Daughter from Danang (2002)

Directors:

Gail Dolgin
Vicente Franco

Genre:

Documentary | War

Plot:

Separated at the end of the Vietnam war, an "Americanized" woman and her Vietnamese mother are reunited after 22 years.

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Vietnam War | Reunion | Provocative | Adoption

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Mai Thi Kim	...	Herself
Heidi Neville-Bub	...	Herself
Gerald Ford	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tom Miller	...	Himself
Tran Tuong Nhu	...	Herself
Mabel Neville	...	Herself
Don Neville	...	Himself
Royce Hughes	...	Herself
Wanda Hamlett	...	Herself
Brenda Lewis	...	Herself
John Bub	...	Himself
Do Huu Vinh	...	Himself
Do Trong Tinh	...	Himself
Do Thi Thu Hien	...	Herself
Do Thi Hong Lien	...	Herself

Runtime:

USA:83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Filming Locations:

Da Nang, Vietnam

Quotes:

Royce Hughes: We made a Southerner out of her really quick as far as that goes.

Heartbreaking...

The way Heidi treated her Vietnamese family was a travesty. Maybe it's because I come from a culturally diverse background and was raised to understand and accept cultural differences, but I thought it was common knowledge that in many cultures throughout the world a way to show love for your family is to help care for them financially if you are able. The fact that she took offense to her sister, who has a hole in the floor for a toilet, asking her for money was unbelievable. Instead of showing compassion for her family's situation, she showed nothing but contempt. She said, in effect, "I can't believe they live like this, but how dare they ask me for money to improve their lives?" I'm sure if she would have sent only $10 a month, it would have helped them considerably, but because her Vietnamese family didn't live up to her expectations, she wants nothing to do with them? I have never seen such coldheartedness. And to wipe off her mother's kisses! She had supposedly been starved for affection for 22 years from her adoptive mother, but after only 7 days with her real mother she was tired of her affection? She should have felt ashamed when she sat down to watch the finished documentary and saw her mother still in tears two years after her visit. I feel the utmost sympathy for Heidi's mother and the rest of her family, but I couldn't muster up any sympathy for Heidi... Actually, that's not true. I do feel sorry for Heidi that it wasn't part of her nature to love and accept her family no matter what. I know she was raised by a less- than- affectionate adoptive mother, but she is no longer an innocent 7-year-old. She is an adult who needs to understand and accept that her monetary and, much, much, more importantly, her emotional selfishness will have a lasting effect on many people.