Oh my God! You whore!
Who are you dreaming about?
To let the food for the pigs burn like that?
You should be stomped by elephants and shredded by horses!
You stubborn, shameful, silly nitwit!
You disobedient fool!
You never listen do you!
For heaven's sake!
Smell it, smell the pot! Madame, please forgive me!
Mrs. Hien Can't you smell the pot? How dare you argue with me!
Forgive you? And what about my pig pot?
Madame, I wasn't daydreaming!
How dare you carry on like this!
Servant! I own you! You dare argue with me?
You ingrate! I will beat you to death!
From now on, I forbid you to see anyone!
You hear me?
Yes, Madame. Do you remember what you,re supposed to do this afternoon?
Yes, I do.
I must catch crabs and snails to make soup for you tonight.
Then why are you still sitting here? Go now!
Once darkness comes, the field will be submerged.
Come back empty-handed, you'll be dead with me!
I'll beat the living daylight out of you!
You scared me.
Why are you staring at me like that?
Come and rest for awhile. I'll give you a hand later.
Run away with me.
Run away?
Where to?
I'm not sure.
As poor as I am, what else can I be but someone's servant?
Even if I have to beg,
to work like a buffalo or a dog to take care of you, I'll be happy too.
I hope to get you out of here.
So she can't abuse you anymore.
I promise to get you out of here.
What are you doing here?
Lately, the Viet Minh have been uprising everywhere making me crazy.
Are you aware of that, Mr. Governor?
Yes, I've heard.
Have no fear, Captain. In my village, rest at ease.
Relax and drink until you're drunk.
No Viet Minh dare act up here.
If someone just breathes like a Viet Minh
I'll have my soldiers strangle him, chain him and send him
to the frontline to be a human shield for the French soldiers.
See that.
Please drink Captain.
Don't waste your time
worrying about kids trying to make a revolution with bamboo sticks.
Hunchback, where are you going?
What are you doing with Mr. Governor's rice?
Please spare me. Please don't tell Mr. Governor.
Mrs. Mui and her children have had nothing to eat for days.
I'm stealing some rice for them to eat.
Please have a heart, don't tell Mr. Governor.
Well, you better hurry. If Mr. Governor finds out, you'll be in big trouble.
Yes.
Hunchback, where are you? Come here this instant!
Mr. Governor is calling me!
Here. Let me help you with that.
Yes.
Hunchback. Yes, Madame.
If Mr. Governor asks for me, tell him
I'm going to see Mrs. Hoi. Understood? Yes, Madame.
Darling, what took you so long?
I've been waiting for hours.
I had to wait for Madame to leave before I could come over.
Look here.
This white silk dress is somehow linked closely to my life.
I don't know where it came from.
I only know as an infant
I was wrapped in it and left under the banyan tree.
I don't know where my ancestors came from
or who my parents are.
For as long as I can remember, I've been a buffalo boy
and then a servant for Mr. Governor.
But I've kept this white silk dress for the past twenty years.
It's the most precious thing I own.
If you truly love me,
then please accept this as my wedding gift to you.
Please put the dress on, pray to Buddha
and consider us engaged.
What do you pray to Buddha for?
What do you wish for?
I wish for only one thing, but I may never get it.
That is to marry you.
We love each other. And I am already yours.
Why does it matter if we,re married?
Happiness is marrying the one you love.
It's better than having herds of cows and buffaloes.
Darling, I don't need a big tray of betel nuts covered with red silk.
But if you still want to marry me,
then take this betel nut home and plant it.
When it bears fruits, we'll have our wedding.
What if... it doesn't bear fruits?
If you truly love me, then it surely will.
Please play a tune for me.
If you are not a Viet Minh,
then why did you steal my rice?
Only a Viet Minh would dare do that.
How many times have you stolen from me before?
You stole my rice to feed the Viet Minh
to rebel against me, didn't you? Speak up!
Please Sir and Madame I'm innocent...
a thousand kowtows to you.
I'm not a Viet Minh.
