The Best We Could Do

by

Thi Bui

An organized crime group and, later, legal wing of the Vietnamese army that fought with the rest of the Vietnamese National Army (led by Ngô Đình Diệm) over Sài Gòn in 1955. Bố’s grandmother is caught in the crossfire of this battle, which destroys her opium jars and leads her to move back in with Bố’s grandfather.
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Bình Xuyên Term Timeline in The Best We Could Do

The timeline below shows where the term Bình Xuyên appears in The Best We Could Do. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6: The Chessboard
Family, Inheritance, and Parenthood Theme Icon
Intergenerational Trauma Theme Icon
Assimilation, Belonging, and Cultural Identity Theme Icon
Repression and Freedom Theme Icon
Memory and Perspective Theme Icon
...of a street battle between Ngô Đình Diệm’s government forces and the local mafia, or Bình Xuyên . The shooting destroys her opium jars, and out of desperation, she goes back to... (full context)