vietnam entitled Vietnam as if ... (ANU Press). His biography of his parents Where the Sea Takes Us (HarperCollins) attracted academic and literary acclaim. He co-authored Children and Global Conflict (Cambridge University Press) and co-edited The Culture Wars (Palgrave-McMillan).
Kim convenes courses on refugee politics and political philosophy and received the ANU Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He facilitates exchanges of culture and ideas with the Vietnamese Australia Forum, coordinates a current affairs discussion group at the Early Morning Centre and writes essays on a wide range of topics. Kim ran as independent candidate in the 2016 ACT election and in the 2022 federal election. He is an ABC Radio Canberra presenter and Deputy Director of the ANU Humanities Research Centre.