You are heaven's light, seeing far and wide.
Sir and Madame...
...it was not him.
It was me who committed the crime.
I stole the rice, but I'm not a Viet Minh.
Stealing rice means that you are Viet Minh.
Understand, you son of a bitch!
So, it was you?
How dare you bite the hand that feeds you?
I've been so blind.
For God's sake, you listened to the Viet Minh.
You stole our rice!
You bastard!
Damn you!
Who did you steal for?
Are you mute?
Your crime warrants death.
Guard, tie him up.
Give him a hundred lashes, immediately!
Whip him!
Let's get those French puppets.
If we don't seize our national liberation now,
if we don't gain our independence,
then we'll be enslaved forever and never be free.
Let's get the Governor!
Sir! The Viet Minh are attacking!
Open the door!
Guards! What's all the noise about?
Let's get the Governor!
What's going on? Guards...
Down with the Governor! You've taken our rice fields,
left us starving and miserable.
You've betrayed the people and ruined
the country for your French masters!
Get them out of here!
Let's burn them alive!
I beg you, misters and madames.
Burn them alive!
My husband...
How did this happen?
Burn them alive!
Who killed you?
Damn you, take it easy.
Are you trying to break my toes?
Mother, Dan has learned to tell lies lately.
I saw her with Hunchback the other day
coming out of the abandoned house.
But when I confronted her, she denied everything.
One of these days she will come home with a big belly
and give birth to a little hunchback.
If you're not careful,
she may blame it on Father.
ls that right?
She's a slut.
Girls like her are going to elope sooner or later.
Such a pity.
Your father and l wasted our time raising her.
If I ever see you with that hunchback servant again
then damn your ancestors. I swear I'll beat you to death.
You shameless whore.
Oh my God! You monster.
Are you trying to kill me?
It's me.
Run away with me.
Did she beat you again?
They can't do anything to me.
Why are you here?
What's with you?
Run away with me.
Mr. Governor and Madame have been killed.
Their house burnt to the ground.
Come with me.
Dan, you've died out there haven't you?
I hope lightning strikes you, so I don't ever have to look at your face again.
You'd better go.
Come with me now.
Sooner or later the Viet Minh will be here.
Run away with me.
We'll escape to the South.
Go wherever we can be safe.
Let's just close our eyes and step forward.
We'll go together.
Whatever happens happens.
There's nothing to worry about as long as we,re together.
Here are the Viet Minh, who wanted their independence and freedom.
This is how they got it.
Let's go.
The defeat at Dien Bien Phu on May / 7th / 1954
marks the end of France's 100 years Indochina empire.
The Gevene Treaty was signed on July / 20th /1954.
Vietnam was divided into communist North Vietnam and
American-backed South Vietnam.
What is it, darling?
Your white silk dress.
Are you going to rake mussels?
Yes.
Darling, one of us has to keep an eye on the baby.
Don't worry, she's not going anywhere.
Darling, our daughter is almost a month old,
but we still haven't given her a name.
Let's name her Flood.
Since we,re poor, we'll give her an ugly name.
So she won't suffer from poverty later.
Our ancestors have always taught us so.
Mussels, mussels for sale.
Mussels for sale.
Go with Mom. Be quick!
Mussels for sale.
Come on. Push! Push harder! Harder!
It's not your firstborn. Why is it so difficult?
Push harder! Harder!
Push harder! Push harder!
Push harder!
Harder!
You were born the year of the Snake,
thirty-seven-years-old.
You have the fate of an orphan.
Since you were born, you have had a hard and pitiful life.
This year will be a very bad year.
There's a bad star rising for you.
Your dreams will go unfulfilled. Disrupted...
...so bad, very bad.
Bad times are coming. So bad...
But you can change your fate.
If you are not married, then you must get married.
And if... Right, you're right.
I must get married.
As a matter of fact, I have a wife,
but we,re not married yet.
Could we be considered husband and wife?
No.
You will only be considered husband and wife after a proper wedding.
