Goodbye, Vietnam Ch 11

Why does Mai’s father wink at Loi when their boat pulls into the Hong Kong harbor?

• So he can sneak into the refugee center

• As a thank you for getting the boat on course

• Just to be friendly

Why is Mai confused about how they will get food in Hong Kong?

• All the stores look closed

• She doesn't see any farms

• She doesn't understand the language people speak

What does the nurse in the warehouse say to Bac si Hong when she offers to help treat the sick refugees?

• Thanks!

• she cannot be a doctor in Hong Kong

• First she needs to take a class to get a license to practice medicine in Hong Kong.

What happened to the previous occupants of the platform where Mai’s family now lives?

• They were sent back to Vietnam

• They were sent to Chicago

• They died of dysentery

Why does Father say he is “surrounded by fools”? Who are the “fools” and why are they foolish?

• Thant wants to go back to Vietnam so he can ride in an airplane

• Mai and Kim and running around the warehouse

• The grandmother wants to go back because Hong Kong is paying people to return

What parallels (similarities) do you see between the way people in Hong Kong reacted to Vietnam war refugees and the way some Americans react to new refugees and immigrants who come to America today?