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Vietnamese Oral History Project

The Vietnamese Oral History Project is a national project based on more than 100 interviews with people from different ages and backgrounds who came here from Vietnam. These very distinctive and individual stories have been captured to help younger generations understand their heritage. The stories are held in the archives of the British Library.

vietnamese women

The project aims to bridge the gap between three generations of the Vietnamese community and to help them share their experiences with the UK public.

'Every tree has its roots' is a unique resource that preserves the experiences of refugees from Vietnam who settled in the UK between 1979 and the early 1990's. Labelled 'boat people' because of the perilous journeys they endured on the South China Sea, their plight became known across the world. Yet until now, the remarkable stories of many first generation Vietnamese settlers have never been documented.

Book cover - Every tree has its roots

The collection features selected extracts from the first-hand testimonies of some 110 refugees and their children who were interviewed between 2000-2003 as part of the Vietnamese Oral History Project, run by Refugee Action and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the British Library, Museum of London and the Panos Institute.

The stories included on the booklet and CD represent only a small selection from a comprehensive collection of tapes and transcripts stored at the British Library Sound Archive in London. Presented across three generations, the booklet contains vivid recollections of life in Vietnam, flight from the country, journeys, life in refugee camps in South East Asia and the challenges of adapting to life in the UK, as well as thoughts about the future.

The 'Every tree has its roots' CD-Rom is an interactive, multimedia resource that will serve as a vital educational tool, not only for Vietnamese children, but also for youngsters of all backgrounds in schools throughout the UK. As well as 30 audio extracts in English, Vietnamese and Chinese, the CD contains material not published in the book, such as photographs, diagrams, maps and video clips. In addition, the CD has a comprehensive section on how to set up and run an oral history project in a refugee community, including project documentation, forms and useful resources.

If you would like to order copies of the 'Every tree has its roots' booklet or the CD-Rom, please call Refugee Action on 020 7654 7700.

Project details

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