Please advise me on a good day for us to be married.
It will be good when the element of fire meets the year of metal.
According to the movement of the five elements
in the universe this year, the year of the horse,
the nineteenth of November on the lunar calendar will be a good day for marriage.
If you get married this day,
you will be together forever.
What is it, darling?
Darling, we have to name our baby.
Just look at her, look how cute she is.
We can't keep calling her "Whatever" forever.
They,re all girls.
There are no more names left to give them.
Besides, girls don't need names.
Calling her "Whatever" is fine.
Boy or girl, she is still our baby.
We still have to give her a name.
How can you say calling her "Whatever" is fine?
Dad, Mom, I'm going to school now.
Walk safely, okay?
Yes.
History. Tay Son Dynasty 1778 - 1802.
Today we are going to study about the Tay Son brothers.
Who can tell me who they were?
I can, teacher.
An.
They were Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Lu, and Nguyen Hue.
Right.
An, I told you several days ago
that you have to wear a white dress
before you can come to this class.
You have to wear a white dress like your classmates.
You and your sister Corn are now in sixth grade.
Corn.
Why are you crying?
We are not allowed to go to school if we don't wear white dresses.
What are we going to do now, Corn?
Once upon a time, under the Tran Dynasty,
there was a poor couple who loved each other very much.
Daddy, do you know what this word means?
Do you know what this word means?
Attached.
Wrong.
Okay, now I am your teacher.
I'll teach you how to read, okay?
Can you read this word?
D... D...Dau.
Wrong. Dan.
Dan is mom's name. I can't believe you don't know how to spell it.
I'll teach you to read so when you grow up
you will be able to read and write like me and An.
And someday you will be able to read the newspaper and write mom's name.
Yesterday, my teacher taught me a new word. "Peace".
ls "Peace" beautiful, Daddy?
I have never seen "Peace".
But I'm certain it is beautiful As beautiful as you are.
No! I would like "Peace" to be as beautiful as Mom.
Enough, dear teacher.
Bring this basket of rice inside and prepare the table for dinner.
Okay .
It's rather hot. Blow on it before you eat it.
Don't be hasty or you'll burn your mouth.
Corn, can you pour me a bowl?
Let me hold her.
Mom, why don't you cook rice anymore?
We've been eating porridge the last three days.
Just one more night.
We'll have rice tomorrow, my dear.
But you promised me that two days ago
I told you we'll have rice tomorrow.
Finish your meal!
If you don't want to eat just leave it!
Mom...An and I don't want to go to school anymore.
Why not?
Mom, we,re in sixth grade now.
Teacher said we have to wear white dresses to attend school.
Everyone wears a white dress to school.
Let us stay home.
If you don't want us selling mussels,
then we can help cook for you and Dad.
I've heard from the neighbors that a girl should not study too much.
If a girl is well educated,
she may never find a husband.
Girls now should study as much as the legendary Trung Sisters
or Lady Trieu did in the past.
Let me take care of the dresses.
If my girls are this untidy,
then how do they expect to find husbands?
Now go back and finish your porridge.
We,re so poor,
I don't want to go to school anymore.
My two oldest daughters are in sixth grade,
but we don't have enough money to buy white dresses for them to go to school.
I have no choice, but to come here and ask for your help.
Will you please take pity on me and be kind enough to lend me some money?
I will forever be in your debt.
The interest is ten percent per month.
You can borrow as much as you want, but you must give me something as collateral.
We are so poor, we only earn enough to live day by day.
We never have enough for a full meal.
We have nothing of value in the house.
No collateral, no loan. Not even a penny.
I don't have any extra money to hand out.
My money is made through sweat and tears,
not simply printed so you can borrow without collateral.
I can't hold what I can't grasp. Understand?
Nobody can trust your twisted tongue.
If you need money, then go get a job.
Be a maid or whatever.
Accept your lot.
And stop trying to send your kids to school like an upper class family.
Shame on you for thinking that.
Did you just give birth?
Yes, Madame.
How many children do you have?
Four, Madame.
Aren't you too poor to have that many?
Heck, if my pigs gave birth as often as you,
I would not be this poor.
If a pig gives birth often, you make profit.
But having that many kids, you,re sure to starve.
Wait, Mr. Thoon in the other hamlet is looking for a wet nurse.
If you want to have money for your daughters
to go to school, then go work for that family.
They need breast milk from a first time mother
not from a mother of four like her.
The milk of a first time mother can earn big money.
But a mother of four like her,
should get something.
Go to work for Mr. Thoon if you want to earn
some money to feed your children.
But if you want to earn money for their schooling,
then come live here and work for me.
Seeing you so desperate, I would like to help.
If Mrs. Thoon asks anything,
then just tell her that Mrs. Tam from Saigon sent you.
Come inside and wait a moment.
Are you the wet nurse?
Yes, Madame.
Open your blouse and let me see.
This is for Mr. Thoon.
She already has four children.
Where is she?
Mrs. Dan.
Yes, Madame.
Follow me.
Take off your blouse.
Please give me the baby, I'll breast-feed him.
You,re not here to breast-feed a baby.
You,re here to breast-feed Mr. Thoon.
He's very old.
He must have breast milk to give him strength.
If you agree, then stand over there by the hole.
Otherwise, go home.
Mr. Thoon sucks on a breast just like a baby sucks on a breast.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
Have a little sweet potato mixed with mussels.
Mom should be home soon to breast-feed you,
understand?
Stop crying
or
your belly button will pop out like a frog's eye.
That won't be a pretty sight, will it?
Isn't it good?
A little more, just a bit more. Come on.
Mom.
Yes, I know. Mom will be home soon.
If you don't want to eat,
then I will sing you a song, okay?
Stop crying. Let me hold her.
She's been crying from early morning until now.
I fed her sweet potato, but she refuses to eat.
You go to school.
No. I don't want to go to school.
Mom will be sad if you don't.
Daddy, look what I found?
Give it to me.
Don't ever let me see you playing with those things again.
Yes, Daddy.
It's a grenade. It will explode, understand?
How much is it per yard?
Ninety-five dongs per yard. It's Bangkok silk.
I just got it in yesterday.
And what about this?
That one? It's quite cheap.
Only fifty dongs per yard.
I want to make a white dress for my oldest daughter to go to school.
How much will it cost to get a dress made?
You,re having a dress made for An? Yes.
Let me see.
For fabric and labor, one hundred fifty dongs.
But for you, I'll only charge one hundred twenty dongs.
Thank you. I'll be back in a few days.
Remember to stop by, okay?
Yes, good bye.
Oh my God, my baby has had a fever since yesterday.
Your forehead is burning up.
Let me cook you some porridge
and get you some medicine, okay?
Open your mouth.
Here. Be nice, okay.
Try to eat some of this.
Mommy will be back soon.
It's really tasty.
Where has Mommy gone for so long?
Excuse me, is this Mrs. Dan's house?
Yes, but she isn't home.
How can I help you?
Mrs. Phon hasn't seen Mrs. Dan come by to breast-feed for two days.
That's why Mrs. Phon asked me to stop by and look for her.
Can't Mrs. Phon breast-feed the baby herself
instead of calling on my wife?
It's not to breast-feed the baby.
It's to breast-feed Mr. Thoon.
Viet Cong! Viet Cong!
Viet Cong!
The porridge is done, Mom.
Hold your sister for me.
Have some herbs.
You're going to be feel better.
It will
make you feel better.
Flood is still sick. I'm very worried.
Darling, Flood is still very sick.
She's sick now. She'll be fine later.
If she dies, then we'll have another.
You can still reproduce.
What's there to worry about?
What's wrong with you?
Your daughter is sick
and you,re talking like an idiot.
Shut up! You ungracious bitch!
Don't you dare speak to your husband like one of those ignorant women.
I'll slap you until you can speak no more,
you ungrateful wretch!
Better to be poor, but decent!
What have I done so terribly wrong
for you to yell at me like this?
Shut up!
What have you done so terribly wrong?
You're so clever, aren't you?
Don't waste time putting on an act with me.
Mr. Thoon is dying for breast milk and you sit here
with it dripping all over your blouse.
What a waste!
You'd better go. And don't worry if our baby cries of hunger,
I'll breast-feed her myself.
You haven't worked for two weeks now.
Where are we to find money to make a dress and buy medicine for our children?
I haven't worked because of the flood.
It's not because I'm lazy! Mom, breast-feed the baby.
Your mother's milk already feeds someone else.
Take her out of here!
Crying all day long.
I already told you,
if we don't have money to buy a dress,
then let them quit school.
I didn't tell you to breast-feed a dying, old man for money.
We'll eat porridge to survive.
Look at Rich, she cries of hunger all day long.
But instead of breast-feeding her...
...how shameful!
Even if I had to become a whore to take care of my children,
l,d do it.
I would not be ashamed.
As for you...
...are you ashamed people will know
that your wife breast-feeds an old man?
Or are you ashamed that I have earned money to take care of our children?
As for me...
...I am only ashamed that we brought them
into this world and are not able to take care of them.
Instead of feeling guilty, you sit there with your big mouth lecturing me.
Just because you gave birth to them,
you think you can say whatever you want
and do whatever you want with this family!
Hello. Mrs. Dan.
What are you doing here at this hour?
Luckily, you are still awake.
I was afraid...it's late. I didn't want to bother you.
But I didn't know who else to turn to.
What happened? Please, have a seat.
I took a risk to come here.
I know you are busy, but...
...please help me re-cut my white silk dress.
It's for my daughters.
I'll be forever in your debt.
Let me see.
How do I look? Am I beautiful?
Do I look like a bride?
You look beautiful.
As beautiful as a painting.
No different than a real bride.
Thank you so much.
I don't know how else to show my gratitude.
You don't have to thank me.
We,re fellow country people.
And we hardly get a chance to talk.
Look, they've already started the curfew outside.
Why don't you stay here and go home early tomorrow morning?
You,re very kind,
but my husband and kids are waiting for me at home.
Okay. Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Who's there? Stop right there!
Where are you going at this hour?
Didn't you hear the curfew siren?
Where do you think you,re going?
I went to get a dress tailored at Kim Hong's tailor shop.
I heard the siren, but I have a baby at home.
So I took a chance going home at this time.
Please take pity on me.
What's that? You went to the tailor shop this late? Yes, sir.
Take her to the police station and question her. Please take pity on me,
I have a small baby at home. What's this?
"Everybody. Let's stick together. We've got to stand up and willingly die"
to fight against the American empire and its henchmen in order to
gain our independence and reunify our country.
On behalf of HCM, a national front for South Viet Nam's liberation.
What's this?
Honestly, I don't know, Sir.
Liar!
If you,re not Viet Cong, then what is this?
A prescription for your mother?
Sir, I...
Liar!
One more time, tell me what this is?
Hey you!
Take this home.
Dan...
What happened to you? Who did this to you?
An wears that white silk dress as beautifully as you did.
Her eyes sparkling.
I know I didn't promise you anything good
when I took you to the South.
What I wanted was to escape the poverty we came from.
But I feel so ashamed.
My failure as a husband
makes me useless as a father.
Only a white dress for my daughters to go to school
and I couldn't even provide it.
So you sacrificed your wedding dress.
Instead of loving you more, I scolded you and beat you.
What a bastard I am!
I'm not angry with you.
If I were a man
whose wife has been breast-feeding an old man,
I would have slapped her, too.
The important thing is that you understand why I did what I did.
It was all for our children.
What I said and did to you makes me feel less than an animal.
How can you love such a man like me?
That day when you stole rice from Mr. Governor to help Mrs. Mui
and you were nearly beaten to death,
I swore I would live my whole life to serve you.
I love you because you don't live for yourself.
You have sacrificed your whole life for me and the children.
I am tired of being poor.
If you were rich,
I wouldn't have followed you here.
I wouldn't have been your wife.
We,re poor, but we have happiness.
We have each other. We have our children.
And we have this betel tree as well.
Sometimes I feel so guilty for being poor.
Especially now,
when I've seen how you've suffered
trying your best to get the dress made for our daughters.
It makes me more miserable than hearing bombs explode overhead.
The Governor once told me
"If a husband can't share in his
wife's woes or help her,
then he is smaller than an ant."
In wartime, one might die several times
yet only live once.
We have lived a hard life,
but my heart goes out to our daughters.
That's why each day that I am still on this Earth
I will do everything that I can for them, darling.
Out there, the war rages on.
Who knows how many people will die tonight
and how many families torn apart?
But you and I and our daughters are still together.
Even if we have to eat porridge with tears, I will still be happy.
I hope this war will end soon
so our country can be at peace
and our children can finish their education.
So do l.
And when that happens
I'll make you another white silk dress
and we'll have a proper wedding like
the fortune teller foretold.
We must have a wedding.
When peace arrives and the hatred ends
I will bring you and our daughters back to Ha Dong village.
An.
There was one excellent essay which received the highest score.
I want the entire class to listen to it.
An...Come up here and read it out loud.
An...can you tell us
why you chose the white silk dress as your essay topic?
My family is very poor.
Other than my mom's white silk dress,
we have nothing of value.
I'm here today because of my parents' efforts,
especially that of my mom.
Go ahead. Read it.
The white silk dress which my sister and I take turns
wearing to school is my parents, keepsake.
My parents, hometown is in Ha Dong village.
They immigrated to Da Nang in 1954.
The only possession my mom had when they left
was this white silk dress.
However, it's no ordinary dress.
It's the wedding dress my dad offered
to my mom before they came South.
My mother told me that after moving from one village to another,
they finally settled in Hoi An
because my mom was pregnant with me.
Then, when I was born,
to commemorate their second hometown
my dad named me Hoi An.
One by one, my three younger sisters were born
by the Thu Bon river in Cam Nam village
where every year the tide rises to the roof of our house.
My family is very poor.
To raise four of us,
my parents have to work from early morning until late at night
raking mussels along the river to sell in the market.
During the flood season,
they are unable to rake mussels.
Then the whole family has to eat porridge or sweet potatoes.
Sometimes even corn.
Now and then my parents give up their own portions in order for us to feel full.
But as hard it is,
my mom refuses to let us quit school.
One ticket for me.
Why are you so late? I'm sorry.
I've been waiting for you.
I finished a song and you hadn't even come back yet.
It's because of Lan.
What happened?
She asked me to watch Charlie Chaplin.
That's why I'm late.
Eat, please.
If you won't eat,
I'll give your sweet potato to my pig.
Piggy, come and eat.
Hey, Rich.
My pig already ate your sweet potato.
Eat it. Mom will be back later to breast-feed you.
My mother often said that
girls should live a life of velvet and silk.
I don't know what that means,
but I think it must be very nice since she describes it that way.
I only know that my mom works very hard
so that when we grow up we won't have a hard life like she did.
Order. Everybody. Order!
Why did you let your cow eat my notebooks?
You left your notebooks on the ground.
My cow thought they were grass. Stupid girl!
If you,re so smart, then why are you a cow herder?
Your mom didn't have anything to eat but corn
when she was pregnant with you.
Your father named you Corn.
That's why you,re so stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
How dare you call me stupid!
How dare you!
You dare call me stupid!
What's the matter, Corn?
l... I spilled ink on our white silk dress.
Look, it's stained.
A helicopter suddenly flew overhead.
The noise startled me.
I accidentally knocked over the ink pot on our dress.
Mom told us that
a graceful girl should know how to keep her dress clean.
What will we do now?
If Mom finds out,
she will beat the both of us.
An, why is your baby sister crying?
Mom is calling.
An, what shall we do now?
An, why are you letting your baby sister cry?
Stop crying. Let's go out and have some fun.
One day, my sister
accidentally spilled ink on our dress.
She cried out of fear and that made me cry too.
We cried not because we were afraid that our mom would punish us,
but because we were afraid that she would be sad.
From then on,
we wouldn't be her graceful daughters anymore.
Come on, honey.
What are you three doing over there?
An is washing the dress for you, Mom.
Mom, l...
I spilled ink all over the dress.
Mom, I'm so sorry. Please don't be sad.
And then my mom spent that whole afternoon
washing our dress by the river.
It took her several scrubbings to wash out the
white jackfruit sap we had put on the ink stain.
It was only because we were afraid our mom would be sad
that we unintentionally made it worse.
I regret that I was not able to keep my mom's white silk dress clean
which she had brought from Ha Dong village.
It is far from being as beautiful as my classmates, dresses
simply because my mom is not a tailor.
But if any among you had seen my mom
keep herself awake all those nights
by the kerosene lamp
to sew pieces of cloth into this dress so we could continue to go to school,
you'd know how truly beautiful
this dress is to us.
The most beautiful dress of Cam Nam village.
And nothing could make us happier or prouder than to wear
our mom's wedding dress to school.
That afternoon,
we watched our mom sit by the river bank and wash our dress
without a word of complaint.
I love my mom very dearly.
Even though we live in poverty
we are proud to be our parents, children.
We will continue to study hard and do everything
we can to never disappoint them.
As for me,
to repay my mom for the sacrifices she's made,
I wish to become a good tailor when I grow up
so I can sew a beautiful wedding dress for her...
It's a replacement for the dress she sacrificed for us
so that we could remain in school.
I've never seen her wearing a silk dress,
but I know for sure
that she would look beautiful in one.
My father says so as well.
I'll try my best to make my mom proud of her graceful daughter.
Daddy!
Mommy, please tell Daddy not to bury An!
Mom!
Daddy, don't bury my sister!
Mommy, tell An to wake up!
Mom!
An, I miss you so much.
You are with our beloved Buddha, aren't you?
I offer you this book
so you can read stories to him, okay?
You don't have to worry,
I won't stain mom's white dress anymore.
I'll listen to you.
I'll be a decent young girl.
When you meet Buddha,
tell him to wait for me...
that someday I'll be with him.
Mom fixed your dress for me.
I don't have to use pins anymore.
Take a look.
Do you think it looks beautiful on me?
Honey, it's about to rain. Let's go home.
Darling, let's paddle over there to fetch some more wood.
The rain's heavy and the tides are going to be strong.
Let's go home.
Darling, if we fetch those pieces of wood and sell the baskets of mussels
we will have enough money to buy a new white dress for Corn to go to school.
Darling!
Dan!
Darling!
Dan!
Be nice. Stop crying.
I'll tell Corn to boil some corn for you, okay?
Corn, did you boil the corn?
Are they ready for Rich to eat?
Don't worry,
Mom will be back to breast-feed you soon.
Rich, come on, stop crying.
Daddy is here.
Oh, Daddy is home.
Where is Mommy?
Why didn't she come home with you? Rich wants to be breast-feed.
I've been trying to comfort her, but I can't get her to stop crying.
Corn, Daddy is home.
Ah, Daddy is home.
Daddy, look.
I boiled the pot of corn all by myself.
Where is Mommy, Daddy?
Why are you crying?
Because you are such a good girl.
That's why I'm crying.
Where is Mommy, Daddy?
Mom will be back soon.
Mussels.
Mussels, anyone...
Mussels.
Mussels, anyone...
All Buddhist monks and students must stop their
violent acts and anti-government meetings at once.
You must go back to your homes to avoid any bloodshed
when our nation is experiencing grave disorder.
We are on the verge of war.
The National Leading Committee Chairman has ordered
temporary closings of all schools in all grades
in every town and in every village, from all districts to the main city.
The first time you kissed me,
I was proud to be a man.
When you were alive,
I was proud to be a husband.
And now that you are gone
I'm proud to be a father.
If you were still alive,
I would make you a hundred white silk dresses for our wedding.
War and natural disasters have left behind many sad memories,
but your love has left me with many beautiful ones.
Daddy, what are you looking for?
He's looking for Mom.
Darling, where are you now?
Heaven or Hell ?
I hope you rest in peace.
Corn, hurry up!
Corn, where are you? Hurry up!
Daddy! Daddy!
We forgot mom's white silk dress.
Corn! Corn! Stop!
Daddy...
Corn, you can't go inside. Stay here.
You stay here!
Daddy!
My mother said a white silk dress is the symbol
of a Vietnamese woman's immense suffering as well as her generosity.
Through traumatic hardship,
through horrific destruction caused by countless wars,
the Vietnamese white silk dress still maintains its beauty.
The beauty of a Vietnamese woman
cannot be characterized by white skin,
rosy cheeks, and red lips,
but by the elegant laps of the white silk dress
Hà Đông 1954
ÁO LỤA HÀ ĐÔNG (THE WHITE SILK DRESS) completed by Springbay
An,come here!
Long ago,I luckily wore this long dress one time.
Only one time.
And I have been happy up to now.
Then I bore you,
and I still keep that dress.
Mom,
Like you,as I wear this dress, I will be happy all my life.
And will I become pretty,mom?
How could I know it?
This souvenir is
my inheritance for you
You will wear it to school tomorrow.
Remember, keep it clean
to show to be a correct and decent girl.
and It's important for you to study well.
Do you understand?
Yes,I do.
How is to become correct and decent,Mom?
That means:you must be
obedient,good -natured ,unblemished,serious.
Why are there so many things I must keep? Yeah!
I have tried to become obedient and good -natured before .
Now I must even be unblemished and serious.
Yes,you must be like that.
Hey,let me see,turn around.
What a beautiful girl ,my daughter is!
Why do you make just a dress for me , not one more for my younger sister?
I don't want my sister Ngo to interrupt her school.
She is the best one of her class!
Or you let Ngo keep her studying,please.
I will not go to school any more.And I will stay home to help you cooking rice ,won't I?
No one of you will stop your studying.
I can afford to pvovide you with a dress now.
Temporarily,both of you share a dress.
Ngo,come here!
When I have enough money,
I will make another dress for you!
Yes,mom.
Sister Ngo,
wai for me to raise my pig bigger
then I will give it to mom,so that mom sells it to have money buying a new dress for you.
Hey,mom made this dress not just for me .
If mom dit it for you, how could it fit me ?
So mom dit it with my size
so that it fit you and me.
Sister,this dress belongs to us!
Lu ,Lu ,come here!
Be quick!Come here!
Bring me a pot . Hurry up!
Sister An,tell me the story of a hump man under the banian tree,please.
Long ,long ago...
there was a very ,very..rich Goverment Clerk in Hà Đông.
Some night,he dreamed that a dragon descended from the heaven,
it opened its huge mouth,
and breathed fire:
Ah Ah Ah!
It said:Hey you,Clerk man,
listen to me.
"If you want to live longer and longer,
to enjoy a wealthy life and to receive gifts from gods
you must love good - natured people,
help the handicapped,too."
Finishing saying that ,
it flew into white clouds,
then dissapeared
On the next day,
as passing by the village,
the Clerk saw an infant,
who wrapped in a new
white silk dress,
crying "oa oa oa" under a banian tree.
Remembering the dragon's words,
he asked his soldiers to pick up the infant.
Unwrapping the dress,
he saw a baby with a hump back ,
and some emerging spines ,
like a back of a dragon.
"This is a good omen.
This is a gift from gods to me."
After saying that,
he asked his soldiers set up an altar under that banian tree
to thank gods.
After that,
he took the infant to his home to bring him up...
Then,
the hump back boy
grew up,
now he turns into
our father.